Local couple new owners of smart car

Harvey and Martha Flanagan just bought a car that gets about 40 miles per gallon, a wise choice in light of today’s exorbitant gas prices.

But their new 71-horsepower two-seater is not just any fuel-efficient compact car. Built in France with most of its parts from Germany and Japan, the Flanagans’ new ride is a 2008 smart fortwo passion coupe. They first saw the car during a trip to Rome in 2002 and for Harvey Flanagan, it was love at first sight, Martha recalled.

However, it wasn’t until May 2007 when they reserved a smart car at www.smart.com for a $99 fee. About a year later, the Flanagans’ bright-red dream machine was shipped to a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Winston-Salem, N.C. They picked it up on April 30.

“I didn’t hesitate to let him get it,” she said during an interview at their home Tuesday. “We both thought it was so cute.”

Though present in Europe for years, the smart car became available for purchase in the United States in January, according to www.smartusa.com.

The smart line is owned by Mercedes-Benz and includes the smart fortwo pure coupe, passion coupe and the passion cabriolet. Its top speed is 90 mph, according to the Web site.

Its gas tank holds 8.7 gallons and the car is supposed to emit low levels of carbon dioxide, the Web site states. The smart car’s design enables redistribution of crash energy and displacement of impact to protect occupants, according to the site.

The tiny vehicle has enough space for hauling groceries, but that’s about it for extra cargo. For a car less than nine feet long and less than six feet wide, the three-cylinder eye-catcher has ample legroom. Without the stares from other drivers, it would be easy to forget you’re driving anything besides an average-size automobile.

“It drives like a dream,” Harvey Flanagan says.

The passion coupe’s base price is $13,000 and it comes with a 5-speed, automated manual transmission that can be switched from manual to automatic. The Flanagans said they were able to select their color, pick the features they wanted — basically designing their own car, Martha said.

Though speed freaks may not be impressed that it goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 12 seconds, the Flanagans’ ride turns heads on the street. When they run errands on it, they have to plan taking longer than usual, Harvey said.

“Allow yourself an extra 10 to 14 minutes if you go because someone’s going to stop you and talk to you about it,” he said.

Taking it on a test drive can be slightly unnerving at first. The car hesitates between gears in automatic, and when pulling into the Flanagans’ steep driveway, it falters while it downshifts.

The smart car’s gas mileage doubles that of the Flanagans’ 2000 Lincoln Town Car and almost triples their 15-miles-per-gallon 1987 Chevy Silverado.

The Flanagans said they will use the smart car mostly for trips to the grocery store, church and other short jaunts. They can forget about taking it to the airport next time they fly — there’s no room for luggage.

• Contact John R. Crane at jcrane@registerbee.com or (434) 791-7987.