The newest Domino's Pizza in town opened Monday near DeVargas Mall in Santa Fe with a smart idea — a gas-sipping Smart Car for deliveries.

The little car is painted in the cheery blue, white and red Domino's logo and a reminder that the driver does not carry more than $20 in cash. Anyone who wanted to mess with the driver could pretty much pick up the car and carry it off.

Domino's delivery driver Vicki Smith said she's been getting a lot of looks and smiles when she pulls up next to someone in the car. "I get a lot of thumbs up," she said.

The car, made by Daimler, gets 40 miles-plus per gallon in the city and 60 miles per gallon on the highway, according to the manufacturers. The EPA rated it as 33 in the city and 41 on the highway. Either way, it looks really cute. And it can go up to 90 miles per hour, as long as a strong headwind isn't blowing and the highway is flat.

James McCarty, manager of the new Domino's, said this is the first store where owner Brian Bailey has tried out a Smart Car for deliveries. Bailey owns 10 Domino's around the state. "This one is possibly the first one in the state to use a Smart Car," McCarty said, who has worked for the company for five years.

It's not the first Domino's or pizza place in the nation to use a Smart Car for deliveries. Domino's Pizzas around Massachusetts and independent pizza places in Washington state and Indianapolis all began using Smart Cars last year.

McCarty's not sure how many pizzas will fit in the 8-cubic feet of storage space in the car. "We've been too busy to see," he said.

The 1,500-pound car carries its three-cylinder engine in the rear and has a steel hemispherical shell. U.S. News & World Report rated it 32 out of 36 comparable small coupes, ranking it the best for in-city driving and sluggish for suburban or highway commutes.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.