smart fortwo in a Nutshell

What is hard on the outside, but soft on this inside? The smart car. There has been a lot of excitement about this very unique car lately. I have to admit every time I see one driving by, I have to take a second look. The smart fortwo has caused a frenzy with drivers because of its small vehicle design and of course, its stellar fuel efficiency, but some of you may still have questions about its safety. At just 8.8  feet long and weighing in at about 1,800 lbs, can the smart Fortwo withstand an impact with much larger cars?

There is a nifty display at smart center Virginia Beach that shows exactly what the Fortwo is made of. They call it the tridion safety shell, and it is based on the idea of a nut. Yes, a nut. Just like how a nut is protected by its hard outer shell, Fortwo occupants are protected by the hard tridion steel cage. The tridion safety shell is made of longitudinal and transverse structural members that absorb energy in the event of a collision, and help protect passengers from injury. Like we mentioned in an earlier blog, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released their crash test results a few months ago and gave the Fortwo a top rating of “good” for front and side crash protection. To read more about the results visit here. 

The tridion frame alone weighs 900 lbs, and I found out yesterday that it took 6 very strong men to carry the display inside (pictures are posted below, thank you to the folks at smart center Virginia Beach for sharing them with us.) Great work guys! Admire their hard work by visiting smart center Virginia Beach, 5193 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach or for more information call (757) 490-1111.