Smart #3 review

The Smart is a capable cruiser, and puts in a plucky effort across winding country roads. There’s no real connection through the steering wheel and it’s all a bit artificially weighted, but the #3 handles urban manoeuvres well. You get a similarly low view out the front of the windscreen to a Tesla Model 3, which gives you good visibility of what’s coming up. 

The ride is firm, but gets noticeably worse the larger the alloys you go for. The transition between regen and disc brakes can be quite clumsy; odd, given Mercedes' know-how in this area. 

What about the performance version?

The Brabus version will win you a game of performance electric crossover Top Trumps, but little else. It sees off 0–62mph in 3.7 seconds thanks to its dual motors and 422bhp, but the experience left us feeling rather empty.

It'll get through a corner in a stable manner, but the steering assistance filters out all of the fun. Hit the accelerator too exuberantly coming out of a roundabout and the back end will get squirrelly (in all models, weirdly, it’s like the ESP can’t be bothered until things get really sticky). Who wants that from a Smart?

In its most eco-focused drive mode the Brabus is more satisfying, making brisk progress on the motorway with overtakes remaining effortless. But then what’s the point in going for the performance version?

Er, I can't see a starter button in there...

There is no start button inside the #3, so don’t spend too long searching for it: the car will fire up as soon as you sit in the driver's seat. The real fun is when you come to turn the car off.

The likes of the Volkswagen ID.5 will turn everything off for you at the merest hint of buttock movement (makes stretching to get a car park ticket interesting), but the Smart makes you swipe down from the top of the touchscreen to access a shortcuts menu with a power down option at the bottom. Don’t sit there too long either, or else it’ll start everything back up again.

What’s that noise?

Oh, that’ll be a warning for something or other. There are many, many audible warnings that sound off as you drive, but you'll have no idea what any of them mean. 

Spend too long looking at the touchscreen for example (you’ll have to, because that’s where everything is), and you get a warning for that. Eh? Disable the safety bongs and they’ll rear back up again like little lane keep assist zombies... every time you start the car up. Grr.

How’s the range?

Depends what model you go for: the entry Pro only has a 49kWh battery that’s good for 202 miles, while Pro+ and up get a 66kWh battery that’ll get you between 258 and 283 miles of WLTP range.

The former figure is for the Brabus version: the extra motor and walloping performance mean a significant hit to your range potential. We got an indicated 3.3 mi/kWh over a hundred miles of driving, which works out at around 220 miles from a full battery. In the Premium model we got 3.9 mi/kWh over several hundred miles with the car across varied roads.