UW News

April 10, 2008

UW staffer gets Smart with her commuting

Darlene Feikema, director of the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Life, likes small things. That’s why she lives in a cottage — one of eight in a Shoreline development — that’s less than 1,000 square feet.

So it’s not surprising that Feikema is one of the first 70 people in the Puget Sound region to buy a Smart car, a car that is less than 9 feet long and seats only two people. She uses the car to commute to the University — in a carpool, natch — with her husband, Paul Reed Smith, who is the technology officer in Facilities Services.

The car was all Feikema’s idea. She ordered it a year ago, before she and Smith were married. It was, she said, the culmination of a long-term interest.

“In 2001 I was in the Canary Islands, and they have a lot of narrow, winding streets,” she said. “There were a lot of Smart cars buzzing around there and I just kind of fell in love with them.”

At the time, she didn’t think she’d ever get one because there was no U.S. distributor and it cost about $25,000 to import one from Europe, where they debuted at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show. But then she happened on an article that said the cars would soon be sold in this country. She began paying attention to that process, and signed up as soon as the American distributor opened reservations. Prices now range from about $12,000 to $18,000.

The Smart car began as a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch, makers of Swatch watches. Nicolas Hayek, the inventor of the Swatch watch, brought his ideas for an “ultra urban” car to Mercedes-Benz. Today, the Smart is a member of the Mercedes Car Group, a Daimler AG Company.

Smart cars began appearing in this country in January; Feikema has had hers since Feb. 27. She said the local dealership had staged two test drive events for people with reservations — the first last summer with the European model and the second only weeks before the cars arrived with the American version. Reservations were refundable if people changed their minds.

Feikema didn’t change hers, and is selling her 14-year old Toyota Corolla. “The Smart is a fun little car to drive,” she said. “It feels bigger than it is because you sit high inside of it and there’s a glass roof. There’s also a hatchback with a fair amount of storage. My husband says it drives like a go-cart because it’s very responsive and has a tight turning radius.”

The car gets 31 miles per gallon in the city and 44 on the highway, but it’s not a hybrid; it uses gasoline. To offset its small size, the passenger cabin is surrounded by a reinforced steel cage, a feature adapted from NASCAR. The company says the car gets four stars out of a possible five on safety, but that’s based on a European test. It hasn’t yet been tested in this country.

Feikema says she’s driven the car on the freeway and doesn’t feel threatened by the larger vehicles that surround her. But then, she’s used to small things.

“Everything seems to be getting bigger and bigger and I just don’t understand that whole lifestyle,” she said. “Less is more and I go for quality rather than size.”