The first time most of us remember seeing a smart fortwo, was when Patsy and Eddy from Ab Fab tore around the streets of London in one. More recently there was the Da Vinci code, which further highlighted the versatility of the car around the urban environment. The next generation of that car has now hit our shores, and OUTinPerth’s Andrew Koch did more than take it for a spin around the city.

Over three weeks I had the opportunity to give three versions of the new fortwo a spin – hard top 999cc, 999cc turbo and the 999cc cabrio. The cabrio had a great workout, not only did it get me around town, but it also took me on a trip from Sydney to the Hunter Valley and back for a work conference. Driving up the F3 highway with the top down, baseball cap, sunglasses on with my colleague Robert next to me, two good sized overnight bags and laptop in the boot was quite sight.

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A special feature of the cabrio is that the roof can be operated at any speed, although try and avoid closing it with a head wind, as it will struggle to close. With the roof down, there is not a lot of wind noise and a conversation can be had with very little increase in the volume.

Were hills a problem? No. With only around 980kgs (that includes roughly 180kgs of humans and luggage) the 52Kw engine easily kept us at 110km in 4th gear, and on the flat in 5th it just buzzed along.

Did we feel safe? Yes. The tridion safety cell has proved itself time and time again and, together with front and side airbags, Mercedes Benz ESP® and ABS, make this one safe little car. There is a little lean, as the car is tall, but it still feels sure footed. Even passing trucks, there was very little buffeting of the car.

Were we cramped? No. The new fortwo is 19.5 cm longer than the previous model. Inside the cabin two 180cm blokes had ample room, with plenty of distance between shoulders and an amazing amount of leg room. Robert was blown away with the spaciousness, and after 2 hours driving, he was able to get out of the car not feeling tired and stiff. The new fortwo boot now has 220 litres, room enough for the goodies from a normal shopping trip.

Inside the cabin the layout has matured. The clock and taco stalks have remained, but everything else is now imbedded in a layout with clean lines. You will still find the ignition switch behind the gear stick. With a tall roof, miniaturized center console and a cabin devoted to just two people, the Smart Fortwo is a lot roomier than you might expect. There’s a wide range of seat adjustment and everything is within easy reach – including the back window. Even so, the Smart doesn’t feel as small as it is. The distances between driver’s seat, dash and windshield are similar to a conventional car, and the tall seating position puts you at eye level at the same height as a small SUV. It’s only when looking at the car from the outside that you realize how tiny it is.

Being a clutchless manual, you can either flick the gear stick or use the paddles on the steering wheel to change the gears. The Smart comes with a 5-speed sequential-manual transmission; it has the guts of a clutch manual, but a computer does all the clutching and shifting for you. The feeling takes some getting used to — while a regular automatic shifts almost instantly, there’s a noticeable pause in power delivery as the SMT changes gears. Driving it feels like being a passenger in a manual car. I found that easing up on the throttle during shifts made things a bit smoother, as did shifting manually using the steering-wheel-mounted paddles. The new fortwo also has hill start assist – the brakes will hold for a moment when performing a hill start; doing away with the use of a handbrake when having to perform a hill start.
If you are looking for a bit more zip, the 999cc turbo version outputs an extra 10kW of power, enough to propel you faster, but not to the extent that you have to hold onto the steering wheel for dear life to keep this micro rocket on the straight and narrow. Out of the two engine types I found this to be the most enjoyable to drive.

At this stage Australia is only getting the petrol version, while in Europe a diesel variant, which sips fuel at a miserly 3.3-litres per 100kms, and a petrol hybrid are currently available. An electric version is presently being trialed in London – the battery can be powered up from any power point and has a life of about 1000 charges. Powered by a 30kW magnetic motor that sits at the rear of the smart Fortwo electric drive, the electric car is also fairly rapid, able to dispatch the zero to 60km/h dash in just 5.7 seconds. The purely electric smart’s maximum speed is rated at 112km/h

Would I buy a smart car? Yes. I’m looking forward to the turbo version in a couple of weeks, which gives another 10kw of power.

AUTO SPECS

• Price: $19,990 – $24,990
• Engine: 999cc 3-cylinder, 999c turbo 3-cylinder
• Power: 52kW, 92Nm; 62kW, 120Nm
• Transmission: 5-speed manual
• Fuel: 4.7, 4.9