Smart Fortwo Pulse 2008 Review

Road Test

Overall rating: 2.5/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 2.5/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 2.5/5.0
Safety: 3.0/5.0
Behind the wheel: 2.5/5.0
X-factor: 3.0/5.0

About our ratings

It's designed and built in Europe, features rock-hard suspension, direct steering, rear-wheel drive, two-door body, and a turbocharged engine with a flat-six sound -- it could only be… A smart fortwo.

The giveaway that this isn't a Porsche is that it's built in France and, while the engine sounds like a flat six, it's actually half that -- an inline three-cylinder engine that displaces 999cc; just shy of a litre.

Mercedes-Benz and the Swatch Watch Company collaborated to develop smart cars as a sensible solution to increasing traffic congestion and automotive pollution around the world. Daimler AG now owns the smart concern outright. The whole philosophy of the smart fortwo -- the archetypal smart car -- is that it provides a motorcycle-type solution for those who want the weather protection and (relative) stability of a car.

The latest fortwo is the second generation of smart to come Down Under (read our launch review here). It arrives at a high price, but does offer a surprising level of safety for a car that is not much longer overall than the cabin of most vehicles. Also a surprise for smart novices, the fortwo is fun. Well, sort of…

The fortwo's three-cylinder engine offers reasonable torque -- considering its displacement. It will pull from 1500rpm in the lower gears without too much trouble, and there's very little turbo lag. In keeping with its oddball configuration, the engine vibrates noticeably in fourth and fifth gears at around 2000rpm (perhaps a function of its three-pot configuration), however, this clears at around 2500rpm.

With a respectable power-to-weight ratio, the fortwo can be relatively quick from point to point, but it can also be untidy through corners -- simply because you can't easily balance the car on the throttle.

The smart features a relatively enthusiastic stability control system. It's there to keep the smart's very short wheelbase, relatively high centre of gravity and aft-heavy weight distribution from forming their own unholy trinity.

In the main, it makes for 'no risk' dynamics, however, it IS working most of the time and ensures that the smart will always default to understeer… Sometimes quite noticeable understeer!

Another element that interferes with the smart's cornering potential is the robotised five-speed manual transmission -- which gives you engine braking when it wants, not when you want. This stymies any hope of a quick exit from the corner or a bit of weight on the nose entering the corner.

So if you want cornering to challenge a MINI, or say Fiat's new 500, look elsewhere. Would that smart were still building the Roadster...

Nevertheless, the fortwo's steering is direct and the variable ratio is very apparent. It's quite light near the straight-ahead, but loads up very quickly with any sort of lock applied. Given this and the very firm suspension, it feels a little like a go-kart.

And like a kart, the ride is abominable. Apart from the fact that the spring and damper rates are so firm, the short wheelbase and all the drivetrain weight in the rear really lead to the smart bucking over suburban speed humps or any other large amplitude bump. It's not a pleasant sensation.

The steering wheel is nice and thick-rimmed to compound the go-kart feel of the car, but the operation (either in auto or manual mode) of the robotised manual transmission that comes with an automatic drive mode in the optional 'Primo package' really lets things down.

It's not significantly better than some of the earlier attempts from French and Italian carmakers when left to its own devices. There have been improvements (from the generation one smart), but it's still inclined to ride the clutch and slur gears. In manual mode, it's much better although it still requires some degree of 'pre-cog-nition' on the part of the driver -- to pick the point when the clutch and engine management system will do their respective things.

The tachometer being placed well to the left of the driver's viewpoint (in its own pod on top of the dash, angled towards the driver, but much closer to the passenger), doesn't help in picking the change points.

In reverse gear (as well as first) on light throttle openings, it will gently ride the clutch so the smart doesn't get away from you when backing -- a good feature. Generally, the transmission is easy enough to use and comes with a hill start assist system, which works down as well as up hill.

In respect of comfort, the fortwo's seats are firm but lack lateral support in the base, although there's enough contouring in the backrest for the occupant's trunk. Frankly, you would not want to drive this car long distances -- not that long-distance touring is the fortwo's raison d'etre anyway.

Drivers will quickly arrive at this conclusion from the seats and the wind noise at open-road speeds. Out of town, drivetrain noise is quickly overtaken by the wind noise -- easily the strongest source of noise in the car at cruising speed.

There's no centre console in the smart -- there's just no room for it. The glovebox is larger than expected, but still won't accommodate the typical Aussie street directory. It does feature the auxiliary input jack for the premium audio system provided as part of the Primo package. This system will also play MP3 discs.

From the driving position, the mirror is poorly placed and affects forward vision. If  you prefer an upright position and are average height or taller, the top of the windscreen will block the forward field of vision also.

There's no seat height adjustment in the fortwo, so drivers may have to balance comfort against seeing every likely peril through the windscreen. That's a shame, because there's a decent amount of headroom available in the cabin. Similarly, with a relatively upright seating position, there's more than enough legroom too.

As in Saabs, the smart's key lock/ignition barrel is placed between the seats, but has no bespoke illumination to find it in the dark. Being a stretch down from the high-mounted and upright driver's seat, it's not easy to find by groping around for it. Yes, the interior light should switch on when the doors are open, but still, how hard/expensive could it be to find an illumination source for the barrel?

How best to sum up the smart fortwo then? We'll give it credit for being fun -- in an utterly harmless way -- and it's undeniably practical in many ways. For buyers of a certain type, the smart has much to offer.

It's not without its flaws, however. And while many are forgiveable, the high cost of joining the smart club is not.

To comment on this article click