Smart ForTwo smart for few

It's also really cheap. The basic hard-top ForTwo starts at about $12,000. The version I tested, the Passion Cabriolet, had a nicely designed convertible top - it can be opened at any speed - and it costs only $17,000. Try to find another new convertible for that kind of money.

But these prices are far from unheard of. In fact, there are several companies that will sell you a bigger car - with back seats and maybe even a trunk - for that kind of money. Those cars will also ride and drive better and would even be reasonable choices for a long highway trip, something I wouldn't relish in the jittery ForTwo.

Those other cars also don't make you pay extra for far better warranty protection. A Smart salesman may explain that the other guy's warranty coverage isn't really free - it's built into the cost of the car. But so are back seats, and small cars from the likes of Toyota, Suzuki, Hyundai and Chevrolet still only cost as much as the ForTwo.

This segment could become more competitive as soon as other companies upgrade micro-cars they've been selling for years overseas and bring them here. Wait a few years and I'm sure there will be better choices than this.

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