Real (Smol) Road Test: 2007 Smart Fortwo W451 Passion - Gearbox though?

Is it possible to review a Smart without going on and on about the gearbox? No... Remarkably, it's 24 years since the Smart first wowed the world with its tiny dimensions - half a metre shorter than the original Mini. Which means people have been complaining about 'that' automated manual gearbox for almost quarter of a century! So, did they manage to make things better with the second-generation model or is it the same old story? Contains much three-cylinder engine noise.
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[@grahamforbes3243]

SMART stood for ‘Swatch Mercedes Art’ and the logo on the bonnet and steering wheel was meant to convey ‘ Forward thinking concept’. I was a Smart salesman for a few years in the mid noughties and they sold quite well although reliability was a bit iffy, especially the electrics and of course the gearbox wasn’t the best …….🤷‍♂️!

[@DavidDavid-kl4ru]

We're they sold through MB dealerships mate? And if so how do you reckon they impacted on Merc brand image? Just out of interest

[@HubNut]

Initially, there were independent Smart dealers, but they soon switched to selling them in existing Merc dealers instead.

[@andrewstones2921]

@@DavidDavid-kl4ru they still are sold by Mercedes dealers. They are, in my opinion, good cars. I’ve owned two of them. The 6 speed sequential gearbox takes a bit of getting used to and is terrible in auto mode, but when used as a semi automatic and with some practice it’s actually good. They are a bit “different” and they need a bit of time to get used to their quirkiness. The later of the first generation in a cabriolet was best. The Brabus has an oil cooler which massively reduced engine wear, it’s a fairly simple retrofit to add oil cooler…

[@Rose-mn7sz]

Nice car.

[@YUMAToff]

Yeah boy, smart salesman 🤣

[@StreakyP]

so refreshing to see a speedo that shows a realistic range (with good spacing) rather than implying it can do 180mph but is impossible to differentiate between 20 & 40 as everything is so cramped.

[@andrewriley1664]

My daughter had one of these…she loved it and so did I when I drove it around. She lives in a city so it was perfect for blatting about…like a go kart

[@twogoonsonanadventure]

Had a Smart Roadster Coupé for a couple of years and absolutely loved it, we went everywhere in it! Loved the little churrup from the turbo every time I changed gears and it didn’t hang around! The gearbox was easy to get used to and an absolute hoot once you did. The glass boot lid on the coupé made it really practical too, we stuffed loads in when we went on holiday. It never put a foot wrong either until towards the end when we had issues with the water pump. Miss that car. 😃

[@alexandertodd4347]

I ran one of these for 3 years from brand new, my only ever brand new car. A superb little car, did 30,000 miles with only a couple of electrical niggles. Mine was the 74bhp non-turbo and it was really nippy. Super thing. And you could get a red or a tan interior on this gen - which made a huge difference

[@JorgeFernandez-uc9qb]

I had wanted to try one of these out and now I have. Thanks! They don't seem so bad at all. Thanks for your thorough driver reviews. They are informative and entertaining.

[@autoknight747]

Great video. These are fascinating little cars. I’ve owned so many that I do sometimes worry that I may be obsessed with them!

[@stealthkiwi1869]

Here from New Zealand, love your work Hub nut, just a joy to watch your videos, keep up the great work love from Kiwi's.

[@thomasfrancis5747]

IIRC Fifth Gear did a crash test on a first generation Smart which proved remarkably tough. I quite like the original For Four which seems quite practical with some funky colours and design. Be interesting to see what you would make of a Toyota iQ.

[@TheFlyingBusman]

Good to see a 451 make its way onto the channel. We have a 451 MHD, which whilst not without its quirks and foibles is a genuinely fun little car. They come on cam at 4K quite noticeably but indeed the gearbox is a bit ponderous but after driving coaches with the marvellous ZF AStronic gearbox, the shifts seem lightning fast. The zero road tax appeals and practicality wise I’ve had two stacking tool boxes in there and even a full size mountain bike. Handling, whilst a tad fidgety is quite tidy once you’ve acclimatised to it. Ours will be staying with us for some time to come as it’s such a great little town car.

[@derek-press]

got our youngest one after she passed her test (manual test) this was back in 2014, straight away she loved it and she still has it,I drove it many a time on a quick shopping trip too, and like you say after five minutes you just get used to it and let it do its thing,we had one problem a few years ago where you could smell "burning" oil coming from the back but it got sorted out it's a great little city car but she does ,when visiting us do a lot of motor way and it is good to go

[@chiquita71]

I loved the auto mode on mine , you got used to what the gearbox was up to and learned to interpret its moves.

[@twocvbloke]

I remember first seeing these, and I often thought that if they braked too hard, they'd roll over like MasterMilo's Rollgolf, but I guess the engine in the back end as ballast kind of negates that effect, that and of course brakes that are actually set up properly... :P

[@eeclass20]

I look forward to you getting hold of a first generation Renault Twingo, I much more usuable genuine small family city car. Interestingly the current gen Twingo is a joint venture with Smart.

[@stevenlawrie7819]

I had a first gen Twingo for 16 years and 400,000km brilliant car.

[@anthonystevens8683]

Nice one Ian, I quite like the Smart cars, cute and surprisingly quite fast. There used to be one on my daily commute on the M4 back in the day that used to blast by me at 80+ or there about. If I had the space I could be tempted to get one for a local runabout but can't really justify it as most of my journeys are not that local. We shall see. One small correction as a few others mention on the intro, it wasn't the Smart Watch, it was the Swatch brand who if I recall correctly offered all sorts of options for different panel colours (like the Swiss plastic watches) on the 1st generation, of course I could be talking a large can of expired pilchards here. Thanks for sharing. Interestingly that low cost Swiss plastic watch company payed a huge part in rescuing some of the old mechanical Swiss watch brands when quartz was killing them off during the 70' and 80's including brands like Omega and Tissot so well done Swatch. It's great to see mechanical timekeeping continuing without a volt and a pile of dud batteries in sight. Nothing wrong at all with spark powered quartz though.

[@olik136]

unless it is the Brabus version- it goes exactly 80mph / 130kmh

[@neodonkey]

@@olik136 A friend of mine claimed that he was overtaken by one on the Autobahn while he was doing 130mph in a SEAT. God knows what had been done to it!

[@tonylitherland7830]

Good review Ian, wife had a 450 pure and is now on a 2014 grandstyle cabrio turbo, having the clutch electronically set every year helps a lot with smoothness of gear change all the smarts I've worked on were usually out but owners blamed the gearbox.

[@tauncfester3022]

I believe the clutch on this car is a development of the old FichtelSachs SaxoMatic found on the Automatic VW Beetles.

[@thisiszaphod]

Enjoyed this. Now for a ForFour review - we had the pulse for many years, until my late-wife had a mid-life crisis, and bought a Mini Convertible - dare I say Brabus?

[@JonByrne]

We loved our Forfour, the gearbox did take some getting used too, especially on approach to roundabouts. We had the roof bars on ours and went camping all over with a big bag on the roof.

[@aston-martin-internationalist]

The Smart ForTwo often got laughed at, but I think it's a wonderful example of great packaging coupled with neat styling, even the original (which is actually my preferred shape) still looks fresh and modern. I think they're great little cars. The current generation however doesn't look anywhere near as nice as this model and the original.

[@Digitalpiracy]

We have one of these, a 2007 1.0 3cyl, on my household fleet - my wife's owned it since new. Great fun to drive, terrible to service. Shockingly, Mercedes Colindale charged for the long life Iridium plugs on the last service before we moved in together and fitted the cheap ones instead - since which point I service it.... (aargh)

[@nickwebb9290]

We still have our 2002 smart, bought new in that year. Think it was a Mk.6 (?) peanut headlights, bigger fuel tank. It’s been a real gem. Had it modded to match the Brabus bhp, mapped with bigger Roadster turbo, after market air induction, uprated brakes and suspension, also wider wheels which really improved handling and driving in windy weather.It’s really fun to drive and keeps up with traffic very well. We’ll keep it until it drops Having driven several newer smart 4-2’s they have made a smoother more grown up car for sure although I do love the originals. Great review 👍

[@TheGourmetSnapper]

I've been a fan of, and owner of the smart for over 20 years now. They're fun, quirky and different.

[@WWarped1]

Great vid, and what's not to like? It takes some getting used to as you say, but surely something so different is loveable? Personally, the Roadster is loads of fun.

[@daveyacarter]

I had a Brabus Roadster Coupe in 2006/7 and it was without a doubt a total hoot to drive. I had it remapped and it was amazing and the gearbox, whilst god awful initially, eventually got to be something I could live with and it's all abiut rev-matching and anticipation. Great review. I now want a Smart again, to save on the fuel I am using in my German diesel eurobox. Good Times Ian. Great video.

[@fsodn]

I have to get back to work, but up to 11:22 I think your review is quite reasonable. I've never owned one, but I spent a good chunk of time driving them via car2go (while they were in the US). That was an amazing thing to have when going to cities for conferences if it was a cart2go city. You can get it to shift almost sensibly if you accelerate to where the change should be, drop off the gas, and shift via the paddle shifter at the same moment. It almost shifts like a sensible car. It really was a nice car. I did some serious highway miles in one a few times, and it acted great, even in tremedous rain. Thanks for the video. Keep up the good work!

[@peterbell6425]

Thanks Ian very interesting. It was the fact it had an AMT gearbox that peaked my interest. Having just taken a test drive in a 2022 KIA Picanto with an identical setup I must say thing must have improved over the years as the gear changes on the car I tested were on par with a normal automatic gearbox, very smooth both going up and down the gears.

[@TheLeylander]

I have a first generation 450 fortwo , and I love it , 700cc engine mapped a little for a bit of extra torque . It's very nippy and I do feel the turbo kicking in on acceleration , gear change isn't a problem for me as I don't race it or accelerate hard .This isn't a sports car but a city car , that's why you found the gear change a problem under hard acceleration , I'm used to mine changing gear I just ease of the accelerator when in between gears in automatic mode , and I'm now 56yrs of age not far claiming my pension lol. I've had over 60 cars in my time from sports cars to SUV,s and I have to say this is the best one I've ever owned .

[@chrispenn715]

Hi Ian. If you fancy testing a Smart Roadster Coupe, let me know - I'm in South Wales.... the gearbox is poor in auto mode but I use it as a sequential manual and it can be quite satisfying when you get it right.....especially with the little turbo chirps

[@ferrumignis]

My wife has a Roadster Coupe, bought it cheap due to very rattly timing chain and fully rebuilt the engine just to make sure it would be reliable. It's so much fun to drive, I steal it for my 30mile commute though B roads whenever I can. I actually love the gearbox, once you learn how to use it effectively the changes are really quite fast but I can absolutely see why someone just trying one for the first time would think it was terrible.

[@HubNut]

Cheers. [e-mail] - saw a red one on the M4 today!

[@brianjthomson17]

I drove a smart four four and loved it Ive never had a car that made me smile so much it was like it wanted to be a race car always wanted one since

[@xxrs2009]

I like the Smart, especially the mk1 from arround 2000. It's such an icon of it's time. Most of them where used up and thrown away, too bad of the quality issues.

[@procta2343]

yeah the engines i think were dead at 50k, my mates hung on to 70k, it was practically an oil burner.

[@tobymcnicol922]

Mines done 85k and doesn't use a drop...... for now! Does need the cam chain doing though....

[@daniellee9015]

Brilliant video Ian 👍what a lovely little car I bet its amazing on fuel

[@paulsheehan2998]

Absolutely beautiful transition into the t-shirt plug.

[@Spheredalai]

AAAAAAAA you won't believe how much this video contributes to my sudden urge to own a smart fortwo now, this seems like a very very sensible car to own in this day and age

[@martinburgess4814]

I have seen some realy modified and custom Smarts.All the best to you all.

[@marccelik]

Hi Ian, I always loved small cars - especially when the smart-car was announced I was really excited to see the real car. After reading several tests I lost my interest because all of them were negative especially about the gearbox. In 2006 I was given a smart Fortwo 99 Pure model for a week so that I can test drive it and purchase it if I like. It was my first car with ABS, some sort of ESP (Trust+), automatic gearchange, RC-central locking, 6 speed gearbox and functioning electric windows. I loved it for its quirkiness, with its leaf spring in the front and only 45 HP it drove like a mixture of a VW beetle and the original mini with a pinch of Renault Espace feeling from the far away front window. After a crash it was totaled, and I bought a 2007 Turbo (2. gen) convertible - which I still drive today. After lowering the springs and remapping the engine- and gearbox-ECU it transforms to a totally different car - something like a go-cart for street use. I love to drive it, the original engine- and gearbox-mapping is crap to keep the distance to the BRABUS model, which is basically the same car with shorter first an 5th gear and better engine and gearbox mapping. The driven model is like mine, very short power band and slower gearchanges at higher rpm due to the limitations in the mapping. Around 4500 rpm the engine begins to lose power, were the remapped version likes to rev up to 6500 rpm very happily - I would be pleased if you could drive a modified smart turbo (2. gen) one day, just for the comparison. Thank you for your outstanding work - I looking forward to see much more new content from you and your gorgeous family. Cheers Marc

[@amiadventures1544]

My first ever brand new car a 451 Pure 61bhp. An absolute rocket (not), but for £6400 OTR it was a well built little car.

[@tommyolsen8224]

We have one first gen facelift cabrio from 2004 , and a 2019 EQ Fortwo cabrio 😍 Great cars!!

[@darrenmcgrogan8843]

i deliver takeaways on the weekends. the fast food restaurant i deliver for has 3 Smart Fortwo’s . two Passion trim models, one without power steering & one with red interior & cruise control. the third Smart that i use to drive was a special edition, can’t remember the trim but it had black surround headlights & LED DRL’s as well as a Pioneer stereo. i’ve driven all three and have to say i enjoy driving them. the special edition goes like the clappers, it left many cars that would usually destroy it in the rear view. great little cars, cheap on fuel, usually cheap to insure but be careful, they would easily get written off by a ‘Karen’ with her shopping trolley.

[@andyworsley3908]

I used to work for an automotive consultancy and one of the projects I worked on was to evaluate the smart gearbox. To do this I had to drive the car around a test track and datalog the CAN messages. I was shocked to see that it took 2 whole seconds for each gear change. It explains why the base model, with a 55hp engine and 700kg weight, did 0-60 in about 17 seconds, where the Daihatsu Charade (Yes, Chemmy) also had about 50hp and 700kg weight but it would do 0-60 in 12 seconds. Plus the Charade had 4 seats and was several thousand pounds cheaper, I couldn't see why you would buy a smart.

[@1marcelfilms]

You could buy a daewoo matiz and it would be infinitely more practical and way cheaper

[@itstheterranaut]

I might have posted this before, but I imported a Gen 1 from Holland in '99 and did some mild conversion work to make it fully UK compliant. Little things like reversing some rear lamp positions and making a speedo index that had MPH as the major index. It was a black Passion and was far nippier than anticipated. There were very few in the UK at that point and other owners would point and wave :) they were very disarming to drive and you'd get waved out at junctions etc and lots of smiles. Averaged about 48mpg or so, even though I used to thrash it. For its first service, I took it on a road trip to Strasbourg as MB UK couldn't service it. But they took an interest, and arranged sessions with UK owners to ask about our experience. Some of what we said made it into the UK releases- eg, the improved gear changing. Yes, the UK release versions gear change was better than the one I had, go figure. I suggested a gear change hold button, but that never made it in- but would have averted the 'no power' issue that would sometimes plague changes after coasting in a gear down to big interchanges, etc. A CVT would have made more sense IMO. It was reliable and fun but handling wasn't great- those intentionally narrower front tyres did affect ride comfort, and it had the short-car choppiness you'd expect. Oh and the passenger seat didn't fold down, the sunvisors rattled....etc. But we had fun together.

[@mrbenn747]

An interesting review. I’ve owned 450 (2002) and 451 (2010) models over quite a considerable period. These are not cars you can simply jump into and get the best from. You need to learn what they’re going to do in a given situation and get used to their foibles, then engage with them effectively. They are characterful and fun little cars, though not without their limitations. The cramped engine bays can throw up servicing challenges but overall they are wonderful cars. This opinion is based on a number of years of ownership.

[@johnwinters4201]

I had one of the previous generation (700 cc, not 600 cc) and never had much of an issue with the gearbox. There were only two gotchas: 1) If you slow down without changing gear manually then it will do it for you automatically (even without having the automatic mode). If it decided to do it just as you decided to do it too, then it would change down two gears ending up in one too low. It was a stupid bit of design, but you learned to avoid it. 2) On a similar front, if you were letting it choose when to change down and then it changed down just as you wanted to hit the throttle and accelerate away then there could be a long period of dithering whilst it decided what gear to be in. Apart from that the gearbox really couldn't ever be described as slow. I understand the earlier 600 cc ones were worse, but mine changed gear upwards at about the same speed as a normal driver would do it in a normal manual. Not a racing change, but then it's not a racing car. You could get very satisfactory performance by flooring the throttle and just flicking the gear change to change up without lifting your foot.

[@ferrumignis]

Absolutely agree, there is really nothing wrong with the gearbox once you learn how to use it effectively. It can feel very slow if you leave it to it's own devices so best not to. Get in the correct gear when approaching roundabouts etc. so it's ready to go as that's about the worst time for it to change gear by itself. Used properly (with the clutch correctly calibrated) it's at least as fast and usually faster than a manual change.

[@frustratedhomebuyer]

Hi Ian, just watched your video because I test drove a Passion turbo yesterday, 2010 model, with the optional flappy paddle steering wheel, so very similar to the one you had. I was very impressed I have to say with the car whilst on the dual carriageway, it was more than happy to cruise along at 70 and picked up very well when overtaking. In fact I'd go so far as to say it was a really fun and engaging drive. Slightly different in town driving though, the gearbox was OK once you got used to it and anticipated the gear changes, it didn’t have PAS but did feel a tad heavy steering it (it had the optional wider wheels/tyres), but the main problem I had with it was the brake pedal. I know it’s hinged at the floor, but it did seem to need quite an effort to press it, to the point where the relaxed driving through town you’d expect from an auto was a bit of a pain, it was like having to push down a heavy clutch pedal every time you needed to slow down. I therefore thought I’d ask (plus anyone else reading the comments) whether you found the one you drove the same, the fact that you didn’t mention it in the test drive suggests to me that it may just have been an issue with the one I drove yesterday. I’m hoping so because I’m set on a Smart but couldn’t live with a heavy brake pedal if that’s the norm. Cheers, Chris.

[@TheDeise13]

Hi, I have a 2010 passion turbo and the brakes are light to press. Despite the drums on the back are really good. They can be a bit grabby when you first press them if they are wet. But overall the brakes are excellent. I would look for a vacuum leak, worn disks or pads, or possibly air in the brakelines. Test drive another one to get a feel of how they perform normally.

[@andrew1479]

We drove from London to Zakopane in Poland in one of these. It was brilliant! We bought two from new in a row we loved them so much! Then we had kids :(

[@misterthegeoff9767]

The way I learned to live with the gearbox on my Smart Roadster was to get the engine remapped for more torque (and 108bhp) so I didn't have to downshift so often when overtaking. This was done by boosting to 1.5 bar and making the boost come on way earlier than the 3000rpm from the factory setup. Other than that it would be anticipating gearchanges. The silver lining of dealing with the slow actuator was when I got my Peugeot partner the gearbox in that seems slick as anything despite a lot of drivers hating it because no matter how slow a gearchange is in the Pug, it will never be as slow as 3rd to 4th on a first generation Smart.

[@3rdworldgarage450]

I always wanted to experience one, but never did. I thought about buying one as a cheap beater, but they aren't cheap to buy (in the US) and the cost of parts, repairs and it's thirst for premium gas meant I never would. In the US, the MPG figures were good, but not good enough to choose it over a Nissan Versa or Toyota Yaris. By the time you bought the premium gas, it actually cost more in fuel than those two, and in a less practical package. I drove an old Geo Metro with a 3 pot and 5 speed instead. It was later replaced with a Toyota Prius C. Both were far cheaper to run than the Mercedes Smart.

[@cardiffgiant9406]

We had one as a company car at a Motor factors. Was a lot of fun! Except in windy conditions it was all over the place.

[@pactrarc]

Had a Smart 451 for years. love it. You for got to mention the storage compartment in the rear tailgate and netted pockets behind the seats. The only downside is Mercedes prices for parts. Also SMART stood for Swatch Mercedes Art.

[@animationcreations42]

Parts really aren't that bad if you buy them from the dealer, most of the time they've been cheaper than buying them from a local parts place, or EuroCarParts even with their DFS like sales! Mercedes of Newcastle (my local dealer) has an ebay store where the parts are reasonably priced as well.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

3 Cylinder ftw, makes a great noise but shame about the gearbox. Excellent review as always Ian.

[@christineayres7199]

Im confused how its slower than a 1.1 colt when apparently it has same engine with a small turbo ? but top speed is 90mph where as the colt i have with a naturally aspirated engine will do 120mph verifeid on GPS on a downhill M40 at 3am LOL

[@dlittlester]

We had a slightly used first generation on the parking lot of a dealership I used to work at. The sales manager saw me out there looking at it, and offered it to me for a long weekend. It was a diesel 800cc, and I was impressed. By the time I took it back, I had the shifting down by using the throttle. That "C" on the steering wheel means "Compact" and the arrow means "Forward Thinking". The name Smart, I'm told, is from Swatch, Mercedes, and Art. The first ones , if you had to replace a headlight bulb, the whole front plastic panel had to come off, and it was held on by a series of hidden clips.

[@philipbrown4602]

I get a week's shop in mine, both in the first gen and now my 3rd gen electric one.

[@stevenlawrie7819]

I have had a 451 mhd and a 453 both non turbo. Kept the 451 in auto was great, then 453 twinmatic brilliant car.

[@tony-yp6qk]

Love these little cars but I don't think you will be doing a rear seat test another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts 👍

[@IngramCars]

I have a Smart Roadster Coupe Brabus tucked away in my garage, and in the showroom have a new style Renault Twingo. If only I knew you were in Sussex recently you would have been welcome to have a go!

[@devilman1976]

My dad has a diesel version that does about 80-90 to the gallon. It's great fun to drive round town. What I will say about the steering is that the more lock you put on the heavier it gets, presumably to stop you whacking all the lock on and rolling it over...

[@andrewhaines3259]

My brother still has his for four. Had it for quite a few years now. Bloody expensive to repair/service and he had an absolute nightmare getting a replacement windscreen supplied and fitted!

[@martinneumann7783]

When I was looking for a car over two years ago the Smart was also on my shopping list. Besides Toyota Yaris, Renault Twingo (1st gen.), Mitsubishi Colt etc. Luckily I found my red C1. I'm happy that I did find her... 😊

[@julienbee3467]

C1 and 107 are still everywhere

[@juliecotton7305]

I have a smart passion 451 MHD 2014 had it a year now and love it gears are ok as long as you drive it right been miles in mine including the motorway my dashboard is red

[@willlowe607]

We have a 3rd Gen Passion on a 18 plate. The further collaboration with Renault is a vast improvement not least with the auto gear box. The amazing turning circle always raises a smile.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Oh, I’d love to see you try an electric one of these. No 3-cyl noises, but far better roundabout experience I bet!

[@CaptHollister]

In 1999 I was visiting relatives in italy. During that trip I got to drive a cousin's Daewoo Matiz and another cousin offered me the keys to her Smart. The Matiz (no offense) was pretty terrible: small on the outside and tiny on the inside. It just didn't fit my North American frame. The Smart however was great. For starters, it was unexpectedly roomy. The location of the ignition was not a problem because I owned a SAAB at the time, even the gearbox didn't seem as bad as I had read, but what *was* disconcerting was the non-returning steering. When Smart finally came to Canada, I used to work around the corner from a large Mercedes dealership. That summer, they had quite an amusing display: they parked a Maybach on their front lawn with 3 Smarts parked end to end alongside it. A clever way of displaying the size of each.

[@davefrench3608]

Never known quite to make of the Smart car, it actually sounds really rather good

[@procta2343]

modern mini think of it that way

[@bentullett6068]

When they brought the first gen Smart cars out I remember the dealerships used to put them inside supermarket entrances. The one I vividly remember was inside the Safeway/Morrisons in Solihull. I think they also did it with this model as they could easily drive these through the front doors. I doubt they can do that now as they have updated the entrance to one way in one way out. The full electric versions are seen in German cities like Stuttgart as the car equivalent of a app hire E-Scooter or bike.

[@andrewentwistle515]

I always thought that the Smart 4:2 was a bit of an oddity until I watched your video Ian. I is certainly a car that you can have fun with in the city & then some countryside as well. I hope that you will be able to find a MK1 Smart car so you can do a comparison between the two of them.

[@markonmotoring]

I remember going to see an early LHD first gen car at launch. Very quirky little cars. A relative has a second gen as she doesn't like larger cars or manual gearboxes. I think the problem with the longer second gen was that they didn't fit nose in at the side of the road anymore which was the party piece of the first smart car. I interviewed a guy who had the roadster and he said it was great fun but again that gearbox seems to be the achilles heel of these cars.

[@rayjennings3637]

In 2010, my wife and I, for family history research reasons, decided to have a couple of weeks in Guernsey. To get around, I pre-hired a Ford Fiesta but when we landed and got to the car-hire desk we were told that their Fiestas were grounded and would I like Smart car instead. Not wanting to give up the opportunity to try one, I said yes and we duly received a small refund. We shoe-horned our two cases into the back and set off to find our cottage. Obviously it was weird at first and I tried both auto and manual mode but decided to work with the auto mode. After a couple of days, I found it to be a pretty decent weatherproof roller skate and at the end of our two weeks, I have to say that I really enjoyed the experience. Driving it like as if I was wearing a trilby and driving gloves and making allowances for the slow gear change made all the difference.

[@antscossar]

Ian - I’ve got a 2000 year left hand drive smart if you’d like to drive and review that :-)

[@antscossar]

The 2000 smart is a 600 cc bright yellow with a blue interior, also have a 2005 700 cc convertible with bright ‘numeric blue’ panels, and a 451 999cc non-turbo similar to one you’ve tested. #grouptest :-)

[@HubNut]

Cool! [e-mail] please

[@isaacplaysbass8568]

I remember playing a gig for one of the Smart owners club a few years ago, down here in Cornwall at Pentillie castle. It was amazing, so many Smarts with their various custom features. From "Finding Nemo" to astroturf to all manner of personalisations. I should dig the photos out and upload them somewhere one day.

[@fsodn]

RE later in your video: I completely agree, Ian. I wish the gearbox had been made better so people could appreciate the car itself for what it is, which is otherwise lovely. I've only ever driven the American-spec non-turbo, and I expect you're right; it is smoother for exactly those reasons.

[@MrGaryRoberton]

a co worker of mine bought one in 2007, drove it only city & urban and loved it. passable fuel economy, never gave her trouble, and did wear well. The few times she had to use it on a motorway, it was scary. (Her Word) went 2 or 3 miles from her home to work, and was in a underground car park never left out in the weather. She traded it on a conventional runabout sometime around 2014 , was disappointed with the trade value they gave her.

[@christopherhunter2892]

We had 4 Smarts. We ordered the first from Smart in Rennes and brought it back to London. It was Aqua Orange. It really turned heads in London in 1999. A hoot to drive and we had no reliability issues. Sometimes scary though when at a junction and you put your foot down due to lag. Also had a Brabus version which even had integrated Sat Nav. The last one was a 2007 model. Not as much fun as the first one. We then moved to the Toyota IQ.

[@brianfd622]

OOh Ian did you miss the secret cubby in the rear tailgate? If it's quirky HubNut will find it.

[@HubNut]

Didnt find that one!

[@philpaxton2078]

The ForTwo (451) had the option of a red interior and a beige interior. These were however rarely specified. When I had my 451 I wanted the beige interior, but it would have involved a long wait.

[@John.Winchester]

I have a beige/yellow interior it's horrendous colour so I've wrapped the dash In black leather diamond stitch changed the yellow seats to leather and debating either spraying the yellow door cards or going to the hassle of taking them off to wrap

[@alfamonk]

Great fun cars, I actually quite liked the gearbox - like you say you can play about with the throttle and it's quite an involving drive.

[@tedh7521]

My wife and I have been following a fellow youtuber nomatic fanatic he lives in his Class C Motorhome and travels all over the US he pulls a smart car behind his Motorhome he loves his Smart Fortwo

[@neilsheppard6673]

I don't know much about these cars and I've always found them rather curious. It seems to be one of those models that does what it says on the tin, and no more - ideal for the commute at this particular point in time. I'd consider having that mid-specced one for that purpose, as I can't deal with base models of any car, but the only thing that puts me off is the somewhat compromised crumple zone that Ian mentioned. Then again I guess you run that particular gauntlet with any city / commuter car. Nice test Ian, many thanks!

[@MEZ9999]

Have to say its a car I've never driven but I've always enjoyed watching their party piece of parking straight to kerb, a quirky car unlike its Forfour sibling

[@rheinerftvideo2647]

I´m 1,94 cm tall and I was amazed how comfortable it was to drive the Smart. It´s hard to find a car with space unless you take a Berlingo or Kangoo. Well, Mercedes announced to go away from all entry level models in future, so you won´t buy A class or something like that anymore. It´s a stupid decision to me that "entry customers" for Mercedes will not be happy about at all, and simply go away to other brands.

[@mickfoster7140]

I have a second generation FourTwo and agree with all your comments, especially the gearbox. Mine is non turbo and gear changes are still a bit slow. It also has the mhd dyna-start system which is a right royal pain in the bum. Everytime you stop the air con goes off and when you start the radio cuts out for quite a long time. Luckily you can turn it off. The belt is under a huge tension and tends to shred itself. Mine sheared off the crank shaft pully. They are suprisingly tough. The wife had a coming together with an SUV. The Smart had some scuffs that polished out, the SUV needed £4ks worth of body repairs.

[@animationcreations42]

If your gearbox is getting slow then you probably need the clutch adjusted. It should really be done at every service, but unless you go to a dealer it won't be done. I have a Mercedes computer so was able to do it myself, and it made a world of difference. I wouldn't say the changes are lightning fast, but it's considerable better, plus even with the 71 non turbo you get pushed back into the seat when you pull away, which I'd never experienced until I adjusted the clutch!

[@gaufrid1956]

Having owned a 1980 and a 1983 Daihatsu Charade (each from new) I am also a three pot fan! I always liked the styling of the SMART but never owned one.

[@neildavies43]

Our local garage uses a Smart car as a courtesy car. There was a point where I knew it would always be given to me, as they said many customers other complained about it! I always preferred it to the other cars available, which were a Yaris or a Micra, as it was a lot more fun and characterful - however that gearbox always felt like its achilles heel. However,, while little could be done to finesse the upshifts (I pretended I was driving a manual very slowly, by pressing my foot on the footrest like a clutch, then moving the lever, then taking my foot off the footrest and pressing the throttle again!) a deft little heel n' toe resulted in pretty sharp little downshifts under braking. It's a great pity - if they simply hadn't bothered with it and stuck a manual box in there, the ForTwo and particularly the Roadster would have been absolute hero cars and tremendous fun to drive with that eager, rorty little turbo triple.

[@jonnycando]

Where Smart missed its calling is that it never achieved the fuel economy one might expect from a vehicle so tiny.

[@normwilson2470]

My '09 gets 48-50mpg regularly... how much better mileage would you like?

[@jonnycando]

@@normwilson2470 the us spec ones never got that close afaik…maybe low 30’s running downhill…

[@normwilson2470]

@@jonnycando Umm... my car is a US Spec'd '09 Passion... Standard Mitsubishi 3cyl, and I quite regularly 48-50mpg... I take a dip when the AC is on or if I'm heavy with the pedal, but driving it normally my mileage is outstanding... I've NEVER hit the low 30's in that car, that's just silly...

[@jonnycando]

@@normwilson2470 that’s good to hear!

[@animationcreations42]

We have had a few Smarts, first a 700CC 450 which unfortunately went to the car park in the sky, but we replaced it with a 2007 71hp Passion (pre-MHD so super reliable) and it's one of my favourite cars. Even on the 450 the gearbox really wasn't a problem once you get used to it, the 451 while losing a gear is better. We also have a 2011 CDI, which isn't the most reliable (it's currently out of order, again!) but it was cheap! The fuel economy isn't the best, we used to average around 65mpg with the 700cc 450, but with the 71hp 2007, we're lucky to hit 50mpg. I'm guessing that's because they only have a 5 speed rather than the 6 speed. That also means it's only slightly cheaper to run than our 2L diesel X-Trail with over 100hp more! Regarding the boot release, that doesn't have the electronic release for the lower boot which opens both sides when you press either of the buttons, which I believe was introduced in 2010 as our 2007 doesn't have it, but our 2011 does. It makes it so much easier to get into the boot when you're carrying your shopping.

[@jo05dk]

I couldn't live with that gearbox. I know you learn to compensate somewhat for how shit it is, but it has to be a no from me. ..and that annoys me a bit. I've always wanted to love the Roadster and the ForTwo cars. Three cylinder ftw, and they look cute af. On one of my daily walk routes i pass by a Smart Brabus, 2017, grey metallic with added tasty wheels. I do enjoy looking at that..a lot. Anyways: I enjoyed this video. I do love that these cars exist, even if they aren't for me. They make me smile.

[@catherinewilson3880]

I do believe that the revised model from 2016 has a dual clutch automatic gearbox which is supposed to be very good. They aren't particularly cheap though.

[@robsmall6466]

As a former MK1 owner I'd say the original box is better than this. Mine was the standard box ( no full auto mode ). Nudge forward to go up through the gears and auto down shift which could be manually overridden. Wouldn't over rev like this

[@MrNegativecreep07]

I used to work for a Pizza Hut that had one, and yes the gearbox was utterly horrendous. Coupled with rock hard suspension and massive understeer and it was a horrid thing to drive.

[@evilutionltd]

A bit later on, smart did upgrade the boot to open just by pulling 1 tab on the lower hatch. People complain about the gear change because they pay too much attention. In a manual car, you press the clutch pedal, move the gearstick and release the clutch and because you are doing it yourself, you aren't paying attention to the time taken for the entire process. However, when you have an automated manual, you change gear and pay more attention to the time it takes because you are just idly waiting. The actual speed difference between a normal gear change and a smart gear change is nothing at all.

[@DaveAber9999]

Interesting review. I've recently become the owner of a roadster, and similarly I'm learning the gearbox - much like you train a kitten by learning what it wants to do. I know your mate James has a roadster, so you can probably get a shot any time you want, but if you are ever up in the wilds of Scotland you'd be welcome to a drive of a roadster with 'slight mischief' applied. Not a brabus (despite all the badges applied by previous owners) - more of a Bogus. Goes like stink though! Edit : I should add, in 'Auto' mode it's really quite poor as I struggle to second-guess what it's about to do. That coupled with the time to complete a change does make for a frustrating experience. Fortunately, I have the paddles on the wheel, and using them in 'Manual' mode is much more pleasant - at least then you know what it's doing and can learn the timings of how long things take.

[@tonys1636]

If they had used a dual clutch sequential box it may have shifted gears like a supercar but probably would have had a supercar price tag then. Not that thay were ever cheap, most were on a lease here as a company vehicle so a tax write off for the business anyway. Wrapped in some wonderful art work to advertise the company, mostly Estate Agents and Auctioneers.

[@kaitlyn__L]

@@tonys1636 it’s kind of a shame, as a lot of larger hatchback cars are using DCTs on the automatic option now. Eg VW only use a similar system as this in the Up anymore. They’re almost as cheap as a torque converter now it seems.

[@youngoldboy3430]

Classiest ride on mower I've seen.

[@chrisdowns1987]

Very enjoyable review, that one looks in great condition! I'm not normally a fan of screens for stereos but it fits in well. Weird things from working on them for me have to be only way of reliably bleeding the cooling system. Chock the rear wheels and raise the car to about 45° and allow it to burp air from the system. They look like Thunderbird 2 ready for take off 😋 get it wrong and they really dont like it! The irritating lack of a sump plug on early ones (might just be mk1s) and the hidden lower spark plugs on mk1's were also fun. Still like them though 👍 Brabus versions are hilarious 😂 Thanks Ian!

[@neodonkey]

As soon as I saw that rear engine I was thinking "Ohoh, is that going to have a cooling system that is a nightmare to bleed?" Seems to be the case with rear and mid engine cars with rad up front that they all have cooling systems that are a pain to bleed.

[@chrisdowns1987]

@@neodonkey Certainly seems that way. Most of the time when I'm doing anything needing a system drain I have a vacuum filler that does most of the work. Sucks all the air from the system then uses the vacuum to pull the coolant mix back in. Now we're starting to see more stuff with charge air coolers and hybrid battery cooling systems the vac filler can be very helpful!

[@lordmellis7135]

"Wait for it.. wait for it.. whoosh it's all over" You been speaking to my wife?

[@benday1218]

At least you weren't in a Ford Fusion semi-auto. I remember Car magazine trailing the Swatch car as far back as the early 90's. I liked the 1st gen manual ForFour.

[@slowhoon]

Definitely try a 415 ED (Electric Drive) if you get the chance. And if you do, remember to push through the accelerator stop to engage the "boost" button. It make acceleration much more fun.

[@tristanyseult]

The software change makes all the difference to the gear change , the changes up and down can be made very spritely.

[@BrorAppelsin]

I had a 2003 For2 diesel some 12 years ago and I just sold my Roadster in May. You learn to live with the gearbox but it'll never be fast with gearchanges.

[@toolflex]

I have always been intrigued by the ForTwo, and the original ForFour, too. Not the ForFourTwo, that woud be silly.

[@peterfinucane8122]

The best thing with these is that you can fit more of them into a traffc jam.

[@skippyglen6610]

Great review as always. Do not believe I could live with one I am afraid. Totally off subject but I thought that head up display was brilliant and very useful any idea which one it is please.

[@CauliflowerMcPugg]

What an interesting little car had seen a few around but didn't know anything about them except Mercedes had something to do with it. So thank you 👍

[@williamgreer4087]

Blimey, just that first gear chance as you set off was enough for an enormous NOPE from me! 😯

[@ashleyjohansson8413]

I really liked the 451 and would have bought one at numerous points since they were made if it had just had a standard manual gearbox. I would have even bought one of the CDi ones.

[@Wiganpilot]

I was thinking of buying a Roadster a number of years ago, a few people said that they could be quite noisy at motorway speeds, but I never test drove one to find out for myself.