LINDON — A car that gets 40 miles to the gallon with the engine of a Mercedes-Benz and the guts of a race car?

Sign Sue Garrison up.

"It is much more responsive than I expected," Garrison said of the smaller-than-compact 'Smart fortwo.' "It feels like a race car. I really like it. I'm sold."

Garrison and hundreds of eager drivers lined up outside the Mercedes-Benz dealership in Lindon on Thursday to ogle a car so small that four of them can fit horizontally in the average parallel parking spot, according to Smart car spokesman Steve Weisenberger.

"What we're seeing is this is the right car at the right time," Weisenberger said.

Beginning the first of 2008, the European-inspired Smart car will cruise into America to quench concerns about gas prices, traffic congestion and parking headaches, Weisenberger said.

"It's a car that starts at just under $12,000, but with the same technological and safety features as a Mercedes," Weisenberger said.

The car is the brainchild of the Swatch Watch company and Mercedes and is considered a piece of art, thus the name — S plus M plus "art." Smart USA is its own company but operates under the Mercedes family. Dealers have not yet been named but soon will be, Smart car officials promised.

At first glance, the car looks like a small circus toy. But opening the door reveals two full-sized seats and all the amenities one might expect in a standard sedan.

There's a basic version of the "Smart fortwo" — the "pure." Throw in some additional features such as a panorama roof and electric and heated side mirrors and you've got the "passion" for under $14,000. The "passion cabrio" means a convertible roof that can be adjusted at any speed, for under $17,000.

Under the small hood there's a 1-liter, 3-cylinder, 71-horsepower engine. The car has rear-wheel drive with a safety cell frame — the same design used in race cars to keep drivers safe during crashes and roll-overs.

There's also an acronym soup of safety features, including EBD (electronic brake-force distribution control), ABS (anti-lock braking system) and EBA (electronic brake assist).

But it's the 40-miles-to-the gallon feature that piqued the interest of Salt Lake City resident Justin Hutchinson, who commutes across the Salt Lake Valley for work.

"It was awesome," he said of the test drive. "It had more power than I thought, and it's way roomier. It feels like a regular car. It has the fuel efficiency of a hybrid without ever having to change a battery."

He paid the $99 to register for a yellow car, but said right now he'll take any car they've got.

"Zippy" was how Ivan Utrera of Sandy described his test drive.

"It was pretty roomy, surprisingly roomy," he said.

He's already made his reservation, but now he's thinking his daughter should get a Smart car, too, for fuel-efficiency reasons.

"She's tired," he said, "of the gas-guzzling Jeep."

---

E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com