The brand new Smart ‘forfour’ can seat four (or five if specified) in relative comfort. As ever with the German brand the interior and exterior can be as colourful as you like so you will stand out from the crowd.
The original pint sized Smart ‘fortwo’ was a breath of fresh air as it made a Mini look like a stretched limo. Now the Mercedes owned company is venturing into the snake pit of conventional motors with the five-door ‘forfour’. Prices start at a competitive €14,995 and rise to €23,495.
Unlike the Smarts we know and love the new car features a range of regular sized three-cylinder engines found in the front, under the bonnet.
1.1, 1.3 & 1.5 litre petrol units and two Mercedes built 1.5 diesels should give buyers plenty of choice. I found the 75 bhp 1.1 a bit short of go despite having the same output as many 1.4s while the high powered 1.5 diesel (95 bhp) was far more useable.
A ‘Brabus’ performance version will be available next year and will push out 180 bhp. This figure mightn’t seem like much these days but the car only weighs as much as left leg. A five speed manual gearbox is now standard while the semi auto that is in all other Smarts is available also.
The exterior styling is pretty cute with the four wheels pushed well out, giving a sturdy on road stance. The body panels are made of coloured plastic and dent resistant. There are nice design touches that will see the forfour poach the one or two MINI buyers.
Smart continues to make a feature of the ‘Tridion’ safety cell that looks like an exoskeleton, it can be ordered in three different colours. Combine this with any of the ten paint colours and you’re sure to get an interesting two-tone result. In fact the likelihood of meeting another Smart driver with an identical car is very slim.
Inside you can specify a conventional and surprisingly dull enough interior but the more colourful bright red or blue for me is the only options to choose. Other party tricks include ‘Lounge’ seats; in other words all seats fold flat.
Smart has also sourced some clever Mercedes audio and navigation bits and bobs to. Smart says the ‘forfour’ will appeal to ‘SINKYS’ & ‘DINKYS’ (Single/Double income no kids) as their main car, Young Families with one kid (as a second car) and ‘Open minded mature couples’ who are young at heart yet need to carry the grandkids. The rear seat bench can slide forward or back to allow passengers or luggage priority.
One niggle that annoyed me was the poor positioning of the electric front window switches, they are found either side of the handbrake and very are fiddley to use.
On the go the car is reasonably tight and sporty with light controls and a good supermarket friendly turning circle. All ‘forfours’ come with disc brakes all round, ABS and ESP (electronic stability program) as standard though I didn’t experience the need for either during the test.
The driving position is good and the steering adjusts for tilt. Smart needs to expand its range and the forfour is clearly a better proposition than the niche two seaters available up to now. Smart deserves success with the forfour.
- Michael Sheridan
