I liked it. It's got some torque, so it's happy loafing around at relatively low RPM.
Compare to my Firefly (Metro):
- Smart Fortwo 0.8L diesel torque: 74 lb-ft @ 1800 RPM
- Chevrolet Metro 1.0L gasoline torque: 58 lb-ft @ 3300 RPM
In manual mode, it was fine cruising in 5th gear on the level at 30 mph / 50 km/h. Left in automatic mode, I think it's holding 3rd gear at that speed.
It's kind of noisy of course, though being situated right behind your butt doesn't help isolate things very much.