Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £8,518 to £16,026
Stylish, very economical, manoeuvrable
Only seats two, gearchange slow, limited luggage-carrying capabilities, sluggish performance
The most stylish city car around, but can be difficult to live with due to diminutive size
As it is so small, the Smart is extremely easy to drive around town and on the open road. The optional speed-sensitive power steering, although not tested, should make parking a lot lighter on the arms, too. A much-appreciated addition for 2003 is the Hill Start Assist (HSA) function. After releasing the foot brake from standing, HSA keeps the brakes applied for 0.7 seconds; this gives you enough time to move your foot from the brake to the accelerator without the car rolling backwards. It is especially good when parking, as before you had to juggle the handbrake and accelerator.
All-round visibility is good, but is hampered slightly when top is down on the Cabrio because the folded fabric roof blocks the rear view mirror. The gearbox is a bit clunky, though, with slow shifts and poor clutch control at low speeds. Nothing can beat the feeling of cruising round town or blasting down some country lanes with the roof down listening to the throaty roar of the three-cylinder engine and it's turbo whistling on overrun.
In 200e, suspension settings were revised and ESP fitted to remove the front-end washout which affected early Smarts so much - the Smart will still understeer, but only when pushed very hard. Flicking between the gears using the stick or the optional paddleshifts is great once you master the art of smooth shifts - lifting off the throttle when shifting makes for a better drive.
The Smart's engine had an overhaul for 2003; the 599cc three-cylinder unit was ditched in favout of a 698cc engine, in three different states of tune. The capacity increase was largely to help the motor meet Euro IV emissions levels, but power outputs and economy are also improved. The base model, Pure, is offered with 50bhp or 61bhp, with the 61bhp unit available on all trim levels and both bodystyles. Neither engine is a monster, clearly, but it's fine around town, albeit poor on the open road (50bhp 0-62mph in 18.3sec, 61bhp 15.5sec) and inadequate for extended motorway use. Top speed is electronically limited to 85mph.
The Brabus top trim level is offered with a higher powered version of the same 698cc engine, it produces 74bhp and can muster a 0-62mph time of 12.3sec. The speed limiter is raised to 94mph.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Smart fortwo
wrote on 11 08 2006