Second Hand Sense: THE SMART car was ahead of its time, at least in Ireland. Ten years ago, those in crowded European capitals were embracing the tiny, chic car that was a joint venture between watch company, Smart, and Mercedes-Benz.
Ireland, however, was in the middle of a completely different experience – traffic didn’t matter as long as we had a car that was as new as we could afford (or not) and bigger than we needed.
So the Smart Fortwo never really took off here, and its chances were further hindered by the fact that distribution was forced on a reluctant franchise holder.
The car was not sold in mainstream dealerships, so exposure was essentially limited to Dublin. Its own usefulness seemed limited to the odd PR event.
Despite claims to the contrary, the Smart is limited to city driving – there is not a lot to it. You have two seats, a 600cc Mitsubishi engine producing 50hp, four wheels, a boot that takes luggage of Ryanair dimensions,a short wheelbase with a predicatble ride and a body structure that’s stronger than you think. And that’s about it.
You can zip around town in comfort but anything more challenging – such as a motorway – might require gliding lessons. The engine is peppy and carries the car very economically. The automatic gearbox is jumpy and not refined in the way others are – it reminds one of an old-fashioned CVT system as it lurches. There are much better small cars out there nowadays, the Fiat 500 and the Toyota iQ being just two. In fact, the iQ leaves the Smart Fortwo standing in terms of driveability, safety and practicality. The styling of the Smart does, however, remain very strong and iconic.
The Smart range has been reliable since launch. There have been small, limited problems with windshields and lights. The only recorded EuroNCAP crash test is now almost 10 years out of date, but it did show problems with injuries to chest and upper legs for both occupants in the event of a front impact. Also, there were potential head injuries in the side impact test.
You can view a 2006 Fortwo with 22,000km, electric windows, ABS, twin airbags and CD player for €7,950. Another dealer has a one-year-old model with just 15,000km at €12,450.
STAR RATING: 5/10
