Mercedes conducted a real world test and how the smart fortwo and the Mercedes E Class cope with day-to-day situations. The smart fortwo and the Mercedes E Class did a road-trip from Los Angeles via Chicago to the 2008 Detroit Auto Show and they demonstrated outstanding fuel-saving qualities. The journey from smart-house in Venice, a district of Los Angeles to Detroit took seven days. For a large part of the time the route led the test convoy consisting of one smart fortwo mhd, two smart fortwo cdis and an E 320 BLUETEC along the legendary old Route 66. Media representatives from Germany, Italy and the USA took turns at the wheel. They had to cope with lonely highways, desert stretches, mountain passes and busy cities. And a severe spell of winter weather with fresh snow and temperatures of 0 degrees Fahrenheit , minus 17 degrees Celsius, increased the challenge and made for tough driving conditions.