(
)They aren't safe, you aren't some hero for the environment because you drive one.(
)
Surely they give that impression of being unsafe, and while I hold no prejudice against most cars, I still feel at times uncomfortable driving these, mostly from others driving much too close and not being sure those anesthetized SUV drivers have actually seen me, even in the clear car2go livery. But I trust German engineering (though they sometimes have unexplained issues such as premature rusting) more than American judgment
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Your SUV gives the opposite impression of being safe, while it's quite the opposite: too high for their width, they easily tip over in an accident, not mentioning a danger to others since light trucks aren't subject to the same safety requirements as normal cars (an absurdity).
Consumer Reports
didn't like them because of these reasons: "tiny, two-passenger cabin, a herky-jerky transmission, an under-powered engine". Nothing to do with safety or fuel economy.
What's the point of criticizing a fuel-sipping two-seater made for non-obese people? Most people drive alone in their vehicle anyways. It's so tiny I had trouble the few first times I wanted to parallel-park, since rules learnt at driving school didn't apply to vehicles with a turning radius and length this small.
But I can only agree about the transmission
I get sometimes better "eco score" using manual mode than their conservatively-tuned transmission.
They're basically a roll-cage on wheels, thanks to the Tridion shell.
I guess that's why they look quite ugly compared to small cars made decades before, as well as very heavy for their sizes. Safety has a price, an esthetic one at least.