Adding Sophistication
by Ross Finlay (30 Mar 03)

The thing that has always struck me about the smart city coupé and cabriolet is how sophisticated these tiny machines are in manufacturing, basic structure and technical details. That's even more true of the second-generation models now on sale in the UK.

A great deal is being made of the fact that they've had their engine capacity raised from 599 to 698cc, with a power boost to a whopping 60bhp in most cases. But it's at least important that the 60bhp versions - and that's a very fair output for such a lightweight car - have an electronic stability programme as standard, and the possibility of being fitted with wider wheels.

I think ESP is particularly significant in a vehicle with such a short wheelbase. It can automatically apply the brake on the outside front wheel if the smart starts to oversteer, brake the inside rear wheel on a corner where understeer sets in, and sort out one-wheel spin as well. There's also cornering brake control, brake assist and hill-start assist.

Now, all this electronic control stuff may seem ludicrously over the top in a car with such a low power output. But it has a high power to weight ratio, and it's worth bearing in mind that all the three-cylinder engines are turbocharged. The 60bhp models will step off quite smartly, with a 0-62mph time of 15.5 seconds and a still-limited top speed of 84mph. They have much better torque, and out on the open road, when faced with a batch of corners, they can bomb through at a rate which makes the thought of an on-board ESP quite reassuring.

Even when getting moderately carried away by the improved performance, you have to bear in mind that the smart's wheelbase and track are pretty close together in size. There's nothing else on the market so close to square-ish in its proportions. Just from the point of view of geometry, handling control is not a bad idea.

Electric power steering is now a £320 option on the top models, and that helps the feel of the car too. Cruise control is also available, from April production.

Same Bodywork

Outwardly, the 2003 models are much the same as before, the coupé with a solid roof and the cabrio with a lift-off roof panel. As well as that, you can get the coupé with a glass sunroof which slides back over the top of the bodywork. With certain reservations (see below) I think I'd go for that one.

Inside, it's also familiar: two seats with a rather neatly laid-out fabric-topped fascia, the same small-scale Daleks on duty at each side of it as ventilators, and the same centrally mounted clock and rev-counter which can be turned to face any way you fancy. The interior mirror is craftily shaped so that it offers the best possible rearward view through the dip between the headrests.

Unexpectedly, the smart has quite a decent luggage area, easily able to take a modestly sized case and a couple of soft bags, and not just for any briefcase or paperwork a business lady or gent might need to take into a city-centre office.

Prices range from £6560 to £9995 according to whether the car is a coupé or a cabrio, and whether it comes in pure, pulse or passion specification. Smart has had to give up on the original "smart & pure" type of designation, because editors couldn't be bothered with the ampersand. Actually, there's also the 73bhp Brabus-tuned cabrio which can be ordered at £14,210, but that's another matter altogether.

In all models the headlamps now go off with the ignition, and also when the car is being started, so as to ease the load on the electrical system. One quick flick of the indicator lever gives three flashes for dodge-out lane changes, while the hazard and interior lights go on automatically in the event of a serious shunt.

Unexpected though this may be to people unused to the smart, it has a six-speed transmission, which does make sense once you get into a main-road cruise and don't want too many revs hurling about the place. Top gear is about 7% higher than in the previous models.

Don't Rush The Gear Changes

The auto-shift transmission continues, offering fully automatic changes or manual selection, and now with a kick-down facility. You have to bear in mind that, as with all gear-changes of this kind, it doesn't want to be rushed, especially when it's looking after the clutch depression and release which would otherwise be done by the driver. That being so, the smoothest way to get from one ratio to another, up or down, is to ease off the throttle and only get back onto it when the ratio-stirring has been completed.

Much the same applies to the optional paddle shift, which seems a fairly pointless extra-cost item on what many people will regard as a budget buy.

The real budget buy, of course, is the entry-level 49bhp pure. It has the same engine capacity upgrade as the 60bhp cars, although it's obviously slower off its mark, with a 0-62mph time of 18.3 seconds. But that would be fair enough for a strictly city run-about.

Smart reckons that both power levels offer identical fuel consumption figures, whether with the standard SOFTIP or the fancier SOFTOUCH transmission. That means up to 70mpg extra urban and a maximum of 60mpg combined. CO2 emissions are very low, rated at 113g/km for the SOFTIP models and 115g/km for the SOFTOUCH.

On the launch exercise, both 49bhp and 60bhp versions nipped easily around town, although the more comprehensively specified 60bhp car certainly scored better on open country roads, where it felt much sportier than the previous 599cc version.

One Stop Too Many

The 60bhp pulse I took out, starting with only 14 or so miles on the clock, had the sunroof open. Later on, I tried to close it, but nothing happened when I pushed the switch. Then, after I paused in a layby not far from smart's HQ for the day, and tried to start the engine again, the gear indicator showed "1" for first, a position in which, of course, the engine is inhibited from starting.

Well, it was a pleasant short stroll back to base. A smart technician who went to the stranded car started it without any trouble (this is the journalist's curse), but the same problem recurred when I tried to crank it up again in the car park, with him sitting in the passenger seat. It may be that I'd been stirring the transmission selector around too much to try to get it into neutral, or it may be that on occasion the smart electrics are a little too smart for their own good.

I wondered why both the sunroof and the transmission were dicky on this particular car, and I'm assured that the problems are being thoroughly checked out. Otherwise, I reckon the smart still makes sense as a city car, and in its latest form makes much more sense out of town.

There's still the same weird - sorry, wide range of exterior colour treatments and fancy panelling. And one of these days I must get around to asking, although I'm not sure I want to know the answer, what's the derivation of the standard colour Phat Red. (Style Editor's Note: Get real, dude.)

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