 2011 smart fortwo. Click image to enlarge |
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2011 smart fortwo
Essen, Germany – Somewhere, in a parallel universe, there is a book publisher printing a dictionary that bears absolutely no resemblance to the ones we know here. Mercedes-Benz’s Smart division owns one.
That’s the only explanation I can imagine for the company calling the 2011 Smart Fortwo “the new generation.” While there are some new trim pieces and options, the sweeping changes that are generally associated with a next-generation car aren’t there: the chassis and powertrains remain untouched. Still, its introduction was a great opportunity to visit Smart Brabus’ facility, where the vehicles are customized, and a chance to drive an all-electric version that will make its way to Canada later this year.
Few vehicles are as polarizing as the Smart. Fans love the tight-parking size, fuel economy and European funkiness; detractors primarily complain about how much they cost in relation to larger and less-expensive subcompacts, their strict two-seater configuration, and concerns about safety. The reality is somewhere in the middle. The cabin is six-footer spacious despite the car’s tiny footprint, it’ll easily bring home a week’s worth of groceries, and although NHTSA and the IIHS have differing opinions of its crashworthiness, I’ve driven them fearlessly at highway speeds, simply remembering that, like a motorcycle driver, I have to be aware that drivers in larger vehicles know I’m there.
     2011 smart fortwo. Click image to enlarge |
Both the coupe and convertible continue into 2011, and depending on the configuration, trim lines are Pure, Passion and Brabus. In Canada, the Fortwo comes with only one engine choice, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder (actually 999 cc, to be exact) producing 70 horsepower and 68 lb-ft of torque. It runs on gasoline; our last diesel Smart, the only engine available when it was first introduced to Canada, was phased out after 2007, a victim of tighter emission regulations and the brand’s upcoming introduction into the U.S. The transmission is also unchanged, which is a disappointment: the automated five-speed is a lurchy unit when left to its own devices, and while it can be smoothed out by shifting it in manual mode, it requires perfect timing and a lot of practice to get it right each time.
For those smitten with this little urban runabout – and despite its faults, I’ve always been fond of it – the Fortwo’s new features make the cabin more inviting. The instrument panel is redesigned, the cool dash-mounted clock and tachometer pods are now standard on all models, ambient lighting brightens the footwells and door pockets, there are more storage boxes and pockets, and cruise control is available. A navigation system can now be added, along with Bluetooth connectivity and an optional surround-sound stereo. The running joke was that, in a car this small, it would only need one speaker in the roof to be “surround,” but in reality, its phenomenal quality turns the Smart into a miniature concert hall.
On the outside, the body shell can now be ordered in white, as well as in black or silver, the fuel door is painted body-colour, and on the coupe, the tailgate can now be opened with one hand, instead of having to reach to the tabs on both sides. But by far the most visible change is the addition of front LED running lights. The Canadian specifications will be carved in stone closer to the official on-sale date in September, so it’s not yet certain if they will only be on the upper trim lines, or will appear on the entry-level Pure trim as well. Either way, they’re expected to be a late-availability item. Pricing will also remain under wraps until closer to launch, but for comparison, the 2010 models range between $14,990 for the Pure coupe, to $24,900 for the Brabus cabriolet.
 2011 smart fortwo. Click image to enlarge |
It’s always tough to be a Canadian on an overseas press event, and see what we’re not going to get. European buyers can opt for a diesel, of course, and there are two versions of what the company calls MHD, or “micro hybrid drive.” It isn’t a hybrid per se, in that there’s no battery assist for the gasoline engine; instead, it includes a start-stop system that shuts the engine off when it isn’t required, such as when sitting at a stoplight, for improved fuel economy and emissions control. It worked very well in the test car I drove. Mercedes-Benz will include a start-stop when it launches the S63 AMG later this year, and Porsche already has it on the Panamera and Cayenne, but it isn’t planned for Smart in Canada, at least not in the near future. That’s a pity, because it’s a great system, and one that I fully expect will be standard equipment on almost every new vehicle within the next decade or so. The lights, climate control and stereo continue to run while the engine is off, so why burn gasoline if you’re not moving forward?
Europe also gets the best part of Brabus: a 102-horsepower version of the little three-cylinder (a 112-horsepower model is also available). It scurried very nicely at 120 km/h on the Autobahn en route to the Smart Brabus GmbH headquarters in nearby Bottrop, and thanks to its extra power and transmission tuning, its gear changes were far smoother than the conventional Smart. Alas, while we can order almost all of Brabus’ other offerings in Canada, specially-tuned engines must stay across the pond.
    Top to bottom: The Brabus shop is spotless; Ralf Kraume sews a leather handbrake cover for a custom car; Brabus has special rooms for bench-testing and calibrating engines; Brabus receives the cars fully built but often has to strip them right down. Click image to enlarge |
Brabus was founded in 1977; Smart Brabus is a joint venture with Daimler, and describes itself as “the AMG of Smart.” Where and what happens to your vehicle depends on exactly how much you order. Most of the 8,000 to 9,000 Brabus-trim Smart cars sold each year are optioned with standard Brabus items, such as wheels, sport suspension and exhaust, side skirts and interior trim, which are added at the Smart assembly facility in Hambach, France. Only about 1,000 vehicles a year come through the Bottrop facility, which handles special-order cars, and some of the limited editions.
“Tailor Made,” as it’s known, is exactly that. If you desire plaid seats, a green dash, purple door trim and pink body panels, Brabus will hold its nose and build it for you. Only about two per cent are what the company tactfully refers to as “offbeat.” Instead, most of the cars in the spotless shop are being treated to custom-mixed colours, special leather interiors, or engine modifications.
Engine testing takes place in large bench-test rooms, which get so hot throughout the process that each of the three rooms is cooled by a specific air conditioning unit that is almost the size of the room itself. By comparison, the single unit that regulates the temperature for the rest of the building is only half the size of one of the three test-room units. For transmission tuning, the Smart is placed on a dynamometer and a huge fan blows air toward it, mimicking the wind resistance the car would face when being driven on the road.
No matter how much customization is being done, each car arrives from the Hambach factory intact. If enough of the car needs to be changed, the Brabus experts strip it right down to its shell. Customers are welcome to visit the facility to see their cars being built, but there’s no on-site delivery available; once the cars are finished, they’re shipped back to Hambach, where they enter the normal delivery stream. Cars can be ordered through the Tailor Made program from Canada, for everything except the engine upgrades, but be prepared to open your wallet wide if you want one from this facility.
    smart fortwo electric drive. Click image to enlarge |
After I drove my spiffy little black-and-gold Brabus coupe back to Essen, I had a front-row peek at Smart’s future: the Fortwo Electric Drive. Already in the hands of select customers in several European cities, the all-electric model will come to Canada and the U.S. this fall. They’ve already proved popular enough that the initial limited production of 1,000 vehicles was increased to 1,500, and by 2012, it’s expected to be available to all customers in some 40 markets worldwide.
As with the gasoline-powered Smart, the Electric Drive’s propulsion system is rear-mounted. In this case, it’s a 30 kW electric motor. It’s fed by a lithium-ion battery, developed by Tesla, which fits between the axles so that no interior space is lost. At first glance, the car doesn’t look any different than a regular Smart – the decals aside – except that the fuel filler door conceals the plug for recharging, and the dash-mounted clock and tachometer pods contain gauges that show the battery’s state of charge and how many kilowatts are being used. Smart claims the car can travel up to 135 kilometres on a charge.
In a word, the little car is fun, and I snuck by the security guard in order to travel the specified three-kilometre route twice. Turning the key activates all of the gauges, stereo and climate system, but of course, there’s no engine to start up. An electric motor whine changes pitch with the vehicle’s speed, but I quickly got used to it. The motor produces 89 lb-ft of torque, and as electric motors do, it’s full power right from the start, so it’s very peppy when taking off from a traffic light – especially since there’s no transmission and, so none of the usual Smart transmission lurch. It’s governed to 100 km/h and it gets wheezy as the speedometer climbs, but it still worked fine at 70 km/h, which was a rare accomplishment in the crowded urban centre. All in all, I was very reluctant to park it and hand over the key to the next journalist. Pricing in Canada remains a mystery for now, of course, but given that Smart publicizes how much of an electric car tax credit is available in various markets, I’m guessing that it won’t be inexpensive.
That’s the key to Smart: it’s a specialized vehicle, pricey when compared to many other subcompacts, and it has to be right for you. Whenever I praise a Smart, I inevitably get letters from readers who say that the car is pointless because it won’t carry their three children or a load of lumber. My reply is that a pencil has value even though you can’t send an e-mail with it; likewise, if the Smart fits your lifestyle, it’s a cool little car, and if it doesn’t, there are many other vehicles in the showrooms. The 2011 Smart may not really be a next-generation model, but the changes go a long way toward improving the interior, and the electric version is a neat ride no matter whose dictionary definition you’re using.
