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Launched: smart fortwo

Wheels Magazine
May, 2008

From its launch in 1998, the smart city coupe - now fortwo - always was more a clever piece of product design than a serious car. Fortunately, Australia missed out on those early, hugely compromised examples. They were painfully slow, clumsy to drive and woefully uncomfortable. The cute styling and unrivalled parking ability failed to justify the excessive price.

Official exports to Australia only began in 2003, after a raft of modifications (including an all-new front suspension.) Yet the smart remained a novelty, with just 533 sales in its best local year. An attempt to broaden the choice with a mid-engined sports car and five-door hatchback ended in humiliation. Disastrous sales forced both to be abandoned. Mercedes even considered killing the smart brand.

After reaching agreement with former alliance partner Mitsubishi on an engine-sharing deal, Mercedes committed to concentrating solely on the fortwo range and developed the all-new, second-generation model that's recently arrived in Australia.

This smart is, well, smarter - a clear advancement. Yet the new model looks remarkably similar (the easiest giveaway is a pair of two, rather than three tail lights) and remains limited to its role as inner-urban transport.

To pass American crash-test requirements, the engineers added 72mm to the front overhang, helping to stretch overall length by 195mm to 2695mm. The wheelbase has grown 55mm, width by 43mm, and the small boot now holds 220 litres (up 70 litres), but the smart continues to be a two-seater only.

From behind the low-mounted, fixed steering wheel, nothing about the dash suggests this is the world's smallest car. Until you look over your shoulder and find the car ends right there.

The driver sits high, close to the front passenger, but there is plenty of legroom. Space for two is not an issue and it feels roomy. The perceived quality is good and the cars destined for Australia are rather better equipped than those in Europe where, for example, a glovebox lid is optional.

The now Mitsubishi-supplied three-cylinder engine, still under the rear floor, takes the smart from 698cc to 999cc. Customers choose between a normally-aspirated 52kW/92Nm $19,990 model, or the $21,990 turbocharged 62kW/120Nm version - in either coupe or convertible (add $3K) forms - that reduces the claimed zero to 100km/h time from 13.3sec to 10.9. Either way, both are a huge step over the previous 45kW model's 15.5sec. But this doesn't stop you wanting even more urge.

Perhaps surprisingly, we preferred the 52kW version. It feels almost as nippy as the Turbo, emits an eager exhaust note that's supported by a willingness to rev, and is better suited to the car's character. The now five-speed automated manual gearbox changes more quickly, but there is still a notable pause between ratios. The (automatic) clutch is progressive in operation, and jabbing the brakes introduces a 0.7sec hill-hold, so starting off on an incline is much improved. After experimenting, we quickly chose the paddles over the lever as our preferred form of gearchanging. Paying another $750 adds a fully automatic mode, but it seems rather pointless. Touch either paddle in auto and the gearbox shifts into manual mode and stays there. It won't revert to auto until the driver pushes a button on the left side of the gearlever. Fiddly.

The steering, handling and ride represent major steps over the original, but nobody is going to buy the smart because it's a great drive. The manual steering is still slow at 3.3 turns, with a tight 8.75m turning circle, and loads up through roundabouts. Responses are more linear, but the steering is too heavy at parking speeds. Worse, the smart never feels agile (except in comparison with the old car), the comparatively skinny front tyres just washing off speed as understeer builds. At the limit, the smart‘s standard stability control system is tuned to slow the outside wheels, thus increasing the understeer. The optional ($490) electric power steering is marginally quicker, but there were no examples at the launch. The go-kart ride is more compliant, but the wheels still fall into potholes and speed humps demand respect.

For all of its (still) unique appeal, even the much-improved smart remains destined only for those who spend their driving lives in an inner-city environment and demand the smallest car possible, or perhaps those who seek an automotive fashion and marketing statement.

The rest of us want more urge, greater carrying capacity and better dynamics. There are any number of small cars at the same money or less - Mazda2, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta - that are far more viable as everyday transport.

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