It wasn’t a good start. Maybe it was forshadowing for things to come. But whatever it was, getting into an argument with the manager at the Mercedes-Benz dealership before I picked up my tester was a first for me.
Now, I should say, it was a friendly argument. And admittedly, my stubborn nature prevented me from knowing when to let it go. But I just had to say something.
As the manager handed me the keys to the 2009 Smart Fortwo, he enclosed a package of information; specs and the like. I was all set to go, when suddenly he said, “Oh, and you can get it as a roadster too!”
I was literally walking away from him when he decided to yell this out to me, and I don’t think I’ve ever stopped so suddenly in my tracks before. I turned around, and looked at him. He had a very friendly smile on his face, so I thought he was joking. In fact, I knew he was joking. I knew there was no way he was referring the the Smart Fortwo Cabriolet as a ‘roadster’.
So, I managed a decent fake laugh and continued on. Then I heard, “What’s so funny?”
He was serious. I couldn’t believe it. And this is where the argument started.
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While the US Big Three are scrambling for survival just to the south of us, it seems Canadians have set their sights elsewhere when it comes to automotive love. According to March sales figures, our constant headline-hogging buddies called Chrysler are near the bottom. But who’s on top?
You know the drill by now. Follow the jump for more.
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Remember back when the resurrection of the Mini in the form of the MINI was big news—mainly because it was so small? Nevermind that it was significantly larger than the classic Minis of yore—it was still a whole lot smaller than just about everything else on the market. And it was sporty! And thoughtfully appointed! And quirky, full of personality—and had more space inside than you’d expect!
Well, times have changed. The MINI has gotten slightly larger with each successive evolution, and the new MINI Clubman is something different altogether. A nice “something different,” but is it really, well…mini? It’s hardly an SUV (thankfully), but it’s definitely not…mini. The JCW packages are mostly nice-looking and sporty (although chrome bezels on absolutely everything that could be chromed in the Clubman is questionable), but they don’t really affect the overall size, although they do make a difference in aerodynamics.
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As you may have imagined, putting on an auto show is hard work. It takes the skill and dedication of untold numbers of people to make it all work, placing each brick next to their neighbour’s and hoping like hell someone remembered to mix the mortar correctly. Where do we fit in as writers and enthusiasts of this stuff? I’d like to imagine we’re tiny specks of colourful grit; occasionally irritating, but overall quite essential to the look and feel of the finished product. In reality, though, it’s possible that someone’s just overmixed me, as I’ve now been awake since 2:30am and am somehow thinking this all makes sense as I type it.
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