Our local car sharing program, ConnectCar, recently started offering a fleet of sub-compact cars made by Smart, in addition to its regular variety of vehicles.

I was eager to give it a try, and once again (just like with the raw herring) my brother's visit made for the perfect excuse to give it a spin.

Fortunately, I liked the Smart Car a lot more than I liked the raw herring.

In spite of the vehicle's diminuitive stature, I was surprised by how comfortable its interior felt. My brother and I are pretty decently-sized men, yet we were both able to sit in the car without any difficulty. Honestly, it felt like we were just sitting in any small car (not entirely dissimilar to the old 1985 Chevette that I used to drive back in high school). I was genuinely surprised by this sensation of space. The trick is that one's feet basically extend all the way to the foremost part of the vehicle (underneath the engine block), and one's back extends all the way back to within 15-20 centimeters (about a foot) of the rearmost part of the car. I don't know how the car's designers achieve the sense of space between passengers -- given the fact that the car is also considerably narrower than other cars -- but I can simply say that I felt like I had plenty of space between my brother's shoulders on my right and the car's window on my left. It's a marvel of engineering to me that they could make a car so small (enough that it can park perpendicular to the curb in a parallel parking zone, without sticking out into traffic) feel so normal.

In addition to the sense of space, I was also surprised by the sense of safety that I experienced while driving in the Smart Car. It didn't feel like I was driving in an aluminum can or some souped-up go-kart. The car didn't start to rattle and buzz as it reached highway speeds. I didn't worry about any strong gusts of wind. And I was reassured by the knowledge that the vehicle was engineered (by Mercedes-Benz and the Swatch) to be remarkably safe, even in collisions. The Smart Car didn't have quite the pick-up that I might have expected, considering its Mercedes-manufactured engine and its overall light weight. It took off more like a typical compact car, with a compact engine; but if anything, this only added to the sense of safety.

Obviously, cargo space in such a vehicle is extremely limited. Two regular-sized backpacks (day packs) filled up a majority of the rear storage space, and even the glove compartment was very small. But obviously, something's got to give in a vehicle of such limited size.

Personally, I think there's really something to the Smart Car. I don't know if it would be as useful as a primary vehicle (especially not for any family larger than two); but I can totally see it being an economical, efficient, and effective way of complementing a household's regular transportation needs (be it in Europe or North America). For now, I think our family is still quite comfortable with bicycling as our primary mode of transportation (with public transport and the diverse fleet of ConnectCar providing other options, as needed). But I do like the Smart Car, now that I've tried it, even more than I had anticipated I would like it. It's a fun car. A friendly car. A smart car.