Smart cars are one of the most unique and recognisable cars on the road today. They’ve been around for 25 years now, but not a lot of people know much more than them being a sidearm of Mercedes, and some people don’t even know that.
The name itself is rather interesting. Smart was originally conceived as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Swatch – yes, the cheap Swiss watch company, who had actually thought up the idea in the eighties to bring a small and stylish car to the market. The name “Smart” isn’t actually the brainchild of some old rich German and Swiss men in a boardroom that thought selling tiny cars to customers with such a name would make them envision themselves as ultra-intelligent individuals rivalling the likes of Einstein. The name is actually a combination of the two companies – “S(watch) M(ercedes) Art”.
The company had backing from Volkswagen in the early nineties but this soon terminated as Volkswagen were working on an upcoming project that later became the lupo. Mercedes would end up partnering with Swatch and four years after the initial concepts arose, the first model named the Smart Fortwo was released in 1998 and quickly rose to became a success. It was a pioneer for city cars.
The Fortwo was followed in 2004 by the Smart Roadster, a convertible two-seater, and the Smart Forfour. Today, the Roadster has become the Fortwo cabrio and the Fortwo in its current guise is coming up to its 10th year of production and is very closely related to the third generation Renault Twingo.
Three years after a joint partnership with the Chinese company Geely, the new the Smart #1 was introduced, a larger and safer successor to the Forfour, but arguably a larger car where you couldn’t really recognise it as a Smart. You could put a Volkswagen badge on the front and tell me it is the new ID3 and I wouldn’t flinch.
Okay, there’s a pretty decent overview for you on Smart, but just like Mini, I question what the actual purpose is of the company. The new Smart #1 is much larger and heavier than the outgoing Smart Forfour, and I don’t see the new Smart ForTwo being the same size for their next generation of car.
The only offering here on Smart’s website is the EQ ForTwo. A car with a range “up to 81 miles” (130km in normal units). Now, if that was true with city driving, the entire point of Smart, then it would be a hassle but manageable, but when you see that every review of the car is between 1 and 2 stars with the range being something around 70 miles/112km. For a car costing over £23,000, I really can’t see the point of it. The old petrol had about six times that range, and was cheaper too, and with the way of the world it is not likely that we will see an electric equivalent that can do as much as the 0.9 litre engine could do in a long time at this form factor.
And this is why I am concerned. The new Smart #1, as previously mentioned, is a much larger beast. With safety regulations ever becoming more stringent and with some people ballooning in size, or wanting a bigger car to feel more “superior”, then I see the Smart ForTwo following the trend to become a bigger car too. Mini has lost itself to that cause already, and has become just a badge attached to a big car using its heritage to sell in numbers. Smart does not have the same brand appeal nor history, but sell they will because the demand for these smaller cars is fading away.
A new crossover called the Smart #3 is coming out and it is what prompted me to write this article in the first place. It is an electric crossover set have its European premiere this September. Looks wise, it again does look like the average generic electric car of today’s world that could be made by any brand. You couldn’t really recognise it as a Smart. How can you when it is almost double the length of the original car and like the Smart #1 it shares no resemblance with its past.
Toyota alone, a company that isn’t focused on pure electric vehicles have more readily available alternatives. The Aygo X in non-peasant spec will give you an arguably better-looking car for £6,000 less, and even the new Yaris comes as a hybrid for £1,000 less and is a much nicer car.
I hope I am wrong and they come out with something impressive, but I do wonder to myself if Smart really is a smart choice to make anymore. I’m not hopeful, but only the future will tell.
This article was written by our beloved friend Ben on June 2023, before he passed away a few days later. May you rest in peace, you were the sweetest friend. You are always in our hearts and memories.
