The second generation smart forfour (W453) was jointly developed with Renault, sharing around 70% of its parts with the new Twingo. Coming back to the new smart forfour, it's worth noting that the city car keeps the Tridion steel safety cell while embracing a new double-clutch automatic gearbox which replaces the frequently criticized Getrag automated manual. A wider track & body plus a better ride and noise seclusion are some of the new selling points brought forward by the new smart forfour.
PROS & CONS
Pros
Strong Points
- Spacious For Its Size
- Highly Maneuverable
- Efficient Gasoline Engines
- Reasonably Practical
Recommended Versions
- Go For The Versatile 0.9-Liter Version
- Both The Manual And The Automatic Offer Good Performance
- Both The Manual And The Automatic Offer Good Performance
Cons
Weak Points
- Expensive Maintenance
- Underpowered 1.0-Liter Engine
- High Price Tag
- The Engines Are Generally Noisy
Stay Away From
- Avoid 1.0-Liter Models
Attention
Known Problems & Recalls
- – Customers Have Been So Far Satisfied With The New Smart Forfour In Terms Of Reliability, With Most Of Them Praising The City Car’s Engine Behavior
- – However, Some Owners Reported Alloy Wheels Corrosion (Don’t Worry, Smart Offers A 12-Year Corrosion Warranty) And A Poor Fitting Of The Rear Quarter Light Glass
- – It’s Also Worth Noting That Since Renault Contributed With Most Of The Bits And Bobs, Reliability Should Be Above Average Especially Since The French Have Been Revising Their Reliability Credentials In Recent Years
CAR DETAILS
Drive
Powertrain
The smart forfour is available with two engine options: a 1.0-liter three-cylinder unit good for 71 hp and 91 Nm of torque complemented by a 0.9-liter turbo mill producing 90 hp and 135 Nm of torque.
The latter is the one you want, mostly because the former feels underpowered which cuts off smoothness and comfort. Fuel economy is also better for the turbo unit, but we’ll detail this in the Efficiency section.
As long as you’re at peace with noisiness, the 0.9-liter engine proves a good companion around the city, when you need to make a quick overtake or just speed up to keep the pace with the traffic flow.
Handling
There’s hard to find a car that handles better than a smart in crowded urban panoramas, and the new forfour makes no exception. Although not quite as skilled as the fortwo when it comes to turning circle, the car is still unbeatable in tight parking lots and narrow streets.
But there are also some drawbacks: the steering is vague, and body roll is pretty pronounced in corners while higher speeds bring plenty of wind noise. It’s definitely not a car for A-roads or highways, yet you can’t deny it the urban crown.
Safety
Four stars were awarded to the smart forfour by Euro NCAP after putting it to their crash testing routine. Not a bad performance, but that could have been improved with more assistance systems for the driver. Adult occupant protection rating stands at 78%, child occupant protection was evaluated at 77% while safety assist falls behind at only 56%.
This doesn’t mean the forfour is not safe enough. Every car features five front airbags (yet none at the back) and gizmos like lane keep assist, crosswind assist, cruise control, hill assist and parking sensors (with the Premium pack) along with a rear-view camera (on the Premium Plus pack).
Interior
Comfort
Getting behind the wheel of the new smart forfour is both a pleasant and a less polished experience. For example, the seats, although comfortable enough, could have been imbued with more lateral support and the steering column can only be height adjusted if you tick the right box in the optional equipment list.
The pedals are nicely aligned and despite the lack of lateral support, it’s easy to find a comfy driving position. There’s proper visibility in front of the car, but that only gets worse if you’re trying to know what’s happening behind the car.
Every button and switch lies within effortlessly reach and passenger-wise, four adults will fit in nicely inside the forfour’s cabin as shoulder room went up along with the car’s width increase. Engine noise might interfere every now and then while wind noise is a presence only at high speeds, but otherwise, the smart forfour stands out as a silent and smooth-running car.
Quality
Expect a lot of Renault-flavored bits and bobs here, identical to those found on the Renault Clio, for example. However, the flashy character of the car is underscored by glossy plastic inserts which look and feel good. There’s a fair share of scratchy plastics spread across the cabin but nothing too annoying. Also, we couldn’t spot any squeaky plastics, although as mentioned before, engineers could have better insulated the car.
Practicality
Since space is a rare commodity in a city car like smart, its creators had to come up with a few tricks in order to make up best possible out of this. While the trunk’s volume stands at 185 liters – more than the Toyota Aygo (168 liters), same as the Fiat 500 (185 liters) and less than the Volkswagen up! (251 liters) – it opens wide, and since there’s basically no loading lip standing in your way, loading and unloading are an easy task. The rear doors open at 85 degrees and the back seats can be folded in a 50/50 split to supplement the shy cargo space for an extended volume of 975 liters.
Infotainment
Every smart forfour comes with a basic infotainment system relying on the 3.5-inch screen with steering-wheel controls. However, you can improve that experience with more money by taking the Premium pack and its 7.0-inch infotainment display with MirrorLink. This fitting changes the user-car interaction completely due to sharp, glitch-free graphics and clean, easy-to-read menus.
Budget
Efficiency
The 1.0-liter three-cylinder unit returns 67.3 mpg (3.5 l/100 km), but that’s on paper while real-life tells us the forfour fitted with this engine will come with a more down-to-earth fuel consumption average of 50 mpg (4.7 l/100 km).
As far as the 0.9-liter turbo mill is concerned, expect a less efficient ego but not by too much. The smaller engine will still return around 40 mpg (5.8 l/100 km), a decent value that shouldn’t harm your wallet in the long run.
Equipment
Four trim levels are available, namely Passion, Prime and Proxy plus the Edition #1. They all bring something new to the table, but this is the hardware you’ll find on every smart forfour: 15-inch alloy rims, auto climate control, a multifunction steering wheel wrapped in leather and the 3.5-inch infotainment system display. Prime ups the ante with a panoramic fabric roof, fancier 15-inch wheels and heated front seats, but it also offers safety features like lane-keeping assist and cruise control.
Go for Proxy and you’ll get a white and blue theme inside the cabin accompanied by a sportier touch courtesy of the 16-inch black alloy rims, a sports suspension, a chrome-decorated exhaust pipe and alloy pedals. The icing on the cake comes with the smart forfour Edition #1 which includes the otherwise optional Sport, Comfort, Premium and Premium Plus packages.
Acquisition
The smart forfour can be seen as the best compromise between small size for city strolling and a decent amount of space with a reasonable dose of practicality. However, there are cheaper options out there, especially if we look at the new Renault Twingo – which is practically the same car, sans the poshness. Also, keep in mind that the car's depreciation rate is rather steep and if you're looking to buy used, prepare to scan for scratches and dents at bodywork and wheel level.