Driving a Smart can be something of an art thanks to its "unique" gearbox. But it's usually fun. Let the tuning experts at it and slowly it becomes intoxicating, writes Michael McAleer
As the relatively young, funky firm tries to get more functional with its forthcoming Forfour and a "soft-roader" vehicle, the Formore, it's also keen to highlight its joie de vivre credentials.
For now it's got the Fortwo - formerly known as the City Coupé - and its Roadster range. These have had some bulk added to the diet with help from Mercedes specialists Brabus. As part of the deal, Brabus has set up a facility in Germany to both beef up the Smart models and offer bespoke possibilities for customers. They'll do anything from family tartan interiors to adding Mercedes controls - at a price, of course.
But there's more to Brabus than fancy spec. Our biggest problem with the Smart range has been the rather hiccupping upshift of the gearbox. Brabus engineeers have partly solved this, with a higher rated clutch and amended software to give fast clutch closure. You can notice the difference, though it still falls short of the smooth change of a traditional automatic. Some enjoy the challenge of matching your efforts with the Smart gearbox, lifting off just at the moment of change. However, even if you did master this - and we certainly didn't - there's still a slight pondering before the power kicks in. But it is a lot better than the likes of the FourTwo box.
The Brabus Roadster offering 110 bhp - up 30 bhp from the regular Roadster - and combined with its higher pressure turbo and lower, stiffer springs and dampers is yet more of a go-kart than the already enjoyable two-seater. It is unadulterated fun, and at speeds that won't lose you your licence.
The steering, which has come under criticism from some commentators for being woolly, never felt anything but pin-point accurate, to the degree that you were wary of sneezing for fear of ending up in a nearby field. The car confidently held its line on long winding corners and gave plenty of notice if the back was considering a change of direction.
However, the gearbox hiccups were always there to spoil our fun, particularly when pulling away from traffic lights. Here the Brabus was less than exhilarating, and in the lower gears with the pedal to the floor both driver and passenger are firstly thrown forward as the clutch disengages before being hurled back into the seat as power hits the wheels.
On a positive note, all that fun comes from the same small 698 cc engine that surprisingly doesn't scream at you when you hit higher revs. It's not so long ago that motorbikes with this size of engine were winning all around them and Smart's trick has been to match a similarly sparky engine with a light frame.
While the Brabus Roadster price here is likely to exceed competitors like the Mini Cooper S and it's not very practical, they do offer a level of fun that's been lacking to Irish motorists. Current Roadster prices start at €27,250.
But there's better news to come. Smart has introduced a new Roadster Light in Britain, at between 15 and 20 per cent less than the standard model. The Light model comes with steel wheels instead of alloys, a detachable two-piece hard-top and no air-con. The savings are not just in cost but also in weight, which in turn adds to the handling characteristics, though they're not dramatic.
The British market version will also come without a radio, but Jeremy Simpson, Smart's chief executive in Britain and Ireland, says that any Irish model - due in the autumn - will most likely come with radio/CD as standard. If they can get it to market for less than €24,000 it will be mighty tempting buy for as a weekend fun car.
The Light's arrival is likely to coincide with the introduction of the four-seater Forfour model in September. It will initially start with the limited Black edition - all black exterior, hence the name. With a 1.1-litre 75bhp unit, prices will start at €15,995. Following this will be the regular Forfour range, topped by a 1.5Cdi 95 bhp version with Passion spec for €24,995.
The Forfour is Smart's move into the mainstream and functional market - a sign that the accountants are perhaps leaning more on the niche player to start recording some volume sales and growth. It's rather unfortunate that such a funky niche player should be forced into doing this, but Jeremy Simpson says that the new models - including the Formore "soft roader" due in 2007 - all fit perfectly into the Smart framework.
This features three criteria: joie de vivre, innovation and functionality. The last one is getting plenty of attention of late. Perhaps it's time Smart turned the dial back to joie de vivre for its next incarnation. For now the Brabus Roadster offers the extra pep in its step that the regular Roadster sometimes lacked. And the sooner the new clutch system is added to the entire range the better.