Smart Roadster (2002-) Review

Comfort and Equipment

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Despite the invigorating handling - see next section - the Roadster rides smoothly over bumps for a sports car, even with the 17-inch Brabus alloys and low-profile tyres. It controls its body movements very well, too, making for fluid, stable progress. Clonks, bangs and rattles are absent, and the structure feels very solid. The seats support firmly, and the engine sounds engagingly sporty without intruding or resonating. However, general noise levels are quite high, roof off or on, making long journeys potentially wearing. Air conditioning is optional in the roadster but standard in the Coupe. There's no steering-wheel or seat-height adjustment, but the driving position is well-enough judged not to need them, unless you're quite short. A tiny sports car is never going to excel on space, but the Roadster makes good use of what it has with plenty of legroom for tall occupants. There's limited baggage space under the front bonnet, and more in a boot compartment above the engine, but this is minimal in the flat-booted Roadster, if superior to the bootless Toyota MR2, for example. The hatchback Coupe does better here, because there's scope for loading up to the top of the hatch if needed, if at the expense of rear visibility. An optional luggage rack extends the Roadster's carrying capacity. Other small pockets and compartments are spread around the cabin, but there's less space for oddments than in regular Smarts. Standard stereo fitment is the usual two-speaker Smart system with optional CD player. It's adequate. Sat-nav is limited to a dealer fit unit, which with the navigation disc in place, robs you of playing CDs on the move.