Do the smart cars have automatic transmission?

Question

I am thinking about buying one and I want to know the transmission.

Answer 1

I believe the Smart cars come with a 5-Speed automated Manual transmission. This usually means you can drive it like an automatic, or you can shift it like a manual without using the clutch. I think the lower end models come with a upshift/down shift mechanism using the shifter, it looks like an automatic with the exception of being able to slide it into a drive mode that has a + and - (push up to upshift, down to downshift) The higher end ones should come with paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel.

Because the car is not a true automatic, the ride is gonna be just a little more harsh than a true automatic would be when you drive it in auto mode. I've heard that from someone who drove it (and drove it like an automatic) that if your foot is on the gas and the car shifts, it can be kinda rough at times. Apparently letting go of the gas really quick while it shifts smoothens that out a little. Anyways its really not that hard to shift it yourself, if you observe how the car shifts and downshifts in auto mode, you'll get the hang of it and be able to do it yourself.

As for buying the car itself, i don't know about that. It seems a little tooo small for US roads, but if you don't mind its tiny size, then it shouldn't be a problem!

Answer 2

My smart was just delivered and now happily driving it in LA.

It's a manual transmission with automated shifting. The transmission will learn your shifting pts and over time it will get better. You do not need to know how to drive a manual to drive the smart fortwo. But understanding how a manual transmission works will help understand the mechanism a little better.

My advice is to go test drive it.