Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £8,273 to £15,307
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
The standard fitment of ESP stability control has allowed suspension settings to be much improved over 2000-2003 models, which were deliberately hard. That model had skinny front tyres so that the car's front-end lost grip early to resist oversteer and avoid rollover incidents to which its tall stance made it susceptible. As ESP can take care of those things, the suspension has been made softer, which has thankfully made the ride much smoother.
The high-up position makes entry and exit easier, but also exposes the car to crosswind buffering - and there is quite a bit of wind noise at speed, especially when you've got the Cabrio's roof down.
Headroom is good, although top-up in the Cabrio or in Coupes without the glass roof it can feel quite claustrophobic inside. Boot space is inadequate. You could fit a week's shopping for two, but no more. A supermini or four-seat city car offers much, much more practicality. A radio/cassette comes with the base Pure spec model, whereas others get a CD/radio - both have good quality and are loud enough to be heard even with the roof down. A six-disc CD multichanger, which fits under the passenger seat, and an integrated sat-nav system are cost options.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Smart fortwo
wrote on 11 08 2006