Smart Fortwo Range

This fortwo may look almost the same as its predecessor but in fact, exactly 451 changes have been made. They were needed. After all, though there was a lot about the old smart fortwo’s driving experience that was very good, many felt that the overall effect was ruined by an utterly hateful gearbox and steering which felt as if it was attached to the front wheels by bungee cords. The good news is that both of these issues have been addressed in the latest fortwo.

The six-speed automated manual gearbox has been replaced by a Getrag five-speed unit which still automates the shift with the help of an electric motor but shift times have been halved which means that you’ll no longer suffer that lurch, pregnant pause and then gradual take up of power the old car suffered. Otherwise, it looks much the same with the option of paddles to marshal the gearchange on all models (bar the Plush pulse variant where they are fitted as standard). There’s also a kickdown function to drop two gears when the driver really wants to get a hustle on.

The steering has been made ten per cent quicker, the standard rack now just 3.5 turns lock to lock. It’s still not what you’d call racy but it’s a good deal less flabby feeling than before. Electric power steering is also an option, sharpening feel still further.

Engine-wise, the cubic capacity has leapt from 0.7 litres to 1.0-litre. Two normally-aspirated powerplants are offered, of either 61 or 71bhp and there’s also an 84bhp turbo model. This litre lump has been developed in conjunction with Mitsubishi and all three versions offer considerably more torque than the equivalent engine in the previous generation fortwo. There’s also a 45bhp diesel model which will sup around 3.5 litres of fuel per 100km - which is just over 81mpg in old money. No wonder the Yanks don’t get it.Taken in isolation, this fortwo doesn’t look too different to its immediate predecessor but sit the two cars back to back and it’s easy to see where the changes have been made. For a start, the smart is no longer quite the pure design of old, having swelled almost 20cm in length and 4.3cm in width. The track and the wheelbase have also been stretched but the majority of the length has been imposed upon the company by new pedestrian crash legislation.
The car’s face looks a little different, with projector lights and a smiling grille aperture, while the side reveals a slimmer aspect to the tridion safety cell in the sill and door area. The door handles have also been rotated around ninety degrees for ease of use. The rear wings are more contoured and the rear window has more slop to it than before. Four instead of six rear lights are now apparent, the fog light and reversing lights now slotted beneath the brake lights and indicator composite units.

Space inside was always very good for two adults (if not their baggage), but the latest car is better still. Somewhat unusually, the passenger seat is mounted 15cm further back than the driver’s seat so that shoulder room can be maximised. Smart claims that passengers have an additional three centimetres of elbow room compared to the old car which never felt small even for taller people. Luggage room has also usefully increased from 150 to 220 litres.

Available in both two-door ‘coupe’ form and soft top cabrio, the fortwo is offered in three familiar mainstream trim levels - pure, pulse and passion – with sporty-looking BRABUS versions on the way. The entry-level pure model is designed as econobasic entry-level transport, with a two-spoke steering wheel, a black grooved plastic roof and steel wheels. The lower part of the instrument panel is made of grained black plastic, as are the door trims. There are even manual window winders.
If utilitarian chic isn’t doing it for you, best to pass the pure by and take a look at the pulse. This is an altogether sportier affair, with a black or silver tridion cell, six-spoke alloy wheels with wider tyres and coordinated fabric on the seats, door trims, knee pads and instrument panel. A transparent polycarbonate roof is joined by a rev counter, clock, three-spoke sports steering wheel, shift paddles, electric front windows, front fog lights and an additional storage compartment in the tailgate. The passion model gets silver painted door mirrors and front grille, twelve-spoke alloys, air conditioning, leather trimmed steering wheel, softouch gear shift Plus a luggage compartment cover with a net bag.

There aren’t too many cars that can beat a fortwo in terms of cost of ownership. The key thing driving down the pence per mile figure is the residual value of a used example, and this latest model looks set to better its predecessor in terms of used desirability. Then there’s the fuel economy. Granted, fortwos don’t tend to soak up big mileages but they are often used in cities where many conventional cars return lousy fuel consumption figures. The 61bhp petrol engine will average around 60mpg and the diesel model around 80mpg but around town expect about 55mpg from the diesel car. This will also emit just 90g/km of carbon dioxide, making it one of the cleanest cars on sale and therefore very attractive if one is using the car in congestion charging zones.
Insurance costs are driven down by the fortwo’s ease of repair, the elastic plastic body panels being capable of shrugging off typical parking knocks. The white, black or yellow panels are flexible and the colour is deep moulded in, so superficial scratches are hard to spot. It also means that a more seriously damaged panel can be replaced inexpensively without need for costly and time-consuming repainting.

Smart sold over 770,000 units of the old car but still made a big loss. This time round, the company needs, to coin a phrase, to work smarter not harder and the latest fortwo points to the fact that an expensive lesson has finally been learned. Although it is bigger in both body and engine to its predecessor, it nets big wins both in terms of driveability and safety.

The challenge may well come in communicating these facts to a public that will in all likelihood see this car as a facelift of a model that dated back to 1998. The irony is that the smart has never been more relevant. Should pragmatism win the day over a public demand for the most fashionable shape, smart can yet become a jewel in the Daimler Chrysler firmament. Tiny steps, tiny steps…

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Smart Fortwo Range - Car reviews at Accelerate Bristol

Bay Area drivers get first look at tiny Smart and they like what they see

A swarm of tiny shiny cars resembling oversize ski boots scooted around San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood Thursday afternoon, offering Bay Area drivers a sneak peek at a distinctive and diminutive European car that will make its American premiere early in 2008.

With a length of just 8.8 feet, the Smart Fortwo will be the smallest production car sold in the United States - more than 3 feet shorter than the Mini.

At that length, the Smart should be able to squeeze into just about any San Francisco parking space. Actually, because the typical parking space is between 18 and 20 feet long, a two-car household could park both of its Smart cars in one spot. Because it also promises mileage in excess of 40 miles per gallon, it's a sure bet to attract the attention of San Francisco drivers.

It certainly did on Thursday afternoon, when scores of motorists who have made $99 deposits to reserve the right to buy one of the first American Smart cars queued up Disneyland-style in a parking lot beside a Mercedes-Benz dealership to take a spin around the block in a European model of the car.

Smart cars, manufactured by Mercedes, have been drawing attention in crowded European cities for the past decade. More than 770,000 Fortwos have been sold in 36 countries. Starting in January, Smart USA will sell three versions of the Fortwo - ranging in price from $12,000 to $17,000 - at 50 to 75 American dealerships, including three to five in the Bay Area.

"So many people have seen them when on vacation in Europe and wanted to bring one back," said Ken Kettenbeil, a Smart USA spokesman. "There is a lot of pent-up demand."

About 20,000 people - some from each state - have put down deposits on the minuscule automobile, with California leading the way. Kettenbeil did not have breakdowns on the number of California or Bay Area reservations. But he said the small car is expected to have big appeal in the Bay Area.

While the size is an attraction, it is also a concern.

"There are two questions we get asked all the time," Kettenbeil said. "Is it safe? And can I fit in it? Especially people over 6 feet. That's why we have these shows - so people can touch the car, feel it, sit in it, drive it."

The car is built around a formed metal "safety cell" that surrounds the car's two passengers, and is designed to dissipate energy in a collision, he said. It also features "crumple zones" in the front and rear of the car and contains four air bags. Crash tests found that "the car does very well up against full-sized sedans," Kettenbeil said. Those tests can be viewed on You Tube, where they've attracted a small cult following.

Because the American version is not yet in production - manufacturing will start in September - the Smart Fortwo has not yet been subjected to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash tests. But Kettenbeil said Smart expects to win a four-star rating out of a possible five.

Some of those who took the Smart car for a short spin said they were reassured by the ride.

"It feels and drives like a much bigger car," said Peter Lauber, of Redwood City, the owner of an auction company. "I expected to feel boxed in, but I didn't. My daughter has a Mini Cooper, and it feels a lot like that. It's very solid."

Katherine Roberts, a San Francisco singer, said she still wants to buy the Smart car after her first spin.

"It handles really well," she said. "It's the right-sized car for a city like San Francisco. Most of the time there are just one or two of us in the car. We don't really use the back seat."

Fuad Al Quddsi, a San Francisco personal trainer, is shopping for a small car. The introductory drive didn't sell him on the Smart Fortwo - he wished it had a little more oomph - but it's still on his list.

"It was OK," he said. "I felt safe, and that's what important to me. It doesn't matter how many videos you see, it's how you feel behind the wheel. ... It feels like any car. And it would be perfect for San Francisco with the lack of parking."

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Bay Area drivers get first look at tiny Smart and they like what they see