The new issue of Smartimes Magazine is now available and ready for download.

If you have already subscribed to the Smartimes Magazine simply login and follow the link below or view the new issue from the navigation menu at the top of our site.

For those who haven’t yet subscribed nows the time to take advantage of our yearly subscription package which combines access to our online content plus gives you 4 printed issues of the Smartimes Magazine delivered to your door.

Thats right Smartimes Magazine is now available as a glossy, high quality, printed magazine and for all our current subscribers you can expect to receive your first printed copy within the next 3 weeks.

The Smartimes Team would like to thank all of the smart car enthusiast from around the world for your support, this issue is set to be one of the biggest yet.

Once again thank you for your support and we hope you enjoy the new issue of Smartimes Magazine as much as we enjoyed creating it for you.

Check out the gallery below for a sneak peak of what you will find in this issue.

New Issue Link: Click Here!
 

Regards,

The Smartimes Team

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*** SMARTIMES MAGAZINE UPDATE ***

We are proud to announce the exciting re-launch of the printed Smartimes Magazine.

Smartimes Magazine will still maintain it’s quarterly release schedule for the remainder of 2009 and into 2010 with plans of growing into a bi-monthly release by the end of 2010 based on growth and feedback from the smart market.

Both our website and digital edition will still continue to provide you with the most up to date, comprehensive smart news and features from around the world but with the added bonus of a high quality printed magazine delivered to our subscribers door every issue.

To compliment the release of the printed edition of the Smartimes Magazine we have also revised our pricing and subscription fees, as of now the new yearly subscription rates are:

• USA Yearly Subscription Price $20.00 USD
• Canadian Yearly Subscription Price $30.00 USD
• UK Yearly Subscription Price £16.00 GBP
• European Yearly Subscription Price €20.00 EURO

*All Yearly Subscriptions Include Shipping & Handling.

All yearly subscriptions will include 4 printed editions of the Smartimes Magazine along with full access to the Smartimes Magazine website including our digital edition, giving you the luxury of having the most up to date, comprehensive smart news and features from around the world delivered to your door plus the convenience of being able to browse our digital edition any time your by a computer or on your cell phone.

All existing paying subscribers will automatically be transfered over to receive the new printed edition of the Smartimes Magazine and be allocated additional bonus issues based on their subscription date to compensate for our pricing adjustment.

The Smartimes Magazine Team is currently in talks with many smart dealers from around the world to negotiate the allocation and sales of the Smartimes Magazine throughout the smart dealer network, so if you would like to see the Smartimes Magazine at a smart location near you please contact your local smart dealer for more information.

We would like to thank all of our subscribers and contributors for your support, you are the reason we strive to continue making the Smartimes Magazine the worlds leading smart car publication and we look forward to continuing this growth from strength to strength.

For more information visit www.smartimesmagazine.com.

Thanks,

The Smartimes Magazine Team

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smart fortwo BRABUS electric drive: Exclusive, innovative and environmentally friendly

• Exclusive show car with electric drive
• Top model with superior style

Environmental friendliness does not mean making sacrifices. The smart fortwo with its high quality equipment proves that a car that makes environmental sense can also have charm and be fun to drive – otherwise the innovative two-seater would never have attained its popular status. smart-BRABUS takes the smart fortwo to an even higher level.

In Genevaa near-series smart-BRABUS show car featuring electric drive and a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery will celebrate its world premiere. Here, ecology and a feast for the senses go hand in hand. The light and airy design of the smart fortwo BRABUS electric drive coupled with fine natural materials demonstrate harmony with the environment and at the same time elevate the pleasure of owning and driving such a high quality custom-tailored vehicle to an even higher level.

Exclusive matt green paintwork gives the vehicle a very elegant and trendy appearance. A white cabriolet soft top and LED daytime driving lights round off the harmonious appearance of the exterior. The matching interior features leather and fabrics in the colours green and white.

The sports suspension with BRABUS “Monoblock VII” alloy wheels in a five double-spoke design and matt white exterior and interior applications convey a sporty and functional impression. For reasons of active safety the smart fortwo BRABUS electric drive is additionally equipped with a BRABUS sound generator which generates a sound specially developed for the smart electric drive via the power output.

The show car provides a look ahead at the series production. And as with all smarts to date, a smart-BRABUS variant will have a firm place here.

[Source: Daimler Media]

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• Motoring with zero local emissions
• Second generation smart electric drive with lithium-ion batteries
• Testing in London, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Milan, Pisa and other cities

The smart fortwo electric drive has long since rung in the era of zero emission motoring with battery-driven vehicles. The electric smart concept celebrated its world premiere in 2006. As early as 2007 the first pilot phase of practical customer operation started for the smart fortwo electric drive with its quiet and highly efficient electric drive that produces no local emissions. Since then a fleet of 100 smart fortwo electric drives of the first generation has been tested in everyday operation in London.

The electric smarts are leased to private customers for four years and have to demonstrate that they can cope with the tough demands of daily city use in real-world conditions. smart regularly invites the customers to workshops where they report their experience, enabling smart to gather valuable feedback.

Encouraging results for the smart fortwo electric drive

The environmentally friendly sodium-nickel-chloride battery has a range of approximately 100 kilometres. After covering an average daily distance of 40 kilometres it can be fully charged again in four hours at any standard 230 volt socket. When the battery is almost empty the maximum performance is reached after a charging time of eight hours.

The battery installed under the vehicle’s floor supplies energy for an electric motor that is fitted at the rear of the vehicle in place of the usual three-cylinder combustion engine. This enables the smart fortwo electric drive to reach a top speed of 100 km/h. Even with the relatively high prices for electricity in Germanycompared with other countries costs of just two euros per 100 kilometres are incurred – less than the price for two litres of diesel.

Second generation with lithium-ion battery

The Londoncustomers have given very encouraging feedback on the first generation fortwo electric drive models which are still fitted with sodium-nickel-chloride batteries. This is why smart confidently presented the current smart fortwo series with a further-improved electric drive at the Paris Motor Show in 2008. This second generation of the smart electric drive is powered by a lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion technology has decisive advantages over other types of batteries including better performance, shorter charging times, a longer life and high reliability. Daimler CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche says “From the end of 2009 we will start producing the smart fortwo electric drive with a lithium-ion battery”.

smart fortwo electric drive in major cities in Europe and the USA

The smart fortwo electric drive will initially be produced as a limited series. 

In addition to gathering further technical experience with the new battery, this phase will first and foremost be used to gather practical experience from customers who will then be incorporated in the further development of the zero emission vehicle concept.

In Europe the vehicles will initially take to the roads of Berlin, Paris, Rome, Milan and Pisa, with further cities planned. Several cities are also being considered in the USA.

e-mobility Berlin and e-mobility Italy

As electric vehicles are expected to spread rapidly (also from other manu-facturers), Daimler is actively engaged in extending the charging infrastructure in order to make widespread operation easy and straightforward. This is why the projects “e-mobility Berlin” in cooperation with RWE and “e-mobility Italy” in cooperation with ENEL have been set up.

In “e-mobility Berlin” with the support and cooperation of the Federal Government and the City of Berlin, the two companies aim to create ideal conditions in Berlinfor driving battery-powered electric vehicles that do not produce any local emissions. RWE is providing 500 electricity charging stations and Daimler is providing more than 100 electric smart and Mercedes-Benz cars. The aim is to create an intelligent overall system. Ultimately, intelligent communication between the electric vehicle and the power network should be made possible so that the battery can be automatically charged with low-cost electricity when the network is not being used to full capacity, for example off-peak electricity.

The project “e-mobility Italy” which will start in the cities of Rome, Milan and Pisa follows the same concept. Here, Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz Italia and the Italian utility company ENEL are working closely together.

smart fortwo electric drive offers innovative driving fun with a clear conscience

With the small series production of the smart fortwo electric drive from the end of 2009, the various fields of application in population centres in major smart markets and the planned marketing of larger volumes from 2012, the car brand is underlining its pioneering role in developing environmentally friendly, sustainable concepts for individual mobility of the future.

[Source: Daimler Media]

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Geneva – Sales of the smart fortwo rose by 39 percent in the past year, and by the end of the year the smart will be represented in 41 countries worldwide. smart is the intelligent combination of lasting, future-oriented technology and individual, urban mobility, with joie de vivre.

The smart story is a success story as the two-seater smart fortwo is becoming increasingly popular around the world. Last year sales rose to a record 134 700 cars - this corresponds to an increase of 39 percent on the previous year.

These figures are first and foremost due to the great success of the smart fortwo in the USAand two-digit growth rates in the established European markets. In the USA24 600 vehicles were delivered to customers in the first year of sales alone. This makes the United States the third largest market for smart after Italy (33 800) and Germany (32 000).

smart in 41 countries

More than a million smart fortwos have been delivered to customers since the launch of the first model in 1998. Today, customers on five continents and in 37 countries are able to enjoy the car. In the course of 2009 the smart fortwo will be introduced in China, Brazil, Denmark and Serbia. smart will then be 

represented in 41 countries around the globe.

Intelligent technology and low fuel consumption

The current models boast low fuel consumption and minimum carbon dioxide emissions. The smart model range also includes the smart fortwo cdi which is the CO2 champion with its unparalleled low emissions of just 88 g/km. Furthermore, since October 2008 the two smart fortwo mhd petrol models with 52 kW/71 hp and 45 kW/61 hp engines have been equipped with an intelligent and user-friendly start/stop system that further reduces fuel consumption. This means that 7 out of 10 customers in Europewho opt for a petrol model are able to take advantage of this environmentally friendly technology. The smart fortwo can therefore demonstrate an impressive track record on the way to a green future.

smart electric drive

A development focus for smart: in September 2008 the brand presented the second generation smart fortwo electric drive. From the end of 2009 a small series of the new electric vehicle featuring an innovative lithium-ion battery will roll off the production line.

Anders Sundt Jensen, responsible for the smart brand, describes the special position of the smart fortwo: “smart sets standards in many respects. The smart fortwo has not just become a popular car worldwide as the only 88 g/km CO2 city car with compact dimensions meeting urban mobility needs and an innovative concept combining functionality with joie de vivre - it has established an entire new class of cars and sets the benchmark that all others have to live up to.”

[Source: Daimler Media]

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Club Name: smartclub-holland
Club Location: Nederland (Holland)
Website Address: www.smartclubholland.nl
Contact Person: Frank Bonneur
Email: smartclub-holland@live.nl
Club Info: Each year I like to ride 2-3 tours. Touring with smartclub-holland is always Free! No exceptions. We only drive our tours in Holland.

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A special edition of the smart fortwo will be celebrating its world premiere at the 79th Geneva Motor Show. The “edition limited three” boasts exclusive, elegant paintwork and a spring-like fresh interior design concept. Thanks to mhd technology as standard, the cult two-seater car combines a chic appearance with outstanding environmental friendliness. The smart fortwo “edition limited three” will be produced as a limited series.

smart is welcoming the spring with a special series featuring melon green metallic paintwork and extensive equipment, thus continuing the tradition of smart special models. The new special finish of the spring model injects a fresh shot of colour for the new season and harmonises with the tridion safety cell. The 15 inch alloy wheels in a sporty six-spoke design fitted with tyres measuring 175/55 R15 at the front and 195/50 R15 at the rear are a further eye-catching feature. The exterior look is rounded off by aluminium-effect “limited three” logos in the mirror triangle.

The interior boasts an unusual, fresh design concept in terms of colours and materials. Here, the melon green metallic colour scheme is continued in an exclusive fabric design with shades of brown creating a stylish contrast, for example on the seats and in the door trim. The instrument panel featuring dark brown leather-effect details also continues the fresh play of colours that contrast with the green fabric. The 3-spoke sports steering wheel with steering wheel gearshift is covered with dark brown leather, as is the gear knob. Shimmering matt silver trim parts round off the harmonious impression of the interior.

The new edition, which is available as a coupé and a cabriolet, is based on the “passion” equipment variant. Among other features it comes with softouch automatic gear programme, electric windows, air conditioning with automatic temperature control, and for the coupé a panoramic roof with sunblind. The standard equipment of the “edition limited three” also includes dashboard instruments and the radio 9. Power steering, heated seats, a lockable glove compartment and the smart sound system with five high quality loud speakers and a smart MP3 interface are optionally available.

The special series of the new smart fortwo also places a focus on “green” when it comes to the environment thanks to micro hybrid drive (mhd) technology as standard with an intelligent and user-friendly automatic start/stop system. The control electronics shut down the 52kW /71 hp engine as soon as the driver brakes and the vehicle’s speed falls below 8 km/h - for example when approaching traffic lights. The engine starts again in the fraction of a second when the driver releases the brake pedal. The system is perfectly tailored to the automated manual transmission of the smart fortwo and is fully automatic - the driver does not need to do any clutchwork or gear 

shifting. The automatic start/stop system reduces the combined fuel consumption by approximately eight percent (NEDC consumption per 100 km: coupé: 4.4 litres, cabrio: 4.5 litres). It also reduces the CO2 emissions to 104 grams per kilometre for the coupé and 106 grams per kilometre for the cabrio version. Fuel savings of up to almost 20 percent are possible in urban traffic with frequent stop-and-go situations.

The special model “edition limited three” costs €15,470 as a coupé and €18,510 as a cabrio (German list price incl. VAT).

[Source: Daimler Media]

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Of the current fifty-one smart car owners from the Chicago land area, almost half braved the rather harsh winter weather in order to have their largest get-together at the California Pizza Kitchen in suburban Skokie, Illinois this past February.

Enjoying the Sunday morning brunch were a wonderfully assorted group of smart car owners and I must say, enthusiasts.  I personally, was very pleased to see the impressive number who decided to participate. Even those who were unable to attend sent their apologies and voiced their dismay at having to be absent for this affair.  My kudos to our group member, “Clicker,” for initiating this event.

It was impressive to observe everyone’s eagerness to get together with other owners and to share their ownership experience.  Even though we are really all new to the game, sort to say, I was so glad to see everyone’s exuberance matched my own. There is something fascinating about being a smart car owner.

I have owned many and varied vehicles in my lifetime.  Being somewhat long in the tooth, I have experienced everything from the slow and go to the fast and furious. However, nothing has given me more pleasure than being the driver of this particular car.

What is it with this experience?  It begins with ordering.  Somehow, once you are in the wait seems to be like being on the hunt…the excitement grows.  And, for me, and apparently all the other smarties I have met so far, there is no disappointment once you take possession of the keys!

The second thing I have discovered is that there is a wealth of knowledge to be obtained in speaking with my fellow smarties.  Questions you may have about performance, strange noises, gas mileage, where can you get this or that, and on and on, are readily shared. 

The importance of forming your own group and having these get togethers cannot be overly empathized for their value as well as fun.

Whether you form a group based upon location, type, colors, or all being left-handed makes no matter…just do it.

- Bert Monsen

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Did you ever notice the best solutions or courses of actions are usually the simplest? We make sure we go out of our way to either over-think or over-complicate just about any decision. A simple solution is an elegant one.

I decided last year it was time to start pruning the little things that added no value to life. Many of us carry multiple devices that do so many different things. I was carrying my cell phone, a music player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), along with my laptop and all of its accessories. I had many “man-bags” in which to carry the multiple iterations of junk listed above supposedly needed on a day-to-day basis. It was getting to the point that being “portable” meant you had so much stuff that it was not even worth working remotely. It was a temple-building effort just to move from my home office to the back porch if I wanted to work outside. I could not imagine going off-site to work without buying one of those roll around luggage bags to tote all of my stuff.

Again, life does not have to be this hard.

Did you ever notice that the smart is an elegant solution in getting from one point to another? The car has just enough instrumentation to tell the driver only what is necessary. The dome light gently radiates when entering or exiting the car, the radio light only comes on when the radio is on, and there are only three settings for the windshield wipers. Take a look around the engine compartment and tell me if that is not simplicity as an art form. The oil filter and drainage plug are close together for ease of maintenance. Therefore, why does an oil change cost $160?

All you need is:

1. 24mm socket
2. 3-1/2 quarts of Mobil-1 5w-30
3. Oil filter (Smart 132 180 00 10 –or- Mitsubishi 1230A040 –or- Purolator Plus L14612 –or- Bosch 3300 –or- AC Delco Ultragard Gold UPF44) 

Note: Thanks to the smart community for its many posts on this topic. I will most 

likely buy one of each and do a comparison in a future article. Also, an oil drainage pan and funnel would probably be helpful in the above task. It is 13 degrees outside now so this may wait until April.

I got tired of carrying a cell phone, music player, and Palm PDA so these three devices were replaced by a BlackBerry Curve. One easy to use device is great and the web browser does a great job accessing the Smartimes Mobile Edition. The built-in browser is alright, but I think Opera Mini does a better job. Opera is also available for other operating systems and I like the simple fact that no matter how I access the internet, using Opera is the common interface. The BlackBerry also has a headphone jack useful for plugging it into the fortwo’s radio. Copy music or books into the smart phone, plug into the smart car, and select the [SRC] button for [AUX]. If it is not loud enough, then increase the volume on the phone first and the radio next. You will get the optimum volume if both are adjusted correctly. 

My current laptop is still the workhorse, but I needed something a little more transportable. Netbooks are small laptops that are designed to run a user’s essential applications such as e-mail, web browsing, and composing documents. It must also be able to host presentations and have a long batter life. My current netbook is the ASUS eeepc and it has worked flawlessly for the past several months. There are two reasons that I bring up a computer in a car-related forum. The first is the ASUS will fit in the pouches of the fortwo’s rear cargo cover very well. The second is the netbook runs Linux which is an Open Source operating system along with all the applications that I need. As you may have noticed, I’ve been using Linux for years.

Things to consider:

• Open Your Mind
• Open Source
• Simplify Your Life, but Live smartly?

Owning the fortwo is not like owning a normal car. It allows you and a passenger to get from one destination to another in a different fashion. My wife tells me she has an almost Zen-like experience when doing the most mundane of errands. She has commented that a feeling of happiness comes over her when driving it. I have found this to be true when it is pleasant out and the top is down or even when it is a negative twelve degrees outside. The fortwo constantly delivers a calming or Zen-like experience. 

Get out and drive it. It belongs on the road.

-Tony Godfrey

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My name is Tony Godfrey and I have been a Smart enthusiast for almost two years now. I am really not sure how it got started, but maybe it was one of those things that found me. Maybe like Karma? Fate? Who knows?

The idea of a something a little more “green” came to mind several months ago and I started looking at alternatives of getting from point A to point B. I have an SUV and it is actually used, gets dirty, and fits in perfectly when originally purchased. The vehicle still has a place and I do not see getting rid of it anytime soon. 

Other considerations went from small cars, to hybrids, and to even a scooter. About this time I saw the famous YouTube video of the Smart hitting the concrete barrier at over 75-miles per hour and thought about doing some investigative research. The idea for the car was originally conceived by the Swatch Watch Company. The then-CEO Nicolas Hayek started shopping his idea around for an automaker to build it. General Motors and Volkswagen turned down the idea, but Daimler-Benz eventually saw value in the small car. 

Smart is short for Swatch Mercedes ART. The original design was for the car to be eco-friendly and city-friendly. The ForTwo is 85% recyclable, offers great visibility, and is also gas pump friendly only requiring less than eight gallons of fuel. The more I found out really got me excited by the vehicle and after months of deliberation, I finally put down my $99 reservation down at the beginning of August 2007. I was told it would probably be in the States within the next year. 

Smart does a very good job of keeping potential owners in the loop via e-mail and their website updates. Several months elapsed and I started thinking maybe this was not going to happen. At the end of July 2008, the local dealer called and said my car was in. What? This could not be true so I asked the salesperson to read my order back to me just to make sure. She said my order for the black with silver tridon and red interior with blah-blah options had come in and she would like to arrange a date for pick-up. I said I would call back in bit having to confer with my wife first.

I called my wife and said the Smart car was in and asked what were we going to do about it? She said we will probably make an appointment to get it and have lunch afterwards. What is it with Ladies and Lunch? Anyway, I called the salesperson back and we setup an appointment for that Saturday. The finance person then called and we started doing the paperwork over the phone (Mercedes efficiency?) to save some time. I could not get over the fact how easy this was going. 

When we got to the dealership, the car was inside and next to a table for the final signing and such. My wife and I had a snack with “Angus” as paperwork flew and the salesperson went over all the aspects of the Smart. I could not get over the friendliness of purchasing a car and the staging that went into it. While the finance guy was tying up the last few items, my wife and I requested the floor mats, cargo net kit, rear cargo cover, hats, t-shirt, keychain…..yeah, yeah….just put it all on the tab.

We left the dealership not believing the car was actually here and headed to lunch (…ladies and lunch…). It was a beautiful July weekend and the car had its top down almost the entire time. The little guy gets LOTS of attention and it can almost become too much and we actually didn’t drive it for a couple of weeks that September. I have been stopped at red lights, mall parking lots, gas stations, airports, my driveway, and the list keeps growing. This was especially true when gasoline prices were over four dollars per gallon. It is just something that Smart car owners will have to grin and bear.

It is winter time in northeastern Ohio and I was only scared to take it out the first time. Angus does very well in the snow and negative temperatures and he comes from Europe, so this should not have been a concern. I still cannot get over the fact of how quiet the car is, not only inside, but outside as well. The interior is massive and I am still considering a small putting green for those slow times.

Now to Smartimes….

The Smartimes website was found when researching all-things Smart. I went through the website and started downloading past issues of the magazine. These were gone through in short order and I really enjoyed them. My wife and I have a few small cars including a 1968 MGB, 1970 MG Midget, 1992 GEO Metro, and the 2008 ForTwo. I wonder if the people at Smartimes would like a simple piece comparing the four and how a small car has been defined. Put something together and see what happens. 

The first response back was from Jennifer saying she liked what she read and she would be speaking with the editorial staff soon. I thanked her for the input and a few days later received an e-mail from Trevor saying he liked what he read as well. We exchanged a few more e-mails and now you are reading the results. They are really great, down-to-earth people and I look forward to a long relationship with them.

It was decided to see what happens with this section. So, let’s talk about the Smart life-style and go from there. I recently planned the first annual “Honey Smart Wine” tour for my wife which we did this past weekend. This was a big success since it was “for her” and not because a holiday was coming up. The ForTwo is a car and should be on the road regardless of the weather, even if it is negative twelve degrees. I recently purchased a BMW first aid kit box to install under the Smart seat to maximize storage. There are a few things every Smart owner should have for normal maintenance that cost very little. Let’s take the little guy to his first Christmas party that the dealership was putting on. Later on this year, he will have a chance to do a parade lap at the MidOhio race course. A parade lab means no more than 40 miles per hour, but its still MidOhio and I’m quite sure it has not been done before.

Now, let’s start blazing that new trail…

Tony Godfrey

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