Auto Express road test of the Smart Roadster !
17 November 2005, 11:04 PM
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Auto Express road test of the Smart Roadster !
Smart Roadster
700cc Coupe 2 dr
£13,250
With 80bhp from its diminutive mid-mounted turbocharged engine, lightweight construction and high levels of grip the tiny open-topped sporting offering from Smart is a highly entertaining package. Even before you drive it it'll grab your attention with its funky styling, its squat looks, with its wheels pushed out into the corners giving it a stance that while obviously sporting is impossibly desirable, unashamedly appealing to those buyers who place fun before everything else on their priorities. Fun it may be but as it comes from the masters of the microcar then it's reasonably practical too. The coupe, which costs an additional £1,000 over the roadster, comes with a large glassy hatch for luggage, complimenting the surprisingly capacious front boot, its removable hard-top panels more desirable to owners who park their Smarts on the street at night. Roadster buyers get a canvas roof as standard, but the different roof systems can be specified for either car should you want to. The interior is as stylish as the exterior though oddment storage is rather lacking.
Performance is brisk rather than startling, but we've rarely had so much fun at such sensible speeds, the entertaining engine thrum and the turbo chirping on the over-run adding to the experience. The semi-auto transmission carried over from the City-coupe is still ponderous despite changes to speed it up, but it doesn't take long to learn how to drive around its quirks. Indeed, part of the fun is the satisfaction of making smooth fast shifts via the column-mounted paddles. The steering is light, too light, but direct though the wheel feels massive and brushes the legs of some divers. Other quibbles include the offset pedals, though thankfully they don't interfere with driver comfort. More fun than a 206CC, funkier than a MX-5 and offering a grin-per-mile ratio that betters many much more expensive rivals the Smart Roadster-coupe is an extremely desirable machine.
As I have one I am impressed with their write up ! Shame they are only prodcuing very small numbers next year ! Also a lot more fun when tweeked a little
700cc Coupe 2 dr
£13,250
With 80bhp from its diminutive mid-mounted turbocharged engine, lightweight construction and high levels of grip the tiny open-topped sporting offering from Smart is a highly entertaining package. Even before you drive it it'll grab your attention with its funky styling, its squat looks, with its wheels pushed out into the corners giving it a stance that while obviously sporting is impossibly desirable, unashamedly appealing to those buyers who place fun before everything else on their priorities. Fun it may be but as it comes from the masters of the microcar then it's reasonably practical too. The coupe, which costs an additional £1,000 over the roadster, comes with a large glassy hatch for luggage, complimenting the surprisingly capacious front boot, its removable hard-top panels more desirable to owners who park their Smarts on the street at night. Roadster buyers get a canvas roof as standard, but the different roof systems can be specified for either car should you want to. The interior is as stylish as the exterior though oddment storage is rather lacking.
Performance is brisk rather than startling, but we've rarely had so much fun at such sensible speeds, the entertaining engine thrum and the turbo chirping on the over-run adding to the experience. The semi-auto transmission carried over from the City-coupe is still ponderous despite changes to speed it up, but it doesn't take long to learn how to drive around its quirks. Indeed, part of the fun is the satisfaction of making smooth fast shifts via the column-mounted paddles. The steering is light, too light, but direct though the wheel feels massive and brushes the legs of some divers. Other quibbles include the offset pedals, though thankfully they don't interfere with driver comfort. More fun than a 206CC, funkier than a MX-5 and offering a grin-per-mile ratio that betters many much more expensive rivals the Smart Roadster-coupe is an extremely desirable machine.
As I have one I am impressed with their write up ! Shame they are only prodcuing very small numbers next year ! Also a lot more fun when tweeked a little
17 November 2005, 11:10 PM
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This is mine !
PIC REMOVED AS SAXOBOY THOUGHT IT WAS ADVERTISING !
MINES YELLOW & BLACK !
but I can assure you I am neither of the above !!
PIC REMOVED AS SAXOBOY THOUGHT IT WAS ADVERTISING !
MINES YELLOW & BLACK !
but I can assure you I am neither of the above !!
Last edited by Fulham71; 17 November 2005 at 11:41 PM.
17 November 2005, 11:14 PM
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Originally Posted by davyboy
Good write up, but still a girl or gays car.
Which are you?
Dave
Which are you?
Dave
My advice would be go and drive one. Particularly the Roadster. I soo wanted to hate it when I drove it, Id heard the thing about the gearbox being sluggish and them being made of plastic.
But they really are very very cool things.
They arent cheap though though. £13K will get you a very basic car. Once you start speccing them up with leather and A/C a fully loaded Brabus will be £18K which is a lot. And even the For2 (original) car isnt as cheap as the £6,5 entry price may suggest.
Last edited by rr_ww; 17 November 2005 at 11:18 PM.
- This looks like an attempt to advertise on SN to me 
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18 November 2005, 08:41 AM
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LOL, I was just joking man 
If you let me change my front rubbers I'd have a go although you could just run your car around a scalectrics track and I couldn't follow on account of having a full sized car
If you let me change my front rubbers I'd have a go although you could just run your car around a scalectrics track and I couldn't follow on account of having a full sized car
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