Smart #3 review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car

From the outset, the Smart #3 did its damnedest to stop me from liking it, writes Brian Byrne. Bad enough is the ridiculous name (“I drive a Hashtag 3” doesn’t have the same cachet as “Captur” or “Explorer” or “Avenger”. And yes, the # in this case doesn’t have the generally known American English usage for ‘number’. The car IS called a Hashtag).

Then there’s the screen. With a big graphic that looks like an exploding planet, maybe Smart is trying to remind us that driving cars is part of why that might be happening. Even if the car is an EV? And an animated leopard moving around in the bottom right of the unit is not just a distraction, but takes up space and electronic jiggery that would be much better used for larger and more easily jabbed virtual buttons.

Then when I had to take it out at night on some rural back roads, the main beam headlights wouldn’t work. Turned out there’s a button beside the steering column that apparently locks off the auto-dimming mode, and also seems to lock out the manual main beam switching. To be honest, after fiddling with it for around 15 minutes I just gave up. The climate virtual buttons at least were large, and stayed on the bottom of the screen (until I switched to Carplay for navigation, when they were covered and required a couple of menu flips to get back to them). My passenger also got really cheesed off trying to find a happy volume level with the virtual slider.

Smart is owned by Mercedes-Benz and produced in China in a joint venture with Geely. The #3 is the second one I’ve driven and confirmed my reservations about the #1. I’m just surprised that Mercedes-Benz allowed the idiosyncrasies that damage the car’s overall image to get through the development process. This is a car probably made for the Tik Tok generation, most of whom likely have no interest in driving anyway.

If it had proper knobs and buttons and switches for essential functions, the #3 would be a really fine compact car. It looks individual, with sporty lines that don’t get in the way of good accommodation front and rear. My review car in white with red detailing certainly attracted appreciative attention. And as electric car front-end styling goes, it is really well executed here.

The #3 is decently trimmed inside, apart from some twit’s notion of designing the steering wheel buttons in a semi shiny aluminium finish where their finely etched identifiers are invisible in most daytime lighting. The trim and upholstery in the review car had a bit of funkiness related to it being a 25th Anniversary edition, as well as a panoramic glass roof designed to filter out excessive sun heat. I felt the seat support was very good.

The car feels really well built. It also drives like fun, with 272hp offering peppy electric motor acceleration, and there's relatively nippy handling as far as battery cars and their disproportionate weighting go. A full charge gave me an indicated range of 440km or so, which for most driving needs is plenty. (You know the drill at this stage, take 20pc off if you're doing a long motorway trip at the limit. Stick to 100km/h and you'll get close to the initial indication.)

All the usual driver assist features. The overspeed warning sounds aren't too intrusive and you can mentally tune them out.  At least there is also a bit of delay between inadvertently topping the limit and getting back to the straight and narrow.

Despite all my foregoing moans, I actually did get to like the #3. A number of attractive features give reasons to at least try for a relationship and see where it goes. But is the car a 5-year marriage option? There's a lot of competition out there in this EV segment, and if I was into Tik Tok and Tinder I might still be swiping.

PRICE: From €38,714; Review car €51,765. WHAT I LIKED: That I liked it despite it. 

Smart #1 Brabus review: Brian Byrne, Irish Car

It's 30 years since the Smart car brand was founded as a joint venture between the Swiss company that made the Swatch watch, and Daimler-Benz, writes Brian Byrne. The watch company's CEO Nicolas Hayek believed there was a need for a small and stylish city car that could be marketed in the same way as the successful timepieces. Development costs needing extra investment meant that shortly after the first Smart model was rolled out in 1994, the German carmaker had acquired 100pc of the shareholding. And though the diminutive 2- and 4-seater vehicles sold in significant numbers in Europe and other markets with high city populations, Daimler lost money on each and every sale. 

Experimenting with an electric cabrio version from 2008, all Smart cars went totally electric in 2017. Still a loss-maker, but maybe showing a road ahead for the brand? In 2019, a joint venture deal with Chinese car giant Geely changed the whole concept of Smart. A new generation of electric cars, built in China and marketed globally through the Mercedes-Benz network, hit the roads with the Smart #1 in 2022, arriving in Ireland earlier this year.

Quirky looks of the predecessor have now become chirpy, with flowing lines and many two-tone colour options. Most significantly, the new Smarts are bigger, the #1 being larger than a Nissan Juke and targeting the EV segment's main players like Hyundai's Kona Electric and the VW ID.3. My review car was the top of the range and most powerful Brabus version, the red detailing and snappy alloys offering a car that looks very ... well, smart.

The marque branding is subtle, but everywhere. Black on the black front, white in the smooth front lights fairing, red in the rear lights clusters. The 'c' and 'arrow' circular and traditional Smart logo is large in a 'flowing drop' of the roof onto the C-pillar, maintaining the lineage from the original.

Inside, this is a spacious car for four and has a reasonable capacity for five if those in the rear are not burly rugby props. There's an instant sense of quality design and build. The flowing shapes on the outside are echoed in the dashboard and doors trim inside, lots of silvered flash along with the red details of Brabus in my car. The centre infotainment screen is BIG, with a row of haptic electronic buttons along the bottom to access particular menu options, and the lower part of the screen itself offering access to climate management (unfortunately, that last disappears when using Apple Carplay, necessitating extra distraction tapping if you want to change things while driving). The imagery on the main screen itself is kind of weird in the 'Home' space, but can be put away by driving in navigation mode. A small driver information screen works OK, though some of that funny graphic stays there throughout.

Along with the previously mentioned quality sense, this car is also very comfortable for all aboard, one of the advantages of dumping the 3.5-metre diminutive of the old ForFour for a practical compact family size of 4.3 metres. Reasonable elbow and head room, and legs in the back aren't going to be chopped at the knees. You also get 56pc more boot space.

I've briefly driven the entry level Smart #1 and it's a nippy car with a 6.7s sprint to 100km/h capability. The Brabus review car trumps that significantly by getting across the line in 3.9s, thanks to an extra electric motor and a total output of 428hp. Mad, isn't it, how EVs have changed our whole power experience from the 90hp-150hp that was our norm up to a few years ago? The extra motor also means the Brabus has AWD, which helps to manage that rather excessive power. That said, it was possible to drive it like a pussy cat on a leisurely stroll across the garden as easily as a cheetah streaking to a kill.

The rated 400km range of this one did seem to work out for me reasonably accurately, and when I did have to charge it up to 80pc from 25pc it did so before I had finished my Circle K coffee. So it can be a viable everyday motor.

PRICE: From €37,479; review car €54,170. WHAT I LIKED: This is a real car. 

Second Smart EV arrives in Ireland

The Smart #3 electric car has now arrived on the Irish market at a starting price of €38,714, writes Brian Byrne. It follows the introduction of the Smart #1 in Ireland in February.

In a comparable size to its competitor Hyundai Kona and similar, the new Smart has a distinctive coupe styling without compromising rear seat space.

The new generation of Smart cars are all EVs, developed by brand owner Mercedes-Benz in a joint venture with Chine carmaker Geely.

The latest car is available in three trim levels, as well as a special 25th Anniversary edition limited to a total of 500 units for Europe. A small number of these have been allocated to   Ireland.

The 272hp electric motor drives the rear wheels, while a Brabus edition with 428hp is an AWD car with a 0-100km/h capability of 3.7s.

The entry level Pro has a 49kWh battery with a claimed range of 325km, while the other grades have a 66kWh battery with a claimed range of up to 455km.

 

Smart #1 reaches the Irish market

The latest electric car brand to land in Ireland is the smart, a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Chinese automotive giant Geely, writes Brian Byrne.

The smart #1 is the first of several models using the hashtag prefix that will be rolled out over the next 12 months, and is pitched against the likes of Hyundai's Kona Electric and the VW ID.3.

The rear-drive car has chirpy looks and an interior that features quirky graphics, including a 'madra rua', an animated fox that sits on a bottom corner of the infotainment screen.

A 272hp electric motor with a 66kWh battery provides a rated range of up to 440km, 

The smart #1 range will be marketed through a number of dealer outlets within the Mercedes-Benz passenger car network. There's a choice from four versions, with an entry prize of €37,479.

 

Smart gets smarter

This is a Smart car like we've never seen … a new generation of the diminutive brand owned by Mercedes-Benz and Chinese company Geely, writes Brian Byrne.

Instead of being a little oddball, Smart is growing up. The model pictured here was revealed in Berlin and is a sleek crossover based on a concept shown at last September's Munich Auto Show.

The model's name is oddball, though - #1. Still, the underpinnings are all solid. A 268hp electric motor and a battery with a 400km range. A capability of accepting an 80pc charge in 15 minutes. And, space for five. 

It's the first of a line of models. Which will be targeted directly at BMW's Mini range.

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Smart cars become mobile postboxes

Daimler is conducting a pilot test programme in Hamburg where owners of Smart cars can have parcels delivered directly to the boot of their cars wherever they have parked them, writes Brian Byrne.

Previous similar programmes in Cologne, Bonn and Berlin have required the car owners to have their cars parked at their home address.

The extension of the programme also allows participants to have their goods ordered from any online shop, and parcels can also be sent from individuals.

The scheme is smartphone-based and works with the help of an app.

Smart car will show Daimler autonomous cars direction

The self-driving car vision will be a growing feature of motor shows, like the the Smart concept planned for Frankfurt the week after next, writes Brian Byrne.

With a teaser picture the brand previews the first model from the Daimler stable that features all four attributes of the parent company's strategy for autonomous vehicles — connected, autonomous, shared and electric, known by the acronym CASE.

The concept will showcase thoughts on a vehicle that can be summoned by a customer to take it for the duration of a point to point journey, after which it will be available to another customer.

This could be the taxi of the near enough future, without a gabby driver …

Smart hits 2m sales

It’s not of particular interest to Ireland because the Smart cars aren’t sold here, but the brand has just achieved its 2m worldwide sales mark, writes Brian Byrne.

First launched in 1998, the diminutive vehicles are now on sale in 46 markets, and are particularly popular in China. The top two markets are Germany and Italy.

The smart range includes models powered by traditional combustion engines and electric motors, and is available in 2-seater, 4-seater and cabrio variants.

It has formed the basis of car sharing scheme car2go since 2008.

Daimler shows new ForFour

Daimler has released pictures of its new Smart ForFour car which goes on sale in some European markets in the autumn, writes Brian Byrne.

Based on Renault Twingo underpinnings, and to be built by Renault, the ForFour revives a nameplate which previously had a short life in the brand's lineup.

The car was revealed alongside the new-generation ForTwo. Power options range around a 3-cylinder 900cc petrol engine, in 70hp/89hp variants.

New Smart will be supermini contender

The Mercedes-Benz Daimler parent company plans to get properly into the supermini scene with the new Smart ForFour due for launch in the latter part of this year, writes Brian Byrne.

The car will have similar front and rear treatments as the FourJoy Concept 'buggy' shown at Frankfurt, but will be a full-featured car.

Renault will build it for Daimler, using the same architecture as the next generation Twingo.

Although no further details are available, expect a small petrol 3-pot for power. The FourJoy featured an electric power unit, so there may eventually be one of those too.

Sporty Smart planned

We don't hear or see much about the Smart car brand in Ireland, but that doesn't mean the diminutive city car has gone away.

In fact, owner Mercedes-Benz is planning a new three-seat sporty model, along with a new four-door variant for release some time after 2010.

The three-seater will have the driver in the centre, with two passenger seats set in tandem a little behind, similar to the design of the McLaren Formula One supercar.

The last sporty Smart was the coupe, which was dropped in 2005 after selling 43,091 cars units.

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smart EV to go into production

Following successful trials in the UK, the zero-emission, smart fortwo electric drive is ready for small series production.

Reaction from customers taking part in the UK trial, including the Metropolitan Police, universities, local councils, architects and energy companies, has proved so encouraging that smart’s parent company, Daimler AG, can confirm that the smart electric drive will go into small series production in early 2010.

The second generation smart electric drive will also be taking part in projects in Rome, Milan and Paris. Several cities in the US are also due to start trials of the fully electric car and the invaluable feedback will be incorporated into the development of future production models.

Featuring a lithium-ion battery the second generation smart electric drive’s power source will have a longer range and a shorter charging time.

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Daimler invests in Tesla

A thousand people have signed up to buy the Tesla Motors S electric sedan. But the company has been finding it difficult to raise the cash for a production facility.



Now Daimler has stepped in. Which makes sense, as the companies have been cooperating in building electric Smarts.

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Smart car rental scheme extended

A scheme where you can rent a smart car off the side of the road has now been extended from pilot phase to general public in the city of Ulm, Germany.



And it will be going to Austin, Texas USA in the autumn.

Daimler's car2go idea began last October with 50 cars available only to staff of the company. Now it has been extended with a fleet of 200 smart fortwo cdi cars available to all registered residents and visitors to Ulm – every day, around the clock, and at low rates.

Whenever a car is needed, it can be rented spontaneously in passing out on the street, or it can be pre-booked via mobile phone or internet. The car then can be used as long as one likes, and can be returned to any unoccupied public parking space within the area of operation.

The cost is 19 cents charged per minute covers taxes, insurance, mileage and even fuel, while rates for rental by the hour or day are €9.90 per hour or €49 per day. The sole condition for use is one-time free registration as a customer and a valid driver's license, to which a small seal is affixed. Once a person registers, he or she can open any car2go by means of a card reader placed behind the windshield.

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Diesel smart upcoming

In March the first diesel smart car goes on the road, the smart CDI, which is so frugal in fuel usage that its 88g/km CO2 emissions are the lowest of any current production car.



The brand also recently launched a micro hybrid drive version using a stop/start technology that is claimed to reduce fuel consumption by 24 percent in city use.
And a pioneering market trial of 100 fully electric smart fortwos is also underway in the UK.

Smart car sales increased by over 40 percent in Britain last year.

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