The all-new smart Forfour and Smart Fortwo
go on sale this autumn. Both have the same goal: to lure buyers away from
mainstream rivals such as the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Up
through the promise of quirky, futuristic looks and the premium quality
materials, build quality and equipment traditionally associated with parent
company Mercedes-Benz.
The
revolution enters the next round – the smart fortwo has undergone improvements
in virtually all areas and is markedly more comfortable. The hallmark smart
rear engine concept is being offered for the first time in the four-seater
smart forfour as well.
In Britain, the Forfour is expected to
attract by far the bulk of customers (around 80%), not least because the price
premium between it and its less practical two-seat stable mate equivalent is
expected to be around just $830.
What are they like?
Smart Forfour
The Forfour is just 5cm shorter, 2cm wider
and very marginally higher than the VW Up, so it sits in the city car class.
However, its turning circle is notably shorter than the Up’s, at 8.6 metres
versus 9.8 metres. Boot space is four litres better than the Up’s, at 255
litres, and a clever rear-seat arrangement (the seats can be lowered by up to
12cm) increases available capacity to 315 litres. With the rear seats folded,
there’s 975 litres of boot space.
Smart is also highlighting the practicality
of the Forfour’s rear doors, which open to 85 degrees, and the fact the front
passenger seat folds fat, creating a load length of 220cm.
Smart Fortwo
It retains its unique 269cm length, helping
it achieve a turning circle of 6.95m, making it especially practical in built
up urban areas. Adding to its practicality, a 10cm increase in cabin width
makes for much improved passenger comfort, and the front passenger seat folds
fat as standard, which helps to increase the load bay space. There are 360
litres of luggage space behind the seats when they’re both up.
The suspension set-up is also said by Smart
to deliver ‘markedly improved ride comfort’, a weak point of the outgoing car.
However, a sports pack is available to lower the set-up by 10mm.
Which engines do they have?
Both Smarts get the choice of two
three-cylinder engines at launch, installed beneath the boot. The lower-powered
unit is a 1.0-litre engine rated at 71bhp, with 67lb ft of pulling power.
The higher-powered, turbocharged 89bhp
engine is 898cc in size, and delivers 100lb ft of pulling power.
A frugal 59bhp three-cylinder engine will
follow later. All come with the choice of a manual five-speed gearbox or
‘twinamic’ automatic with dual-clutch transmission, which is promised to be a
significant improvement on the previous car’s jerky auto.
As
Europe's youngest car brand, smart enjoys global success today. No-one combines
functionality and emotionality as well as we do, as the inventors of individual
urban mobility. The new smart fortwo and forfour adopt the proven concept while
offering more of just about everything – more space, more colour, more
equipment … and even more fun in the city! Only the vehicle length remains as
unique as ever, at 2.69 metres
What are they like inside?
A combination of faux leather and a
tactile, cushioned, rough-textured material across swathes of the cabin and
seats in both cars make them feel funky and more upmarket than rivals such as
the Hyundai i10.
Gloss plastic switches are arranged in an
oval shape around a retro-style sliding air-con switch, while an optional
colour touch-screen set higher up creates the main focal point.
The driver’s seat is set quite high which,
together with doors that open to 85 degrees for the biggest possible opening,
makes for really easy access.
Once installed, the driver is faced with a
single large dial in the binnacle behind the wheel. This contains a colour
readout to show the vital information. Another retro design touch is the
‘floating’ speedo needle that moves round the edge of the dial. A rev counter
protrudes from the dash in its own pod.
While much of the switchgear and door
handles are shared with the Renault Twingo, with which the car has been
developed, they do not appear out of place on what purports to be a more
premium vehicle.
What are the specs?
The Smarts will be sold in three trim
levels: Passion, Prime and Proxy. Standard equipment includes LED daytime
running lights, remote central locking, immobiliser, cruise control, electric
windows and a trip computer.
Many
design features such as the headlamps, the cooling air grille in the front and
the iconic tridion safety cell are identical, for example. And both vehicles
are fitted with rear engines, making them particularly agile in urban traffic.
Although full spec information has yet to
be revealed, it has been confirmed that top-spec models get the 3.5-inch colour
touch-screen as standard, together with heated seats, smartphone integration,
real-time sat-nav and a six-channel sound system.
In the UK, the lowest trim level will not
be available until around six months after the cars have been launched.
How much will they cost?
Informed sources suggest Fortwo prices will
start from around $18,200, but the arrival of the base-spec car later in 2015
will reduce the entry-level price to less than $16,500.
Equivalent Forfour prices will be around $830
more and, although a Target Price can’t be set until the cars are in the
showrooms, we’d expect both to be available with small discounts of around 2%
shortly after launch.
