It seemed nice, when Daimler decided on a new tiny city car back in 1998.
The Smart. But it was expensive to build, so they never made a proper profit.
They almost killed it off because of that. Yet here's the 3rd generation of it.
Cleverly, it was developed together with Renault and shares its base with the Twingo.
It's still short: 2.69 m front to back, as long as it outgoing car.
By request from Smart drivers in Barcelona and Rome. But it is 10 cm wider.
This way, you get a bit more space, making the car more mature.
The interior is well done overall, though a bit wayward.
Also, these are Renault bits, but it's still a Smart.
Sure, this is the top of the range verison, but it is more premium too.
The key - very Renault, too.
Technically, there's a lot of Renault as well. Like the two engines.
An NA 71 PS 3-cilinder and a stronger turbocharged 0.9 TCe.
The car weighs just 780 kg so its 90 PS are put to great use.
It could use some more low-end power. The flexibility it needs in the city.
In other news: the Smart has a manual 'box! Though I'm not sure about it.
The semi-automatic in the older models took some getting used to.
It wasn't fluent. That's gone here, but the engine tends to drop off too low.
That requires more shifting, which you'd like to avoid in city traffic.
Interesting: even young boys like the looks of this car.
It's fun to shift yourself, but in the city an automatic just works better.
This takes more attention, though the gearbox itself is nice.
There's a new DCT 6-speed automatic, too. That should be nice.
Also, there will be an electric version in time.
Bake a cake and go celebrate!
Minor design flaw: your knee hits this side-mirror adjustment stick.
So your right side-mirror may suddenly change its setting. Right.
As for the way it drives. It's 10 cm wider, which you notice on the motorway.
It's more stable in a straight line. There's even a crosswind assistent.
In the city, even this 3rd gen model bounces around a lot. The rear axle is a bit more supple.
Still, it jumps a bit over every manhole cover or bump, due to the short wheelbase.
It's not really a well-sprung city car. Just a bit too rough.
It is nice and agile, though. More comfort would have been nice.
It's still great for the city, looks better and is perfectly up to date.
All in all a great car that's still easy to park.
+ Very short turning circle; More spacious than ever
- Sports chassis too rough; Turbo lag at low revs