5 Things I LOVE & HATE About My SMART ROADSTER

This week on Buckle Up, Jasper tells us all about his Smart Roadster and the five things he loves and hates about his car. Watch the video to see what they are, and let us know what you think down in the comments!
For a review of a Smart Roadster, see Harry's video: • Smart Roadster Review ...
-----------------------------------
BUY OUR MERCH: shop.spreadshirt.co.uk/buckle...
-----------------------------------
Support what we do, and get some bonuses too!
Patreon: / buckleup
-----------------------------------
Follow us on Social Media!
Facebook: / buckle.up.official.pro...
Twitter: / buckleup_show
Instagram: / buckleup_show
DRIVETRIBE: drivetribe.com/u/kslyuxmBu8ip...
Reddit: / buckleup_show
TikTok: vm.tiktok.com/ZMRy9erBk/
---------------------------------
#BuckleUp #SmartRoadster #5Things
---------------------------------
Buckle Up is a channel that is only interested in one thing - cars!
We upload a myriad of different content including car review videos, car challenge videos, car news videos and much, much more!
Our videos are made in a similar style to that of Top Gear, Fifth Gear, Car Throttle, Doug DeMuro, carwow, Carfection, The Grand Tour, MotorTrend and many more.
We would all thoroughly recommend their channels, so why not go and check them out.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:00 Love 1
1:22 Hate 1
2:03 Love 2
2:26 Hate 2
3:12 Love 3
3:40 Hate 3
4:26 Love 4
5:36 Hate 4
6:09 Hate 5
6:41 Love 5
7:54 But what about the GEARBOX???!!1!
8:46 A Conclusion?
9:11 Outro

[@SmartRacer]

Cheapest head-turner that you can buy and have fun with it.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Couldn’t agree more!

[@mdesign2339]

I have a smart roadster sitting in the drive. I've been wanting to sell it for the last 3 years, however, every time I get into it to prep it for sale I realise why I love it so much. Such a unique and fun car to drive. I always describe it as a go-kart like car on the road.

[@BuckleUpShow]

They are tremendous fun to drive!

[@andrewcambridge2831]

Brilliant little cars.

[@no3username4me]

Smart Roadster has been my dream-car since its introduction (my age of 15) and this summer, I had 3 of them at the same time. Roadster, Roadster Coupe and Roadster Brabus Xclusive (which I sold recently). I mostly agree with your love/hate points. A thing I'd add to be loved is the view from the car at the front bumper and the engine's vulnerability to short drives to be hated (despite it is based on a city-microcar). The interior of the Xclusive one was really very nice but I didn't like the leather seats and you would probably even hate them, as your small butt would keep sliding on it :) I probably have larger butt so have no problems with the cloth version of seats. A thing to be hated on the Xclusive model was its electric power steering. The steering wheel doesn't return after cornering and you lose a lot of feedback... One good advice: keep your tires at good condition. On my first roadster, I had tires of premium brand, but an old age (as the tires didn't have a chance to get worn out on such a lightweight car) and as the gearbox shifted on a wet road when turning, tires have slipped and I completely lost control of the car. In the following few seconds, I flew for a while, played a little of pinball between road barriers and the car was pretty much totalled.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thanks for watching Jakub, and I'm glad you were able to realise your dream of owning a Roadster! They certainly are fantastic little cars - and I know the Xclusive edition is very desireable. Yes, it is definitely important to ensure you have decent tires on something so light to enable you to use the full potential of its handling ability! Hope you continue to enjoy your remaining two Roadsters :D

[@MiguelRibera]

I have one from new. 18 years ago. What a great car! No leaks, no problems on mine!

[@BuckleUpShow]

You’ve definitely been very lucky then! Fantastic cars and I know why you’ve kept it all these years. Thanks for watching 😁

[@Sarll458]

The Sam unit failure is usually due to a bulkhead leak. That can be fixed via a quick modification and lots of sealant. The smart forums have lots of pictures to help

[@BuckleUpShow]

Indeed it can - it had already been slightly sealed before I bought mine, but I took it all apart and re-sealed it just to be sure!

[@paulnewton1410]

I really want one so thank you for the pointers, loves and hates 😎

[@BuckleUpShow]

No problem! Hope the video was useful!

[@sinjinsmythe1]

Love it Jasper, great review! 😍

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed 😁

[@danielgoncalves6386]

Great video! Congrats.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for commenting! 😅

[@nickatkinson6687]

Had my "notch" for a couple of years now and it's the best car I've owned (beating my previous love, a 1976 1275GT Mini). These are terrific value for money if you can find a good one and keep it well maintained. I mostly agree with your loves and hates but also with the comments that some of the hates are easily fixed. Two more hates to add: first is the laggy gearbox, which forces you to anticipate gear changes way ahead of what you'd have to do in just about any other car. Second is that over time the roof cloth slowly shrinks, making leaks more of a problem. Biggest love of all though is the smile it puts on my face every time I drive it! Get it remapped but don't swap the seats as they are integral to the car's structure (remember the engine is sitting just behind your head).

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thanks for watching

[@stuttgartclassics]

Nice video, great review of the cars strong points that's for sure 👌 of course I also have smart roadsters and I always aim to keep at least one of them at the ready for a Hills road driving session at a moments notice. The steering feel and feedback can very simply be enhanced on RHD versions by a simple mod I made a video about. Subsequently many people have now performed this 5 Min mod (totally reversible) and left very positive comments. I've owned and used roadsters since 2004 and don't imagine I'll be getting rid of any of mine any time soon. Awesome little toys 👍👍 cheers from Australia 🇦🇺

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thanks for watching, and glad you enjoyed!

[@michaellaba9553]

I have added a reversing camera in my Roadster. The small 3 x 4 screen is mounted where the CD disks were. It is hard wired and switch's on when reverse is selected. Camera is mounted below the number plate.

[@BuckleUpShow]

That's an excellent idea! Certainly improves rear visibility. Is the screen nicely integrated into the dashboard?

[@robdsn1]

I have a non-coupe Roadster currently. I previously owned a Coupe which I sold, and regretted it so much that after 3 years and some other more exotic cars I had to find another Roadster.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Hope you’re enjoying yours as much as me!

[@Nickoboss29]

Why?

[@chriscars_Bayern]

Der smart roadster ist das tollste Auto, das ich je besessen habe. Meinen smart (siehe Titelbild) fahre ich seit 19 Jahren fast problemlos, nur einmal war eine Lambdasonde defekt. Ja, der roadster ist etwas undicht, die ersten 10 Jahre hatte ich keine Undichtigkeit, danach ein wenig bei starkem Regen. Aber die Straßenlage ist unschlagbar, in all den Jahren hat mich über Landstr. nur ein Lotus und ein Audi TT überholt, die haben ein ähniches Konzept und mehr PS. Ich werde ab April wieder sehr viel Freude an meinem smart haben und wünsche Dir ebenso viel Freude mit Deinem roadster coupe.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Danke, dass Sie sich dieses Video angesehen haben

[@michaellaba9553]

I have just got my 2005 Roadster here in NZ on the road and I would have to agree with you on most points although I don't mind the size of the steering wheel.

[@BuckleUpShow]

If you watch any more of our videos you will quickly realise Jasper has very specific opinions on steering wheels

[@mattiadegregorio4447]

i've got one from 11 years and simply love it.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thanks for watching

[@robwalker9657]

Good video budd....the 5 things you dislike are fairly cheap and easily sorted out.....the worst part of owning a roadster is traffic.....you can't beat an evening drive on the open road :)

[@BuckleUpShow]

Haha so true!

[@SuperCreep666]

I have a remapped notch and I love it, no leaks so far.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Glad to hear you’re enjoying yours! Hopefully you won’t get any leaks!

[@resytechengineering753]

Love my Roadster coupe. its remapped, has better Sparco R100 seats, a big brake kit and the Bilstein B14 springs and dampers on it, and a non cat exhaust, wich is quite smelly, but sounds great.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thanks for watching

[@ishmael4489]

Fancy seeing you here, Jasper! I have a smart fortwo (don't laugh 😅) and was looking to replace it with an MX-5, but a roadster could be an alternative that'll leave me some money spare for a nice holiday, or two. But I'm really not keen on changing gears sequentially without a clutch, as you can chose to do in smarts, so I leave mine in auto mode. However, the trouble with that is that it revs far too high before shifting up a gear. The struggles. Perhaps I just need to try and get used to the manual mode in the smart 🤔.

[@BuckleUpShow]

If you can find one specified with the paddles it makes gear changes much better. Though part of the "experience"of driving a roadster is learning how to use the gearbox and anticipate changes ahead of when you want the gear.

[@chrispenn715]

I have the roadster (non-coupe) version, which I'm pleased with. I agree pretty much with your views - only difference is I'm a bit disappointed with the steering. It doesn't self centre, and feels rather lifeless. Otherwise a great little car and still good value.

[@no3username4me]

Remove the worm gear of the power steering and disable the power steering. It will start behaving properly. The electric power steering is just terrible here. It shouldn't be there in the first place

[@BuckleUpShow]

You might be able to adjust the castor angle to fix both problems

[@stevendonohue5519]

The leak through the door handle means the doors inner weather membrane (grey foam) has been cut to fix the inner door handle cable. Unfortunately whoever fixed it didn't tape up the cut sections - literally a few minutes work when the door skins off. Gaffa tape it back together to stop water getting to the inner handle (on the racked door design). Pop off the outer door skin (removing mirror, outer handle and trim parts) and fix the inner membrane means no leak through the handle. Simples

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thanks for the tip, Steven. Might give that a looking when I get some spare time.

[@vspadrver]

There are some known issues with the elektronics. Most SAM ( Fuses and Relais containing ECU) will stop working after some time because of weak soldering points inside the SAM on some soldered connecters. But this can be resoldered without any problems, you'll only need to remove and open the SAM. The folded PBS must be unfolded, the plastic spacer removed and the wrong solderings resoldered. (I fixed this at mine last year) Another thing can happend when the connection an the plugs are getting bad so they will warm up and disconnect themself. This can be found by looking an the connecters and replace it. This caused a faulty lamp at mine last month, fuse an bulb was fine. Fixed this yesterday. On another Roadster had a damaged CAN Bus Cable under the passenger floor mat. The insolation was rubbing against a metal screw so it chortcuts against chassi ground. Another undifined and hard to find problem. But the engine is suprisingly good, mine runs for 200.000km now without consuming any oil, most of the time chiptuned to 110hp 1,4 bar (82hp base engine) Regarding the chiptuning, 10 jears ago we analysed 5 diffent chiptunings for the roadster and none of them changed any at the gearbox timing, even when they claimed to do so. Even a microsecond analysis of the shifting process didn't show any differences. The Chiptuning was mainly done by raising the boost pressure. Afterwards some better tunings were developt by some of our group, i dont know if someone is still selling this development. You can do a little more, for example changing the max rpm or the rpm when the gears should change. But the small turbo and the injectors limits the max possible power. BTW: get some lowering springs for the car, even with the original weels it looks so much better when lowered by a few cm. When adding some spacers ( 15mm front, 25mm back) it realy looks like a badass gocart! The 82hp engine is better, it has better internal components, the brabus engine adds a better charge air cooler, but the normal 82hp engine with a propper chiptuning can be as good.

[@BuckleUpShow]

I know that my SAM has been resoldered in the past, the CAN Bus issue turned out to be a broken wire in the SAM to ECU wiring loom that has since been repaired. My version of the car has a sports pack, so it gets the leather interior, heated seats and had lower suspension from factory :)

[@vspadrver]

@@BuckleUpShow thats how my car looks ;-)

[@ToninoCandela]

Love mine, extremely underrated

[@BuckleUpShow]

It’s definitely a forgotten sports car. Glad you’re enjoying yours too!

[@bartoszuczak5730]

Great video!

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thanks Bartosz!

[@tiago-so4gk]

I had mine from 2003 till 2008. And i miss it a lot. Better car to drive.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thanks for watching!

[@arizona1281]

Drive like a motorcycle: shift down before the corner an keep throttle until you give full throttle after passing the corner. .

[@BuckleUpShow]

Indeed. Learning the gearbox means it's not a disadvantage, it can just never be a plus point of the car.

[@julesradford5452]

I have had three Roadsters. First...OMG the leaks. And the electrics. The second was better (a Finale.. regretted selling it) My current one is... drum roll... DRY!! Yes it's impractical, needs constant work, but there is nothing more fun to drive round the twisty country roads where I live.

[@BuckleUpShow]

They're excellent cars - I know why you put up with them leaking: the fun makes it worth it!

[@richardnewman8983]

Hi love the video I am just about to buy a 2007 smart roadster coupe finale edition has cruise control flappy paddle shifters push button start but has no mot and as it’s been stood a few years the alternator has seized up but I think it’s a bargain for the price I’ve paid for it.

[@kingoffifa]

did you give him the 1950 he was looking for? :)

[@BuckleUpShow]

I’m sure you’ll have it up and running in no time, Richard! Enjoy working on it!

[@bradador1]

I have a brabus roadster. I love it, need my sparkplugs changed though

[@bradador1]

My boot is smaller. Not sure what thats called tho

[@BuckleUpShow]

@@bradador1 Seems you have just a Smart Roadster, as opposed to the Smart Roadster Coupé I have. A lot of people call the standard model the “notch” or “notchback”! Thanks for watching and make sure the garage changes all 6 spark plugs when it gets serviced! 😆

[@limitlessstreets]

Cool Car, Love mine 2!

[@BuckleUpShow]

Glad you’re enjoying yours as much as me!

[@luthermccollum2478]

Very Nice!!

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed ☺️

[@jasearon4532]

I enjoy the video and I like your voice 😉👍

[@BuckleUpShow]

Thank you

[@jakebullet1731]

In what other car can you have a tankslapper on a roundabout. Any roundabout.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Always 😅

[@pdtech4524]

What's the difference between the roadster and coupe? I thought it was the glass rear but I've seen both rear styles called roadster and coupe? 🤔⚠️

[@BuckleUpShow]

It is the rear glass, roadster has the flat boot lid and coupe has the glass hatch back

[@pdtech4524]

@@BuckleUpShow That's what I thought the difference was but every video or ref to these cars keeps confusing this! The title of this video says it's a Roadster but clearly it has the glass hatchback so it's the coupe? Or am I still missing something?🤔

[@BuckleUpShow]

The name of the car is still Roadster. This is a Smart Roadster coupe

[@pdtech4524]

@@BuckleUpShow Ah OK, that explains my confusion, I presumed Roadster was one body style and coupe another. So they're all a Roadster but yours is the coupe with the glass hatchback.👍

[@BuckleUpShow]

You've got it!

[@SparkyRih]

Get a Brabus V6 wheel, it makes a huge difference

[@BuckleUpShow]

The Brabus V6 wheel is horrendously expensive for what it is. A similar size-reduction is possible for less money using the steering wheel from the second-generation ForTwo.

[@automobilesmonaco6884]

god i miss my old roadster, they are a proper pain in the arse to run (engine blew on mine) but what a fun car to drive. Time for Smart to get off their arses and do an EV version of it.

[@BuckleUpShow]

They are lovely

[@hospitalller]

Needs lowering, will change the looks 100%, a must do trust me

[@BuckleUpShow]

It's nice to be able to use roads with speed bumps

[@philthewriter]

It's a lot nicer with the steering wheel from a Smart 451.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Will have to check that out!

[@t_rex8767]

kinda want one, had a smart car fre years ago and it was fun and felt bigger inside than you would think, my biggest issue is getting on and off ferries, had a moment of bumping something going onto a ferry 2 days ago in my tesla, which is getting sold asap, hope this car has a better ground clearance than teslas :S

[@BuckleUpShow]

Make us an offer, Jasper may be willing to sell 👀

[@t_rex8767]

@@BuckleUpShow hehe theres one for sale already an hour away ;)

[@madcrokodile]

All things can be fixed. This isn't only car with cheap plastic interior and leaky rooftop. U can customize it all. But. U know. Even my grandma can shift fasta.

[@BuckleUpShow]

It's such a slow shift

[@mohammadbinbishr5167]

I'd like to own one

[@BuckleUpShow]

If you can find a good one that’s been well looked after, they’re definitely worth it!

[@jogonuk]

A year on, do you still own your Roadster then Jasper?

[@BuckleUpShow]

I do indeed, however I am contemplating selling it (and my Corsa!) and going back to owning a single car. Unfortunately for me and my use case, the Roadster is a little bit too compromised to be a daily driver, and as a result it doesn't get used as much as I'd like to use it.

[@arightpest3367]

Near Matlock.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Coming off as slightly creepy there

[@arightpest3367]

@@BuckleUpShow lol I just spent far to many years riding them roads and recognised the area And if recognising the area and pointing it out makes you think its creepy I think you need to move locations when filming or stop filming and putting it online. if your worried people might guess your filming locations time to stop. The intention was not to creep you out but to say hey your near Matlock you did drive through the place and passed the old riber castle road anybody that been to Matlock will know. Or another comment from you like (yep great area great roads) not a paranoid comment like you left. Rant over and you will be pleased to know I won’t bother watching your ramblings in the future. All the best arightpest

[@BuckleUpShow]

No it's not creepy to recognise an area, or to mention it in the comments. But generally other people who have give some context like you have done in your reply. Just saying a location with a full stop after feels less like "hey cool location, I know there/like those roads too" and more like "I'm homing in on you" My intention was never to out you off watching our videos, my apologies. If you want some more of Derbyshire in the background check out our Land Rover Defender, Peugeot 508, Mazda MX-5 NA or Vauxhall Corsa reviews.

[@elitesennabubble]

the gearbox is a bit pants they should have put a manual in it

[@BuckleUpShow]

It will never be as good as a manual, but it actually forces you to become a better driver and read the road ahead in terms of what gear you're going to need. It's also compact and realtively well suited to urban driving, which is what the Roadster was originally advertised for.

[@elitesennabubble]

@@BuckleUpShow Personally I think the renault twingo3 /modern forfour is better as it has a rear engine turbo 3 cylinder and is practical to own and has a manual gearbox

[@gabrielsansar6187]

thought Sam Pepper got banned from the internet

[@BuckleUpShow]

I'm just going to pretend you never made that comparison.

[@gabrielsansar6187]

@@BuckleUpShow ur right... not like you look talk and walk like him...

[@BuckleUpShow]

Don't think I do

[@LatelierMD]

No leaks, no electronic defaults, no speed issues, no noise problem on my 2003 Smart Roadster. You just don't know how to get your Smart Roadster functional.

[@BuckleUpShow]

Ah yes, we’re big fat liars because you, one person, have a different experience. Seriously? Listen to yourself 😂

[@LatelierMD]

@@BuckleUpShow Sure, I have a different experience with my Smart Club because we learnt together what the car is, and how to get the car better. It has been made by Mercedes-Benz (It's written on the engine) in France, and still has the third best engine performance in the world after the Mercedes-Benz A-Class 45 AMG and the Alfa Romeo 4C with 117ch per liter. You have any leak problems? Put silicone spray on the roof joints. Do you think the gearbox is slow? Anticipate gear changes. Do you have SAM box problems? Secure the SAM box which is below a wiper seal. This car has only had 3 build years, is more than 15 years old and it is still whole and strong.

[@BuckleUpShow]

I’m afraid making the argument to rebuild the car is not as good as it sounds in your head. If there were no issues, then there would be no need to bring them up. You must accept that there are problems with the car. Surely, you know it’s not perfect. I also like the fact you bring up things that haven’t even been contested. Desperately trying to prove the car is wonderful

[@LatelierMD]

@@BuckleUpShow I understand the purpose of the video, but that's not the point. You talk about it as it was a Clio, as a insignifiant car but it's not. Making a small two-seater car so spacious, comfortable and equipped with this look is a real difficult thing. I have a Vauxhall VX220 too but I can't sell this car. These problems are minor and easy to fix, compared to an Elise or VX220 which has very big problems.

[@BuckleUpShow]

That’s actually very funny because another presenter on the channel has a Lotus Elise and it’s had one minor issue in three years. The Smart’s latest issue is the roof has decided it doesn’t want to work anymore.

[@gabrielsansar6187]

there are soo many contradictions int his video i have a migraine.... `if you drive it like a manual not an automatic which it isn`t`.........OKAAAAAY THEEEEEN.........`the steering wheels too big the steering wheels too big`..........NO IT ISN`T !!!!...........`you have to turn the steering wheel way too much because it`s too big...the steering ratio is excellent`. WHICH IS IT !!!!! ?????????????????????????????????????????

[@BuckleUpShow]

Hey Gabriel, I'll get online dictionaries to update the definition of "many" to be "two" as that's how many points you're able to give as an example. The car has an automated sequential manual gearbox. It is not an automatic, just a semi-auto - hence my saying that it isn't an automatic gearbox. Also steering ratio does not equal steering wheel size. Ratio refers to how many turns of the steering wheel it takes to change the angle of the wheels a given amount, whereas the size of the wheel has an influence on how much you physically have to move to achieve the turn. The speed with which the steering angle changes is excellent, the size of the wheel means you have a large amount of movement required to rotate the wheel by, say, 90 degrees.

[@gabrielsansar6187]

@@BuckleUpShow you just did it again

[@BuckleUpShow]

So did you 😘

[@perineum8685]

Definitely A Bottom

[@BuckleUpShow]

Power bottom

[@perineum8685]

@@BuckleUpShow I new it J arse per