If put to a real-world test, which of these cars would get the best fuel mileage? That's the question we intended to answer with our test of a 2008 Ford Focus, 2005 (certified used) Volkswagen Jetta TDI, 2008 Toyota Prius and 2008 Smart Fourtwo.

So we ran each of them through an identical test loop of close to 1,000 miles. The loop included everything from highway travel and constant speeds to stop-and-go driving in one of the most congested towns on the planet (not L.A.) to medium speeds on deserted two-lanes. When you put a diesel (Jetta) up against a hybrid (Prius) up against a traditional economy car (Focus) up against a...a -- well, whatever the Smart car is -- what do you get in terms of fuel mileage and fuel costs?

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To properly celebrate Earth Day I drove a Smart Fourtwo home yesterday.

Okay, you got me. The vehicle rotation list came to me and this car was available, so I took it. That I was driving it on Earth Day didn't even occur to me until I was halfway home.

What did occur to me is that this car has even more issues than I thought after my last stint behind the wheel. At that time I knew the transmission sucked and wind tended to buffet it around, but now I've found more reasons to call the Smart dumb.

If you're thinking of buying a Smart Fortwo when it goes on sale in a few weeks I would caution you on a couple items.

No, it's not the safety aspect, though I'm sure most Smart doubters will use that as their primary reason for avoidiing it ("I ain't drivin' that thang! An SUV will squish it like a bug!"). The car's "safety cell" is quite impressive and the testing procedures I've seen suggest it can take quite a beating.

No, it's not a lack of space. Sure, it only seats two, but those two people have plenty of room. It's actually a bit surreal when you drive the Smart for a awhile and then get out and look at it. "Was I just driving that tiny car at 70 mph? No way!" The car doesn't feel small -- at all -- from behind the wheel.

It's not even a horsepower issue. It ain't no Veyron, but keeping up with traffic is not a problem. I was actually passing people on PCH without needing substantially more time/space than I normally require. The three-cylinder, 70 hp engine moves the 1,700-pound Fortwo with relative ease, all while attaining 33/44 mpg.

No, none of these items are issues. But the following items...

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Here's the follow-up to our look at Europe's future product as predicted by Automotive News. Yesterday we hit Alfa Romeo through Maybach, so today we'll start with Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz: Lots of activity for 2008, most of which we've already seen (SLR Roadster, S65, all-new C-Class, etc.). Next year we get the C63 (457hp), a CLK convertible, an E-Class update, an SLK restyle and an SL freshen. In 2009 we get a CLS freshen, an AMG E-Class, an S-Class convertible and -- believe it or not -- a small crossover called the GLK.

Mini: The Clubman just debuted in Frankfurt, and we'll see how the small-car brands fares with a larger model. The new John Cooper Works model looks cool (and makes 207 horsepower while weighing 66 pounds less) and the convertible gets a full redesign, to catch up with the coupe, for 2009.

Porsche: Both the Boxster and the Cayman get freshened next year, while the titanic 911 GT2 debuts with 530 turbo-charged horsepower. A full redesign of the Cayenne happens in 2009, while Porsche's first sedan, the Panamera, hits town in 2010 (and yes, the company will still have a "soul" -- along with a stronger bottom line).

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After several false starts, the Smart Car looks to finally (officially) be landing on American shores in 2008 (a company called "Zap" has been importing Smarts and selling them in the U.S. for a couple years). For $99 you can reserve your own teensy-tiny city car that is supposed to get 40-plus mpg and cost between $12,000 and $17,000.

When it comes to U.S. buyers' interest in these vehicles, and the level of Smart's success in this country, I'm hearing everything from "it's going to bomb" to "da bomb" from various friends and co-workers. Penske's United Auto Group, the  distributor of Smart's efforts here, is taking the cars on a road show in coming months to promote awareness of -- and interest in -- the little runabout. Here's my take:

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I just took a Zap-imported Smart car for a spin up PCH. It was the four-two model, meaning it's only eight feet long and it weighs a mere 1,500 pounds. Horsepower is rated at 60, and another staffer got 47 mpg driving across California, though that was mostly freeway driving. You can read our first drive on the four-two, and we'll have a full test on this car up soon. We'll also have a story on Zap itself. This is the company in Santa Rosa (about 50 miles north of San Francisco) that is selling everything from electric scooters to ethanol powered sports cars from Brazil.

Driving the four-two only re-affirmed what I already knew after owning my Sonett and Mini Cooper. Basically, as long as a vehicle offers adequate interior space you can quickly forget about its exterior dimensions. Every time I drive my Sonett I simply enjoy the responsive handling dynamics offered by a 2,000 pound car. And every time I get out of it I look back and think "Man, that thing is small!" Well, double that effect and that's how you'll feel after driving a four-two. The doors are large enough to make entry-exit easy (they actually make up the bulk of the car's profile). Legroom and headroom are also plentiful, so within minutes you stop thinking about how the back of the car stops less than a foot from your head. Obviously safety will be a concern for many, but Smart claims to have a "tridium safety cage" that protects the occupants. To me it sounds like some kind of Star Trek maintenance device used to work on the Enterprise, but you can decide its effectiveness for yourself after watching the crash test video on YouTube. Price from Zap is $24,000. DCX is saying the cars will be around $15,000 when they start officially bringing them in next year, but I sense a Prius-like demand situation, at least initially, so selling prices will probably be right in line with Zap's $24,000. 

It appears small really is the next "big thing."