BoomerGirl Diary

Fort Worth, Texas — Wherever Lezlie Culver goes, people smile at her. They laugh, they wave, they give her a thumbs-up.

Admirers approach her in parking lots.

They roll down their windows at stoplights.

And every time she turns around, someone is taking her picture.

All this fuss isn't really over the Fort Worth mother of one. It's all about her car: the Smart ForTwo coupe, white with a silver stripe and so small it looks like a toy.

In its first year on American roads, the tiny Smart car — not quite 9 feet long, barely 5 feet tall — is getting big buzz. The microcar, which was born of a joint venture between Daimler-Benz and watchmaker Swatch, has been popular in Europe for more than a decade, but the American edition didn't hit the roads until January.

And, like anything new and popular, the Smart car is rare. Only a handful have been spied on roads this spring, and most of those owners put down money to reserve theirs in 2006. (If you order one today, be patient: It won't be ready until 2009.)

So what's the appeal of this pint-sized vehicle with no back seat, very little cargo space and a top speed of 90 mph?

Two words: Attention. Getter.

It's the "cute factor," as Culver calls it, that makes the Smart a winner. It stands out amid the Camrys and the Tahoes that fill the highways. And it makes people smile. Like babies, puppies and the iPod Shuffle, the Smart car is so small, it's irresistible.

Culver first saw the Smart in Spain about six years ago, when two were parked outside her hotel in Barcelona. She knew that as soon as they were sold in the United States, she wanted one.

She got her coupe in January and promptly named it Sophie.

"She's just too cute," Culver says.

The Smart car is shaped a bit like a baby shoe, short and stubby. Even the Mini Cooper is 3 feet longer and 5 inches wider. Which means that, while it's adorable, the Smart sometimes comes up short as a primary car.

"I have an old SUV in the garage that I use for carpool," Culver says, and for when her family of three needs to travel together. The ForTwo, she says, is best for solo in-town driving.

And that, perhaps, is why the Smart car has been a hit with Americans who want something extra — a backup, fun-to-drive, run-around-town sort of car. It's more efficient than the family SUV, and it's far easier to navigate through an afternoon of errands.

At the Smart Car Center in Dallas, some customers arrive fresh from the Park Place Mercedes-Benz dealership next door, says Smart sales consultant Amber Davis.

"We'll have people who will buy a Mercedes," she says, "and then come over here and buy a Smart car." With a basic model that costs less than $12,000, it's viewed as an affordable extra, a luxury for those wanting more than, say, a Vespa.

Annice Ipser's other car is a wood-paneled Jeep Grand Wagoneer. But she has also been driving a blue-and-white Smart for nearly two years.

It's a converted European model that Ipser ordered when she got tired of waiting for the American version to become available.

And she has been surprised by how much her Smart car can handle.

The luggage compartment — a cozy space just behind the seats — is big enough to hold a pet carrier for her Affenpinscher. And last spring, Ipser carted a 32-inch flatscreen TV home in her Smart. The guys on the loading dock were dubious when they saw her car.

"I said, `Never fear, it'll work,' " Ipser says. And it did, with the front seat folded down and the box wedged in at an angle.

"It's amazing the things you can do," she says.

That's the shocking thing about the Smart: Outside, it's smaller than you can imagine. But inside, it's bigger than you thought possible.

Sit in the driver's seat and you forget just how tiny the vehicle really is. Leg room is ample. So is head room, unless you're taller than 6 feet, 5 inches. And the Smart's seats are about 8 inches higher than in other small cars — so you aren't close to the ground.

It's fully functional and elegantly designed. But that doesn't mean the Smart's miniscule appearance doesn't create problems.

The cars are safe, too, according to Mercedes-Benz's crash test data. Even so, Culver's friends won't ride with her on the highway. And she has discovered she'll have to wash her Smart by hand — automatic carwashes don't have sensors equipped for such a tiny vehicle.

There are other considerations. While the car uses premium fuel, gas mileage is listed at 33 mpg in the city, 40 mpg on the highway — impressive, but still less impressive than a hybrid; it's just slightly more efficient than a standard small car. And not every mechanic knows what to do with the Smart's three-cylinder engine.

Fort Worth's Suzan Schairbaum wanted a Smart car for its novelty. She has loved the car since she and her two daughters first saw the cars in Paris three years ago, and her blue convertible was delivered in February.

She's glad, though, that the Smart isn't her only car. When Schairbaum picked her daughter up at the airport last month, she took her BMW sedan: She wasn't sure the Smart would hold both her daughter and her luggage. And on a trip to Austin one windy weekend, she decided: "It's not a highway car."

"It's more of a car to drive to Central Market and back," she says.

And that's where the Smart car really shines. Owners talk about how easily they move through crowded streets and parking lots. How effortlessly they can make a U-turn or slip through tight places. How easy it is to whip around town.

The only problem? They have to factor in extra time to field questions from curious strangers.

"You do not go in the Smart if you're in a hurry," Ipser says, laughing. She has been asked so many questions, she finally posted a piece of paper in the car's window that listed answers to all the common queries: the engine specs, the gas mileage, how much it cost.

After two years, Ipser is accustomed to the crowds that gather in parking lots.

She'll let kids sit inside. She'll patiently answer questions. She'll wave back at friendly drivers on the road. And she has finally realized that when people hold up their cell phones at her, they're taking her picture.

"It is delightful to see the responses," Ipser says.

When the Smart car has been available for a few years, will it be more commonplace?

Or will it always attract stares, smiles and questions?

For now, the waving and the picture taking are part of owning a Smart car.

And Culver likes it that way. Her tiny ride has made driving an adventure. No matter what kind of mood you start out in, Culver says, "You smile because everyone's smiling at you."

I want one

You can order a Smart car today — but be patient.

Orders placed now probably won't be delivered until early 2009, says Ken Kettenbeil, director of communications for Smart USA.

Online: www.smartusa.com

For Two Pure coupe: Starts at $11,590; bare-bones, basic model with few luxuries; features that are standard in ordinary cars — air conditioning, a radio, power steering — must be purchased as options.

Two Passion coupe: Starts at $13,590; offers a bit more comfort: air conditioning, radio and a glass panorama roof are standard.

Two Passion cabriolet: Starts at $16,590; offers an automatic soft top, power windows and a premium sound system.

Additional options — heated seats, an alarm system, premium sound — can be added to any model.