Smart #1: A new direction for small car specialist

The rather pretentiously named Smart #1 (or ‘Hashtag One’), represents a big change for its maker.

Since the 1990s, Mercedes-backed Smart has been best known for its cute looking, two-seat city cars, which weren’t much cop to drive and failed to turn a profit. Electric versions with limited ranges did not turn the tide either, and there are rumours that the trad Smart is likely to be pensioned off next year.

Smart is now a 50:50 joint venture between Mercedes and Chinese car maker Geely, which owns Volvo. The #1’s body and cabin have been designed by Mercedes and the car is motivated by Geely-sourced motor and batteries. Oh yes, it’s built in China.

It’s also Smart’s first compact sports utility, and the firm’s first electric model. It won’t be the last as others will follow.

The styling inside and out is perhaps a little arch and non-specifically retro with distinctive tapering front and rear lamp clusters and slightly coupe-like side windows. The end result looks original if nothing else and more cohesive than some similarly sized five door Minis.

These styling themes are continued in the car’s well-made, boutique interior. The front is dominated by a 12-and-a-bit-inch central touch screen and a ‘floating’ centre console, which has plenty of storage space - complemented by large door bins, so there’s plenty of room for stuff.

People get a good deal too. The seats are well shaped and comfortable, and there’s plenty of space, particularly in the rear, where head and legroom are excellent. This is a genuine five-seater, and a quartet of adults would find it a very civilised way to travel.

They’d need to travel light though, as the well-shaped, easily accessed boot has a mediocre 275-litre capacity with the back seats raised, although they can be slid forward to increase this to 411 litres, or folded down completely to create yet more space for chattels - their backrests also have a reclining function.

The main touch screen is speedy and responsive, but there’s an element of trying too hard with the graphics, which are sometimes a tad baffling. These include a cartoon fox with a beach ball that is apparently connected to the #1’s voice command function. The car comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

There are three derivatives. The entry level Pro +, Premium, which we drove, and the Brabus performance version. The first two have rear wheels driven by 200kW motors and will sprint to 62 in just under seven seconds. The twin motor, 315kW Brabus covers the same ground in a hooliganistic 3.9 seconds.

Some electric cars have somewhat jittery rides, the product of suspensions tuned to deal with hefty battery packs, but the Smart is generally a serene companion, riding pliantly and comfortably, even on poorly surfaced minor roads. There are three driving modes (Eco, Comfort and Sport), and the car remained unruffled, whichever one was chosen.

The #1 grips well, corners neatly and is dynamically very pulled together. Some road testers have complained of slightly grabby brakes, but we found little to complain about when stopping.

The Smart achieved five stars after being put through EURO NCAP’s safety tests, which is to its credit, and comes with a long shopping list of safety gear including blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping and stop/go cruise control.

As a car for young families, or something plush to down size to, this car has a lot going for it. Boot aside, it’s generally spacious, comfortable, nice to drive and well equipped. In fact, it’s a very competitive product, not something that could be said for some time, of anything wearing a Smart badge.