2008 SMART FORTWO COUPE ECO mode

Let the fun begin!
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with
your smart fortwo coupé or smart fortwo ca

brio and read through the Operator’s Manual
before setting off. This will ensure you get
more fun out of your vehicle
and avoid dan

ger to yourself and others.
This Operator’s Manual contains very impor

tant information about how to safely and ef

fectively operate the vehicle. It is important
to note that this is a unique vehicle. It is obvi

ously smaller than most vehicles on the road
and, for this reason, it can provide both
unique experiences and special responsibili

ties. It is extremely important that you read
this entire Manual and that you familiarize
yourself with how the vehicle works. Some of
the features may be different from the fea

tures on other compact passenger vehicles.
Should you have any questions about the vehi

cle and how to safely operate its features,
please use common sense and contact smart
dealer representatives, who are available to
help you.smart is a vehicle manufactured by
DaimlerChrysler, distributed in the United
States by the Penske Automotive Group, and
sold and serviced by independent, authorized
smart centers.
Because of this vehicle’s unique characteris

tics, we strongly recommend that you service
and maintain the vehicle only at authorized
smart service facilities. A list of service facil

ities is available by calling smart Customer
Assistance representatives at:
1
800
762
7887.
Although we cannot prevent you from servic

ing the vehicle at facilities other than smart
authorized facilities, this is not advisable.
Optional extras are identified with an
asterisk *. The equipment in your vehicle may
vary depending on the model, version and
availability. smart is constantly bringing its
vehicles up to the very latest state of the art
and reserves the right to modify them in form,
equipment and engineering.Should you find that a particular feature in
this manual is important to your decision to
purchase the vehicle, we recommend that you
personally check the vehicle to ensure that
this feature has been installed before buying
the vehicle.
The Operator’s Manual, Quick Guide and Main

tenance/Warranty Booklet (USA only) or Ser

vice/Warranty Booklet (Canada only) belong to
the vehicle. You should always keep these
documents in the vehicle and make sure that
you pass them on to the next owner if and when
you come to sell your smart.
Please contact an authorized smart center if
you have any further questions.
The Technical Documentation team at
DaimlerChrysler AG wishes you many happy
hours at the wheel.

>> Keywords
9
Passenger seat
Folding down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Poly
V
belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Potential problems associated with underin

flated and overinflated tires . . . . . . . . . . 195
Power steering see EPS*
Power washer see vehicle care
Power windows
Opening and closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Practical hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Warning and indicator lamps . . . . . . . . . 237
What to do if... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Where will I find... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Premium unleaded gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Problems with your vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Product information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Production options weight . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
PSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206>> RRadio transmitters, control and
operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220Radio*
smart radio 10* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
smart radio 9* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Rain/light sensor*
Automatic headlamp mode . . . . . . . . . . 102
Exterior lamp switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Rear lamps
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Rear soft top see Soft top system
Rear view mirrors see Mirrors
Rear window defroster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Rear window wiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Replacing wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Recommended tire inflation pressure . . 206
Refrigerant (Air conditioning) . . . . . . . . 305
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Remote control see Key
Replacing bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Reporting safety defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Restraint system
Air bags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs) . 53
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48, 98
SRS indicator lamp, malfunction . . . . . . 246
Retractable soft top see Soft top system
Retreaded tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Reversing the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Rims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Roadside Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
RON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
>> SSafety defects, reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Safety guidelines for the seat belt, seat belt
tensioner and air bag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Safety, occupant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Seat
Fore and aft adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Seat belt force limiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Seat belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48, 98
Emergency Tensioning Devices . . . . . . . 53
Proper use of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Release button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Safety guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Telltale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35, 245
Seat heating* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Seating capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Adjusting backrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Adjusting height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Folding down the passenger seat . . . . . . 94
Selector lever see Gear selector lever

Product information
16
>> Introduction. We recommend using Genuine smart Parts as
well as conversion parts and accessories
explicitly approved by smart for your vehicle
model.
We have tested these parts to determine their
reliability, safety and special suitability for
smart vehicles.We are unable to make an assessment for
other products and therefore cannot be held
responsible for them, even if in individual
cases an official approval or authorization by
governmental or other agencies should exist.
Use of such parts and accessories could
adversely affect the safety, performance or
reliability of your vehicle. We strongly recom

mend that you not use them.Genuine smart Parts as well as conversion
parts and accessories approved by us are
available at your authorized smart center
where you will receive comprehensive infor

mation about use and installation of appropri

ate parts.

Occupant safety
58
>> Safety. How the air bag operates
The air bag is inflated in a matter of
milliseconds. If the air bag is triggered, the
SRS indicator lamp in the instrument cluster
illuminates.
!
If the air bags are activated, you will hear
a loud noise and some dust may be generated.
The explosion fundamentally represents no
risk to your hearing.
The inflated air bag slows down and reduces
the movement of the occupant. When the
occupant makes contact with the air bag, hot
gas flows out of the inflated front air bags and
head
thorax air bags. This reduces the load
on the occupant’s head and upper body. These
air bags are consequently deflated after the
accident.Head
thorax air bags
G
Warning!
There is a possibility for a head
thorax
air bag related injury if occupants, espe

cially children, are not properly seated
or restrained when next to a head
thorax
air bag which needs to deploy rapidly in a
side impact in order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury,
please follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children,
should never place their bodies or
lean their heads in the area of the
door where the head
thorax air bag
inflates. This could result in serious
injuries or death should the head

thorax air bag be deployed.
(2) Always sit as upright as possible,
properly use the seat belts, and for all
children 12 years old or under, use an
appropriately sized infant restraint,
toddler restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight
of the child.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.G
Warning!
Only use seat covers which have been
tested and approved by smart for your
vehicle model. Using other seat covers
may interfere with or prevent the deploy

ment of the head
thorax air bags.
Contact an authorized smart center for
availability.

Lighting>> Controls.
101 Exterior lamp switch
For safety, smart recommends that you drive
with your low beam headlamps on during the
day. In certain countries, local laws dictate
that low beam headlamps are switched on au

tomatically during operation of the vehicle.i
If you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than the
country in which the vehicle is registered, you
must have the headlamps modified for
symmetrical low beams. Relevant information
can be obtained at any authorized smart cen

ter.Exterior lamp switch Exterior lamp switch (USA only)
M
Lamps off
Daytime running lamp mode
1
1 Canada only.C
Parking lamps
B
Low beam headlamps or high beam
headlamps
M
Lamps off
C
Parking lamps
B
Low beam headlamps or high beam
headlamps
U
Automatic headlamp mode* P54.25
5343
31

Transmission
128
>> Controls. Your vehicle is equipped with a a 5
speed au

tomated transmission with manual or auto

matic mode. For information on driving with
the transmission see also
"Starting"(

page 122).
Gear selector leverGearshift pattern for transmission1
Release buttonThe current gear selector lever position ap

pears in the transmission position indicator.
When M is selected the currently selected
gear appears (

page 137).
G
Warning!
Make sure that absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedals‘ range of move

ment. Keep the driver’s footwell clear of
all obstacles. If there are any floormats*
or carpets in the footwell, make sure that
the pedals still have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneu

vers, objects could become caught be

tween the pedals, reducing or eliminating
entirely the driver's ability to brake or
accelerate. This could lead to accidents
and injury.PPark position
RReverse gear
NNeutral position
DDrive position
MManual gear shifting
+Upshifting

Downshifting
G
Warning!
It is dangerous to shift the transmission
out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher
than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly
on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or in reverse.
You could lose control of the vehicle and
hit someone or something. Only shift into
gear when the engine is idling normally
and when your right foot is firmly on the
brake pedal.

Transmission
132
>> Controls. Driving off uphill
Your vehicle has a hill start assist system.
On uphill grades the hill start assist system
maintains the pressure in the brake system
for approximately one second after you have
released the brake pedal. Therefore, you can
start off smoothly without the vehicle moving
immediately after releasing the brake pedal.>Release the brake pedal.
>Apply sufficient pressure to the accelera

tor.
!
After approximately one second, the hill
start assist system stops braking the vehicle,
which then can roll backwards. If you open the
driver’s door within this time, the hill start as

sistance is deactivated and a warning signal
sounds.
i
The hill start assist system is inactive if
you start off with the parking brake set.
Manual gearshiftingWith manual gearshiftingM selected, system

controlled automatic gearshifting is switched
off and you need to change the gears by up

shifting or downshifting manually using the
gear selector lever or the steering wheel
gearshift control
1.
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine until
the operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extend

ed period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. Otherwise, the the drivetrain could
be damaged, which is not covered by the smart
Limited Warranty.
G
Warning!
The hill start assist system is not
designed to function as a parking brake
and does not prevent the vehicle from
moving when parked on an incline.
Always set the parking brake in addition
to shifting to park positionP.1 Model passion only.

Transmission
134
>> Controls. Kickdown
You can use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
>Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.
>When you have reached the desired speed,
briefly push the gear selector lever for

ward in the +direction (

page 128).
or
>Pull right shift paddle
3 (
page 133)
towards you.
The transmission shifts to the next higher
gear.
Deactivating manual gearshifting
>Move the gear selector lever to drive
positionD (

page 128).
System
controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched on again.
Emergency operation (limp
home
mode)In this mode only a certain gear or a certain
gear combination can be selected. This mode
is triggered in case of transmission malfunc

tions and enables you driving to the nearest
workshop such as a smart center.
If vehicle acceleration becomes less respon

sive or sluggish or the transmission no longer
shifts, the transmission is most likely operat

ing in limp
home (emergency operation)
mode. The transmission position indicator
flashes and the ¬ symbol appears in the mul

tifunction display (

page 136).
Driving in limp
home mode:
>Move the gear selector lever to drive
positionD (

page 128).
>Continue to drive.
>Have the transmission checked at an autho

rized smart center as soon as possible.
i
It is possible that a gear combination in

cluding the reverse gear can not be selected.
Keep in mind when parking, that reversing the
vehicle might be impossible.
In case of a minor transmission malfunction, it
might be possible to teach
in the transmis

sion in order to restore the normal transmis

sion mode.
i
If the attempt to teach
in the transmission
fails, you cannot continue to drive. Therefore
we strongly recommend that you have the
transmission taught
in at a qualified work

shop or at an authorized smart center.
Teaching
in the transmission system:
>Stop the vehicle in a safe location.
>Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
>Turn off the engine.
>Wait at least 30 seconds before restarting.