No Tempomat

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Permalink Reply by smartster on January 15, 2008 at 7:18pm

Hi bipbip,

Yes it is true for the Canadian and American 451 smart fortwo there will be no engine temperature readout, other then a warning light when it gets too hot. The instrument panel was redesigned, they added in a clock and put in larger centered shifting warnings.

What we have done and what we recommend is people to not order the pods, as you already have a clock on the panel and then to order a scan gauge, which will give you a computer readout of the engine temperature, RPMS and even gives you horsepower readouts. There are a lot more things that the scan gauge offers and for mounting right now it fits perfectly on the right side of the dash. Cost for the scan gauge is about $160 with shipping, so its actually chaper then getting the pod clock/rpm option and you get a temporture guage.

I'll post photos of our install this weekend, if you have any question let me know.

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Permalink Reply by bipbip on January 16, 2008 at 1:17pm

I'm afraid you're on the wrong track - TEMPOMAT is Mercedes-Benz speak for Cruise-Control. I'm sure now you'll understand why THIS is so important to have fitted on any car these days and MB can't be thanked at all for discarding it when to cap it all it was available on the previous model, so they don't have to invent one precisely ...

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Permalink Reply by smartster on January 16, 2008 at 9:25pm

Ah sorry I thought you where talking about something else. As for cruise control they have put cruise control in one model of the 451 smart fortwo (the 112 ultimate version) and there already is at least one company that has a factory styled kit to add to the 451.

The company offering the kit is here: http://www.misterdotcom.de/smart/Shop/for2_2_ab_2007/Elektronik/ele...

I'm probably going to buy this unit, so stay tuned for an install how to report.

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Permalink Reply by bipbip on January 17, 2008 at 3:20pm

Wonderful news indeed.
Never heard of a "112 ultimate version".
Please do tell us how you get on with the misterdotcom unit.
I e-mailed them (in English however) a good couple of months ago querying the fact that the advertised unit is a match for the unit they have for the previous 450 Smart Fortwo and also that they have a disclaimer (in German of course) which I roughly translated as the unit not meeting electrical interference type-rating requirements and they never bothered replying. I was therefore a bit put off risking 300 Euros on it quite frankly...

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Permalink Reply by Farrel Droke on January 25, 2008 at 6:30pm

I've also been shopping for TEMPOMAT for 451 but, even following the link from smartster makes me wonder a bit about the retrofit. Looks like there actually may be some issue with the stalk where the new switchgear goes. Anyway, my research led me to this one:

http://www.smartsrus.com/srus/153_ElectricalForTwo.html

Unfortunately, it looks like it may be for the 450, which seems to have been 'kitted' some time back by these Brits. I really like the price, however and we should be able to get the 17% VAT back with some creative customs paperwork.

As a US owner (got it on Wed the 23rd in Tulsa) I feel certain we will get our cruise control before long. It's tough to be patient.

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Permalink Reply by bipbip on January 26, 2008 at 6:21am

Thanks Farrel,
Just sent "smartsrus" the following (always hoping ...):

Hi,
I imagine you're going to get this question thrown at you many times from now on as Mercedes-Benz are totally unwilling to do anything about it:
Is the "Fortwo Cruise control fortwo coupe Ref: 11.52.cruise.1" advertised by you any good for the new 451 Fortwo II?
Thanks in advance,
M.

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Permalink Reply by bipbip on January 26, 2008 at 6:57am

Kind and prompt reply from the "smarstrus" team:

"Thank you for your e-mail, unfortunately the cruise control unit we advertise is not compatible for the 451 model Smart. However, I have spoken to manufacturers of the cruise control units and they gave me the impression that it should not be to long before the 451 version is available. I you wish to register to our news letter via the home page of our website you will be notified as soon as new products hit the market."

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Permalink Reply by Julie O. on March 9, 2008 at 4:08pm

Okay, maybe I'm an idiot, but why would someone need cruise control for an uber-economy car? For me, half the fun of driving is the active participation of shifting and feeling the road beneath my foot on the gas pedal.

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Permalink Reply by mr bad example on March 9, 2008 at 4:37pm

if you're driving a few hundred miles at a stretch, it helps to have TEMPOMAT, yes, for short trips you'll never use it, but to keep your foot at a certain position for 3-4 hours at a time can be painfull. i've done 500 mile cruises with my chevy/geo metro where i needed a break for my right leg. this summer i'll be making many 200+ mile cruises to my dad's cabin in my smart. the smart is "fly by wire", no real gas pedal "feel" anyways. it would be nice to lock in a speed for a few hundred miles, enjoy the music and scenery and the high gas milage, and avoid leg cramps (we is older folks now!)

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Permalink Reply by Julie O. on March 9, 2008 at 4:53pm

Weird. I've never had cruise control. I've never really noticed the leg thing; on long drives for me it's more off a bottom thing. My buns go to sleep.

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Permalink Reply by Julie O. on March 9, 2008 at 4:55pm

I'd also be afraid I'd start getting drowsy if I had cruise control.

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Permalink Reply by Jack Diehl on August 16, 2010 at 11:29pm

I agree with Julie O about not needing cruise control most of the time, but when I drive the smart a longer distance (anything approaching 2 hours or more) over straight flat roads my right leg really starts feeling it, and I'm wishing I had cruise control just to give my leg a break. On my last trip I brought a stick along and held it on the gas to give my leg a break. It helped some, but was kind o' weird, and not really worth the effort.

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