Smart Car
The Smart fortwo .. you either love them or hate them but for the 85% of buyers under the age of 40, well, they just love them for their economical attributes, ease of drive and of coarse, being less than three metres long, the smart fortwo takes up little space on the road and commandeers the parking bays.
Now the Smart fortwo has undergone its first major nip and tuck with a longer wheelbase and slightly larger body making it a little more comfortable, extra safety equipment has been tagged on and thanks to better engineering, the agility has improved significantly
Customers can choose from the Coupe version or the Cabrio, four blindingly named trims, Pure, Pulse, Passion or Brabus and a selection of 1.0 litre petrol engines with varying bhp. My test car for the week was the coupe Passion with 71 bhp mated to the standard across the range, five speed automatic gearbox, in the most eye catching bordering fluorescent light- more like bright - yellow paintwork. The result was everyone knew exactly where I was all week! But the question on lips was ‘is this Smart fortwo Passion bursting or Passion busting?
There is no mistake this car is part of the Smart clan as I sneaked into it under the cover of darkness, but the exterior looks do grow on you and I became rather attached to my Passion Mobile. The headlights enhance the front, with the indicators now integrated into them, the door handles have been rotated 90 degrees while the rear view appears much higher and wider than it is and the lights have been split up so the rear, brake and indicator lights are located at the top while the bottom lights are housed in circular reflectors.
Distinguishing the Passion from its siblings is the silver tridion cell, silver door mirrors and radiator grille, alloy wheels and a fabulous panoramic roof made our of polycarbonate than floods the cabin with light.
Access in and out of my passion mobile is easy thanks to the raised floor and also gives a better view of the road ahead. The interior is surprisingly larger than you would expect accentuated further buy the minimalistic uncluttered dashboard. On board equipment comprises simply of the CD/radio, air conditioning, electric windows, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, and a portable smart navigation system. Admittedly, the luggage area is on the small side but comes with slot-in sections that can separate the groceries from the designer bags and in case you go a bit made, there is quite a lot of room behind the front seats.
So lets pop to the shops and the new state of the art three cylinder engine is actually quite sprightly for its size accelerating to 62 mph in a steady 13.3 seconds, has an electronically limited top speed of 90 mph and cost busting fuel consumption of 60.1 mpg on a combined cycle.
With money saved at the pumps as well as service intervals every two years or 25,000 miles, CO2 emissions at 112 thus only a £35 VED and falling into low insurance group 3, the money saved will certainly warrant the ‘extra’ shopping trips especially as the initial price tag on the Smart fortwo passion is £8,540 but my test car had the extra options of smart sound system, lockable glove compartment and ISOFIX child seat fastener pushing it up to £8,815.
The ride and handling is very agile thanks to changes in the suspension and the steering is virtually idiot proof with a turning cycle of just 8.75 metres - a figure unmatched by any other small car, making manoeuvring child’s play. However, I personally found the automatic gearbox very lurchy as it lunges forward then recedes back and reminded me of a terrifying ride I encountered at Alton Towers. Once it gets through the five speeds, the Smart fortwo cruises OK, but lets be honest, this car has been designed predominantly for city use.
The original Smart fortwo model was seen as a real trendsetter in terms of safety developments in small cars. Suffice to say, this applies to the new version too having been subjected to extensive tests to meet not just the EU requirements but also those in America. The tridion safety cell is not just aesthetic; it protects the occupants as well with its reinforced high strength and ultra high strength steel strategically placed in the more important parts of the car. ESP is always on hand with integrated ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution as is the Hydraulic Brake Booster, all standard across the Smart fortwo range. The fortwo is the only car in its class to come with Brake Assist giving the driver a helping hand if he/she has not pressed the brake firmly enough.
Every Smart comes with driver and passenger airbag with an optional head /thorax side airbags, all the seatbelts have tensioners and belt force limiters and as a result scored 4 stars in the Euro NCAP ratings for adult occupant safety. So that’s the occupants sorted, but in case a pedestrian is dazzled by the passion mobile and foolishly steps out in front of it, damage limitation will be minimal as the Smart meets all the legal requirements relating to pedestrian protection and scored 2 stars for the said rating with the bumper scoring the maximum points for its crumple ability. Securing the Smart fortwo passion mobile is remote control central locking with immobiliser.
I am not sure how much passion could actually be done in this car, but I grew to love her everyday so for me the new Smart fortwo passion is certainly passion bursting.
FemaleFirst Jackie Violet