I've dropped my kid off at elementary school in all manner of automotive exotica, but nothing got more of a reaction than the Smart. Maybe because it looks like a toy car, or something they can drive themselves, but the under-ten crowd is all over this thing. Unfortunately, once you've spent some time behind the wheel, it's easy to understand why this car is best appreciated by those without a driver's license. The biggest problem is the transmission - you pull out into traffic and the car goes for the 1-2 upshift and it's as if someone reached over and killed the ignition. You wait, and you wait, and just as traffic is bearing down on you . . . at last! Second. Geez. A real manual, please.