Smart City Coupe and Cabrio 2003 Review

What we liked
>> Bright, cheerful appearance
>> Cheap to run
>> Parks on a 20 cent piece

Not so much
>> Underpowered
>> Only carries two people
>> Not a highway star

OVERVIEW
Five years after its 1998 introduction in Europe one of the smallest - and quirkiest - cars on the market has arrived in Australia. DaimlerChrysler's Smart car has been a phenomenal success with over 440,000 of the tiny two-seaters sold world-wide. It's funky styling, motor-cycle-sized engine, and compact size - barely 2.5m long - has made the Smart a big hit in the traffic congested cities of Germany, Italy and France.

So, why the delay in coming to Australia? For starters, a right-hand drive version only went into production in 2000, and a number of privately imported cars sold in Australia over the last couple of years - at inflated prices - gave DaimlerChrysler Australia further incentive to sell Smart. The second-generation Smart, our first, gains more Mercedes-Benz style features which are designed to increase its appeal.

Two Smart models will kick off the new brand in Australia: the City Coupe priced at $21,900 and Cabrio at $26,900. Initially only one Mercedes-Benz dealer each in Melbourne and Sydney will sell the cars, with outlets in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth to follow from early 2004.

DaimlerChrysler Australia hopes to sell around 300 Smarts in 2003, expecting most interest from style-conscious 20 to 30-year olds. Over the next 18 months the company plans to add roadster and four-seater models to the Australian Smart range.

FEATURES
Cheeky looks and a clever design set the Smart apart from the average city runabout. It may look tiny on the outside - 2.5m long by 1.51m wide, and 1.54m high - but on the inside it's surprisingly roomy with space for two large adults.

Both City Coupe and Cabrio share the same mechanical package: a rear-mounted 700cc, turbocharged, three-cylinder engine with six-speed sequential transmission.

Funky styling and upmarket appointments befit the Smart's premium pricing. The main talking point is the interchangeable plastic body panels available in a range of vibrant colours and patterns. Easily-bored owners can drop into their Smart dealer and have new look panels fitted for $2500.

The mix and match theme continues inside, with a choice of colours and patterns for the seats, doortrims and dash - from garish Twister Green cloth to more tasteful black leather. Interior oddities, like the dash-mounted pod instruments and a busy digital display, will serve to either amuse or annoy.

The Smart comes with power windows, remote central locking, leather steering wheel, air-conditioning, CD player and 15-inch alloy wheels. Plus there's dozens of tempting optional extras such as heated seats, cruise control, power mirrors, and power steering.

MECHANICAL
Australian-delivered Smarts get the more powerful version of the three-cylinder, 700cc turbo-charged petrol engine, which produces 45kilowatts of power and 95Nm of torque. Underpowered, sure, but sufficient to keep the 730kg Smart on the pace with the rest of peak hour traffic.

The tiny engine is hooked up to a six-speed sequential transmission with a tiptronic-style gear shift lever as standard. For those who don't like changing gears, there's a 'Softouch' auto option ($590), which is activated via a button on the gearshift.

F1-style paddle shifts on the steering wheel offer a fun way to manually change gears, and are available as part of the sports steering wheel package ($1100). Despite a slight hesitation during gear changes, we found all three transmisson modes easy to use.

COMFORT
The doors swing open wide for easy access to the tardis-like interior with its ample room for two occupants - but little else. The one-piece contoured seats adjust for tilt and reach, but not for height. The steering wheel is not adjustable, which meant our 190cm frame sat too high and we had to reach slightly for the wheel.

Head, shoulder and legroom is good, though, especially on the passenger side as the seat is set further back than the driver's. The large windscreen affords an excellent view and, together with the standard sliding glass roof on the coupe, adds to in-cabin ambience.

The electric folding cloth roof on the cabrio folds back with a push of a button and took us about a minute to unclip and stow away.

Apart from some cheap-looking plastic, the mostly grey interior has a solid, up market feel, with good ergonomics and, not surprisingly, everything within reach.

Limited storage space includes room for a couple of small bags in the rear compartment and a few smaller items in the cabin.

SAFETY
The second-generation Smart gains a number of active safety features not often found in the small car segment such as ABS, stability control, traction control and brake assist. Another handy feature is Hill Assist, which keeps the brakes on momentarily at take-off to prevent roll-back. Rear drums and front disc brakes provide a competent brake package on the 730kg Smart.

Passive safety includes a rigid safety cell, small crumple zones, and twin airbags. Side airbags are a $460 option.

COMPETITORS
Daimler-Chrysler Australia says its new premium-priced 'micro-car' has no direct competitors in Australia's small car market. And in a comparison on features, there's few small cars that can match the Smart on safety equipment levels, avant-garde styling, ease of parking and fuel-sipping economy.

Compare mainly on price, however, and the Smart faces stiff competition from a raft of higher quality four-door Japanese and European hatchbacks which offer more seating, storage space and performance for the money. These include Mazda 2, Toyota Echo, Honda Jazz and Citroen C3, among others.

ON THE ROAD
The Smart is a fun, efficient and attention-grabbing means for two people to get around town. Sharp steering and nimble handling made our short test drive in Sydney's hectic inner city traffic a breeze. Add a tight turning circle, and the ability to park on a 20 cent piece into the equation and the Smart makes a lot of sense in parking restricted areas.

The engine has less capacity than your average milk carton, yet offers enough low-rev grunt to get the micro-car darting along at a decent pace. To get the best out of the tiny engine, though, you need to work the sequential 'box fairly hard.

Acceleration from rest to 100km/h takes a leisurely 15.5sec, and top speed is limited to 135km/h. At higher revs engine noise rises considerably, which could prove tiresome on the freeway.

A firm ride means every bump, crack and ripple in the road surface is felt by the driver and passenger. Potholes, in particular, send a jarring jolt into the cabin. Despite all the electronic nannies on board, the Smart's short wheelbase and tendency to understeer restricts enthusiastic driving.

Running costs are another strong-point: The Smart sips premium unleaded fuel at a rate of 4.7litres/100km for combined city/highway driving. Even with the small 35-litre tank trips to the bowser should be a rarity.

BOTTOM LINE: A fun and funky fashion accessory but not made for life as daily transport.

As of 2004, the tiny Smart Cabrio will be known as the Smart "Fortwo" Cabrio, preparing the way for the bigger Smart forfour in late 2004. And that really does express the car perfectly -- if you only ever have to carry one passenger, then this tiny soft-top city runabout makes sense.

There are two big flaws in the equation; the first is price. The base Cabrio starts at $26,900, and that truly means base, with even the radio/single CD audio system a $240 option. By the time you get to the funky coloured interior ($1190), audio equipped, leather lined ($1390) with clock, rev counter ($280), luggage cover ($100), vanity mirror ($20), cupholder ($50), full steering wheel mounted paddle shift ($1150) and auto transmission option ($590), your little urban transport is costing you $31,910.

This probably wouldn't rate a blip for the inner city apartment living Sydney-sider or Melbournite to whom the car is pitched, but it's still not a lot of metal -- or plastic -- for the money.

The other big issue we have is with the transmission. It is, put simply, a normal six-speed manual gearbox with a clutch operated by the car's electronics, rather than your left foot. Gears are shifted by tipping the gear lever forward or backward, or in our case via the paddles behind the steering wheel. And put simply, it just doesn't work.

Mercedes-Benz is not the only company to go down this route: Alfa Romeo and Citroen have similar transmissions on sale here, and none are as smooth as a normal automatic transmission, or as effective as a full manual. In full automatic mode, the car lurches at every gear change as the engine revs drop and rise again. In manual it is slow to react to driver input, and though it gets better with practice, is never going to be as quick, smooth or responsive as a traditional manual.

The engine does a decent job of hauling the light little body around town if you keep the gearbox on the boil and the engine revving above 3000rpm -- which makes for a noisy cabin. The Cabrio is extremely fuel-efficient though, which is one of the car's highlights. It is also great for parking and turning in busy streets and the steering is sharp. The ride is firm but never really uncomfortable, and the car generally feels stable at suburban speeds.