Psychic Dustbunnies

Elemental

Well, after much back and forth Pam and I settled on the Honda Element (narrowly beating out the Land Rover Discovery mostly due to gas mileage).

First impressions are that there is plenty of leg room for kids and adults in the back -- the best news is that the boys can no longer bump and kick the back of my seat, and Tyler in particular won't have to say "Don't move your seat back more cuz there isn't room for my feet" as he does in the Saab.

The car is funky - boxy with suicide doors, I like them but they are odd. Can't let people in and out of the back without the front doors being opened (and the front seat belts being unfastened) and as Josh C (who seems to have lost his site indefinitely) pointed out it's possible for front and rear passenger to be 'trapped' in the middle of both doors if you park close to another car.

Smart & Musical

Stop the presses - they have 1-upped the beetle/ipod promotion.
Smart has integrated the ipod w/ an ipod cradle right in the car.

I recommend clicking on the english link, but it's up to you.

I like the fact they follow the Henry Ford theory on choice: they come in any size you want, as long as it's small.

I was always fascinated by these cars when we lived in Switzerland -- they are so small, but perfect for driving around narrow European city roads and so much easier to park (when we lived in Singapore we had a Volvo -- great car, way too big for Singapore. Being 6' 3" caused some difficulty in finding other cars available there that I could drive without the steering wheel becoming welded to my legs!).