Michele Taylor
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 14/05) - In today's economy with rising fuel costs any alternative that saves money can be a good choice especially when it's a comparable market price to most compact cars.

The Smart Car is one of those recent additions to the marketplace. It looks like a hybrid, sounds like a hybrid but this turbodiesel for two is a little car with a lot of oomph.

Linda Corkal, Yellowknife's first Smart car for two driver, says for the size, her surprise birthday present generates a lot of power and rates highly on the safety side.

With a steel tridion safety cell it has a crash rating that is equal to or better than their Ford F-150. The rationale for buying the car is what the vehicle saves in gas covers the $16, 500 sticker price in three years. After 2,000 km of driving Corkal has filled the tank four times at $15 to $17 dollars a fill. That's a mileage rating of 4.7 litres per 100 km.

With a 27-litre, 3-cylinder turbodiesel engine, this car is already ahead on the savings. Add to that the fact the Smart Car weighs a meagre 730kg and is 85 per cent recyclable materials and this car is looking like the best smart deal on the market.

Corkal says if you don't like the colour of your car you can order different colour panels through the dealer. Just what we all need - a car that you can change with the seasons. She also has some special features added to the car: Formula 1 shift paddles on the steering wheel, heated leather seats for those cold Yk winter days and tons of gizmo's and gadgets.

A temperature gauge gives you a little snowflake at 3C and at -1C will start flashing. She's curious to see what the gauge does at -40C.

The Smart Car is also a semi-automatic car and has an electronic system that switches the drive from rear to front on command.

Ads for the car state you can carry two large golf bags, four pieces of luggage or 15 cases of beer. As an added bonus Corkal says you can also fit a six-foot-two husband in the car and groceries for a family of four.