Those Smart Canadian Drivers . . .

After a brief holiday respite in Phoenix, I plopped down into a light snowfall last week. The sloppy weather inspired me to do a bit of web research on Smart ForTwo's performance under winter driving conditions. A few of our neighbors to the North are practicing Smart buying habits. Who better than Canadians to give advice on driving a Smart in the snow? Canadians share terrible weather with Minnesotans. Stepping outdoors on a -30 degree day and feeling your nose hairs crisp with frost is an experience that Canadians and Minnesotans can bond over.

I found a quite impressive review from Canadian Driver, who forced one of its employees to drive around Winnipeg in six-inch snow for an entire week. He seemed to like his Smart experience - praising the technical features inherited from Mercedes and the handling, even with stock summer tires. The reviewer gives the Smart this vaulted praise, "The ESP works exceptionally well, even with summer tires under panic lane changes."

Smart's own Canadian site tries hard to convince prospective drivers that the little car is winter-worthy. The site is worth a peek just because the tiny animated Smart cruising past a Moose crossing is quite cute.

My research turned up a gem from the British program Fifth Gear, where the producers bought a Smart and smashed it into a concrete barrier at 70 mph. The doors are remarkably undeformed, just like the doors on my first Del Sol after a van rear-ended me at 65 mph.