"Sometimes it takes a child's logic to open adult minds." So says Smart marketing.
On the streets of Rome childish logic comes into its own as petulant motorists battle it out in anarchic traffic. Ironically, it's here that Smart's 2.5-metre-long two-seater has had its greatest success outside Germany. Every street seems to feature at least one of the diminutive traffic dodgers - much, one suspects, to Fiat's chagrin.
Outside Germany - where sales figures are greatly influenced by employee purchases - Italy is the home of Smart. That's only to be expected given the Italian eye for styling, panache and branding. In the Nike age, Smart has built for itself a motoring brand that sits nicely with the Dyson, the Blackberry and the iPod.
Yet its latest move, a four-seat hatchback, swings towards function over form. Ironically, while functionality would be regarded as a less risky road for a car firm, when your identity is tied to funkiness, the move features many potential pitfalls.
The forfour, as it's called, has the plastic adjustable panelling of its cooler sibling. It also has a much-improved five-speed manual transmission, the one thing that seriously deterred us from the fortwo (or City coupé as it was previously known). And it has four seats on its 3.7-metre-long body.
It's partly the result of parent DaimlerChrysler's partnership with Mitsubishi and partly, one suspects, a move by the parent to push Smart into profit by 2006. The Japanese link is with the new Colt. The forfour and Colt share 40 per cent of their parts, representing 60 per cent of the value. Most are under the skin, such as electrically assisted steering and two axles.
Both cars will be built in the jointly owned Born plant in the Netherlands with petrol engines coming from the Japanese, and diesels from Germany. The range begins with a 1.1-litre 73 bhp three-cylinder petrol and includes two four-cylinder units - a 94 bhp 1.3-litre and a 106 bhp 1.5-litre.
We tried all three and found the 1.1-litre to be most keen and most fun - it's our choice over the 1.3-litre. The eager three-cylinder lets off an energetic whine when you touch the accelerator, like a puppy dying to imitate its larger elders. However, on the motorway journey home we were glad of the 1.5-litre petrol version.
The 1.5-litre diesel was not available for testing, but will feature in the car when it's launched here in September in two forms - 68 bhp and 95 bhp.
Andreas Renschler of Mercedes points up the benefits made possible by borrowing from much larger models in the Mercedes fleet. He refers to standard specification levels that include ESP traction control, four-disc brakes, anti-lock brakes and a combination of optional features such as rain sensors and automatic lights.
Certainly the central console is taken from the Mercedes E-Class and even resembles the one in the slightly more expensive Maybach. An interesting question for Maybach buyers - how would you feel about Smart owners commenting on the similarities between their €16,500 entry level forfour and your €500,000 übermotor?
It wouldn't be a Smart without bold colours on the interior and cloth instead of plastic on the dash - a nice touch. But these bolder elements are combined with a new practicality, such as the rear bench that splits 60:40 and sliding forward and back. However, this is nothing new to small car fans, having featured already in the Citroën C2 and Fiat Punto, and the boot space is tight, while adults would not want to go far in the backseats.
As for the ride, all cars featured sports suspension settings and served to reinforce our belief that for Irish roads, sport suspension is a no-no unless you're getting recompensed with power. The upside of this firmer ride, of course, is racier handling and the forfour can't be faulted, revealing slight understeer in the corners when pushed, but otherwise behaving very admirably. You can still get the feel of go-kart handling that makes the smaller Roadster such fun.
Given conservative Irish tastes, the favoured model here would be the BasicBlack format - the limited edition entry model that will retail here for an estimated €16,500 - or else with silver panelling to match the silver-coloured exoskeleton.
And there lies the problem for Smart. The battle of form and function does not always work. In the end what you get - particularly with the 1.1-litre model - is a relatively noisy journey in a car that, in its basic guise bears too much resemblance to a remodelled Ford Fiesta or Fusion.
The greater risk for Smart's image is the possible dilution of the marque's appeal by creating yet another four-door model for an already crowded market. While Philip Schiemer, vice-president of marketing at Smart dismisses our concerns, saying that while the biggest advantage of the rest of the range is the two-seats, it was also the biggest disadvantage: "The forfour is aimed at newcomers to the brand, but the fortwo has been the icon of the brand and will remain so."
Aimed at the likes of the Mini, Smart claims the forfour overcomes its competitors faults; "impracticality and fashion sensitivity". We don't see it. With prices rising to €24,000 for the diesel model, it lacks some of the funk that justifies the extra premium.