For four days I was transported by Smart Fortwo to a parallel reality. The smart tribe greeted and said: welcome to the tribe.
There aren't many cars like the Smart Fortwo, and it's not because of the unmistakable body shape. The Smart Fortwo is different for other reasons. There are few cars that make such a clear statement of a certain lifestyle for their owners as the Smart. A brand linked to fashion, trendy, urban, modernity and all that social-tech-gourmet-hipster-não-sei-das-quantas lexicon. In short, linked to everything that a guy like me, on the verge of 30, without a lot of idleness, born and raised in the confines of the Alentejo, has difficulties in mowing. Yes I know! Not all smart owners are like that, because the new Smart Fortwo and Forfour seem to please audiences of all ages… But once this trend towards difference is assumed, it is important to explain it.
“(…) the best compliment I can offer the new Smart Fortwo is that it behaves like a real Smart in town and like a conventional car on the road”
The Smart Fortwo is different because it transports us to a parallel reality. A reality where Smart drivers greet each other, wave and exchange smiles. I get tired of riding in different cars, but this damn!, this one carries the difference for its owners. I repeat again: not all owners, I came across many serious suits. But tending to be not like that.
I had already written some time ago that I found it funny how the Smart people behave like a kind of tribe. They have parties, meetings, etc. And now, for the first time, I lived this experience from the inside, when I entered the tribe. I felt like a real David Attenborough studying a new species.
I say that my experience was perhaps more intense due to the fact that this Smart Fortwo is brand new (it still didn't have 100km covered) and has an unconventional color, I don't know. The truth is that I found the camaraderie and sympathy I received from the dozens of drivers who chose the Fortwo as their means of transport amusing, as if saying to me “welcome to the club, oh newbie”.
As the title of this test shows, I wasn't really going to hit the ball with the Fortwo. In addition to the ease of parking, the titanic reliability of the CDI versions and the consumptions, I couldn't understand why 'water load' people were subjected to the discomfort of the suspension, the slowness of the gearbox and the deplorable performances of the first generation of a car that didn't it was that cheap.
With the second generation, things have improved substantially but still not enough for your service scribe to change his mind. As for me, the Smart Fortwo was, above all, a form of personal statement – the so-called social-tech-gourmet-hipster-whatever.
It was, but I cease to be. This third generation Smart Fortwo, developed in partnership with Renault, took an immense qualitative leap. Like its predecessors, it remains practical and easy to park, but unlike those, it now behaves well on the road and is relatively comfortable.
In this version equipped with the 90hp 0.9 turbo engine with dual-clutch gearbox it is also shipped, not only in cities but also on the road. It's just a pity the somewhat high consumption, always above 6 liters – although such consumption may be related to the low mileage of this unit. In turn, the dual-clutch gearbox also deserved an intermediate mode, quicker than the ECO mode and less radical than the SPORT mode.
Continuing the dynamic analysis, the best compliment I can offer the new Smart Fortwo is that it behaves like a real Smart in town and like a conventional car on the road. Something definitely beyond the reach of previous generations. The 90hp engine is more than enough but I venture to say that the 71hp version will be more tuned.
In town, that's what we know. Super easy to drive and literally stows in any hole. The turning radius is so small that the Fortwo almost turns on itself. As for the suitcase, enough for 99% of daily needs.
Inside, the plastics are all hard and the Renault-Nissan group parts are a constant. However, the assembly doesn't compromise too much and the design is very inspired. You live well aboard the little German with French tics. The driving position was not entirely to my liking, but it must be my problem because all my friends who drove the Smart loved “riding up there” – not guys, the Smart is not a ladies' car.
The customization options, as always, are immense. The dozens of exterior color combinations are joined by immense possibilities in the interior, making it difficult for two Fortwos to be exactly alike. The price of this unit is not very inviting: 16,295 euros (all details of this unit here). A value for which one would expect almost obligatory elements such as headlamps with automatic switch on, for example. For less affluent bags, the Smart Fortwo is available from 10,950 euros with the 71hp 1.0 engine and manual gearbox (price table here).
I confess that after having walked with him these days, I started to like the concept. Just me, who said I didn't like the Smart Fortwo. Maybe one day I will return to the tribe… I miss finding a place in any hole, snaking through traffic and being different.