Source: Smart

25 October 2002


37,000 MOTORISTS CAN'T BE WRONG


smart got the full support of its owners, who voted the ultra-cool brand top of the city car category and number one for ownership costs, in the recent Top Gear Magazine survey.


37,000 motorists were surveyed on every aspect of their car's reliability, running costs, driving experience and treatment from dealers. 120 models were covered from 33 manufacturers.


The smart city-coupé and cabrio took overall third place in the survey thanks to praise from owners for running costs, versatility and reliability.


The cars were also commended for build quality and driving experience, with the company being voted as 2nd manufacturer overall.


James Mills, Deputy Editor of BBC's Top Gear Magazine, said: "This survey provided us with unbiased, spin-free information direct from those people who know their car best. smart might be tiny but owners have voted it brilliant to live with. Being voted best city car and taking third place overall, ahead of some seriously satisfying competition is pretty good going for a brand that is only 2 years old in the UK."


Jeremy Simpson, Head of smart, added: "There are now more than 16,000 smart city-coupés and cabrios on British roads and we're delighted to get such positive feedback from those customers who decided to make a smart choice. Our current ad campaign is about smart's exceptional running costs and now we have independent affirmation of just how cost effective owning a smart can be."


Prices of the smart city-coupe start from £6,265, on the road, and standard specification across the range includes ABS, the TRUSTPLUS electronic traction control system, driver and passenger airbags, electric windows, remote central locking, rev counter, clock and RDS radio cassette.


Customers can get more information about smart by calling the freephone number 0808 000 8080, by visiting the web site at www.thesmart.co.uk, or by contacting their local smart sales centre.