Looking Smart behind the wheel
I had a unique opportunity last November.
I was invited to attend Fanshawe College's
Distinguished Alumni Awards banquet,
where the college celebrated success in its
alumni. Award recipients from around the
country flew in to see old friends and teachers,
and of course to receive awards for their
achievements.
The unique opportunity I had was at the back corner of the room in the form of a silent auction. The items up for auction weren't too hotly contested, as most prizes were local and most of the people in the room were not. So I ended up snatching two prizes. One was a three-month gym membership that I activated about three months ago and never utilized, but at least the proceeds went to student bursaries. The other was a Smart Car rental for one weekend, which I saved until this past weekend so I could write a review of it specifically for this issue.
Here's my review:
When I got to the dealership and saw the car, I chuckled to myself in an "oh my god I'm spending the weekend in the most emasculative dinky car ever created" sort of way. It doesn't really connect with the cultural expectations we've all grown up with. It certainly does not have a HEMI under the hood. I'm not even sure that it has a hood.
That issue aside (which wasn't actually an issue for me, but could be for some), the car was pretty nice. The heated leather seats made for a very comfortable ride. The small wheels and the terrible London roads, on the other hand, did not. Eventually I realized how small the car really was (you don't feel very small when you're inside of it) and started manoeuvring around every pothole and sewer grate on the road and sailed towards my destination smoothly.
The other thing that took some time adjusting to was the manual/automatic transmission. It's automatic, so you put it into drive and go, but it requires you to shift gears as well. To do this, there are plus and minus buttons on the steering wheel. As someone who's never learned how to drive manual, it took time to get used to.
I did a grocery run with the car. Luckily as a 24-year-old with no family in London, my grocery list is relatively small. My $70 worth of groceries fit into the trunk without any issue. Obviously the car wouldn't have much room for cases of pop or water bottles, but if you bought a Smart Car, chances are you're trying to keep away from that wasteful lifestyle in the first place. Good for you! The highlight of my voyage in the Smart Car was when I drove by other Smart Car users. The way they smugly waved at me like we were part of the same socially conscious club was reminiscent of a South Park episode - S10E02 for all you fans out there.
Gas wasn't much of an issue as we all know that one of the best features of the Smart Car is its fuel efficiency. The only downside to this is that it takes high grade fuel which costs more, so when you were filling up at $1.20 a litre, I was filling up at $1.37. I'm not sure if that's a con or not, but I'll let you do the math.
All in all I really enjoyed the Smart Car and I found it very functional for my lifestyle as a young person with no family. I would even consider getting one myself if it weren't for the fact that I'm not in the income bracket to be able to afford one. It's a sleek little car with a lot of power. If you get the chance, definitely take the opportunity to check one out yourself.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
The unique opportunity I had was at the back corner of the room in the form of a silent auction. The items up for auction weren't too hotly contested, as most prizes were local and most of the people in the room were not. So I ended up snatching two prizes. One was a three-month gym membership that I activated about three months ago and never utilized, but at least the proceeds went to student bursaries. The other was a Smart Car rental for one weekend, which I saved until this past weekend so I could write a review of it specifically for this issue.
Here's my review:
When I got to the dealership and saw the car, I chuckled to myself in an "oh my god I'm spending the weekend in the most emasculative dinky car ever created" sort of way. It doesn't really connect with the cultural expectations we've all grown up with. It certainly does not have a HEMI under the hood. I'm not even sure that it has a hood.
That issue aside (which wasn't actually an issue for me, but could be for some), the car was pretty nice. The heated leather seats made for a very comfortable ride. The small wheels and the terrible London roads, on the other hand, did not. Eventually I realized how small the car really was (you don't feel very small when you're inside of it) and started manoeuvring around every pothole and sewer grate on the road and sailed towards my destination smoothly.
The other thing that took some time adjusting to was the manual/automatic transmission. It's automatic, so you put it into drive and go, but it requires you to shift gears as well. To do this, there are plus and minus buttons on the steering wheel. As someone who's never learned how to drive manual, it took time to get used to.
I did a grocery run with the car. Luckily as a 24-year-old with no family in London, my grocery list is relatively small. My $70 worth of groceries fit into the trunk without any issue. Obviously the car wouldn't have much room for cases of pop or water bottles, but if you bought a Smart Car, chances are you're trying to keep away from that wasteful lifestyle in the first place. Good for you! The highlight of my voyage in the Smart Car was when I drove by other Smart Car users. The way they smugly waved at me like we were part of the same socially conscious club was reminiscent of a South Park episode - S10E02 for all you fans out there.
Gas wasn't much of an issue as we all know that one of the best features of the Smart Car is its fuel efficiency. The only downside to this is that it takes high grade fuel which costs more, so when you were filling up at $1.20 a litre, I was filling up at $1.37. I'm not sure if that's a con or not, but I'll let you do the math.
All in all I really enjoyed the Smart Car and I found it very functional for my lifestyle as a young person with no family. I would even consider getting one myself if it weren't for the fact that I'm not in the income bracket to be able to afford one. It's a sleek little car with a lot of power. If you get the chance, definitely take the opportunity to check one out yourself.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
