They are pretty cute.

Going small for the long haul

At 8 feet, 2 inches long and 4 feet, 8 inches wide, Smart cars are a hit in Europe, especially on Rome's narrow streets. About 750,000 have been sold since they debuted in 1998.

The cars have an appeal that is hard to deny at a time when gas prices are high. Littleton resident Barbara Hillman said she gets 40 mpg in the city and 62 mpg on the highway in the Smart car she and her husband own.

The Lilliputian vehicles, which carry a sticker price of about $27,000, are certainly head turners.

"We have to allow an extra 15 minutes when we go anywhere just to get where we are going," Hillman said of traveling in the blue-and-gray Smart her husband bought


recently. "(Other motorists) roll down their windows at lights, or when we get where we are going, people pull up and start asking us questions, and they keep asking us questions."

A review of the car at online car-buyers guide Edmunds.com said driving a Smart "is like driving a smiley face down the road. When you're in it, everyone is your best friend and you're always the center of attention."