2015 Smart Forfour Review

Fortwo variations, including ones powered by diesel and electric motors.

Out of all of them, the Forfour was the only one that had any serious relevance for average family car buyers. The first generation came out in 2004, sharing its platform with the Mitsubishi Colt. Technically classed as a supermini, a rival to the Ford Fiesta of the time, this model came with conventionally mounted engines at the front and a five-door body covered in plastic bits. It didn't last long though and due to slow sales, the Forfour was phased out of production in 2006.

But even though Daimler got some of the details wrong the first time, they didn't give up on the idea. Eventually, they found a partner who loved small cars just as much as they did and who were crazy enough to put the engine in the "wrong place". Renault wanted a new A-segment and were happy to share the development costs, because the Twingo was never going to sell in huge quantities and would otherwise lose them money.

Thus, development of the second generation Forfour, codenamed W453, started in conjunction with the Twingo 3. After a relatively long development period, the new Smart was ready to come out, which it did together with the Fortwo at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.

What happens when you relaunch a car from your past and give it even more of the stuff that made you famous (read: having the engine at the back)? If you're Smart, it means revealing a very interesting new city car, different from anything else on the market, but otherwise filled with compromises.

Nobody can stay neutral to the design of a car that looks like a Swatch timepiece and seems too embarrassing to be seen in for any normal adult. We got those sorts of feelings immediately after seeing the 2015 Forfour for the first time. You want to hate it, but the smiling grille and bubbly roof prevent you from doing so.

Technically, this isn't a supermini any longer, but more of a stretched version of a Fortwo, a true city car like the Fiat 500. The overall length of the model has shrunk down from 3,750mm (147.7 inches) on the Mk1 to just 3,490mm (137.4 inches). That actually makes it shorter than a Fiat and even than the Twingo 3. The wheels of the car have been pushed right to the edges of the bodywork, which brings a toy-like appearance. Meanwhile, the overall width is the same as the new Fortwo brother, which is 10 centimeters (4 inches) wider than the old one, but still much narrower than a supermini.

Right, what do we think of the looks? From the front it's a lot sexier than the Renault Twingo, as you get the sense it was built using premium parts. The headlights have standard LED running lights and the fog lights and indicators are beautifully light as well. Around the back, it's even better, as the taillights have a jewel-like glow. Step on the brake pedal and people will notice you.

Which brings us to the question of curb appeal. The 2015 Forfour has that in spades. Our test car was painted in a dark blue with black Tridion cell and front grille. But we think it looks great in white or orange as well. Smart have really done their homework to ensure you feel like your car is different from all the others on the road. That said, we drove the Forfour and Fortwo back-to-back, so we can honestly tell you that the smaller car grabs a lot more second and third glances because of its square proportions. Still, the Volkswagen Up!, which is a segment leader, looks like an ugly, brick-shaped duckling compared to this.

The engine is now at the back, which makes you wonder what's under the bonnet. Well that's mostly your legs and a few suspension bits. But there's a special compartment for the battery and car fluids. You tug on a couple of plastic latches located in the front bumper and "voila!" the all-plastic hood comes off. You'll need to do this every time you want to replace the windshield washer fluid.

Even basic house windows sometimes open in two different ways, so why cut corners like that? Now, if you're looking at a city car like this, then practicality is probably not at the top of your wish list. But ease of access probably is. The Forfour has shorter doors than the Fortwo, so getting in when tightly parked is easier. The driver seat is really high for a car this size and the roof is taller than on the VW Up!, so stepping in while wearing a short dress is probably easier. Unfortunately, we forgot to wear a short dress the day we tested the car. Sorry about that!

Once you're inside, it feels wider than the old generation of the Fortwo, but still smaller than a supermini you might buy for the same price, like a Renault Clio. If you're planning to carry anybody over 6 feet (1.83 meters) on a regular basis, you might want to look at another car because the person will bump his head on the roof quite often. But an average-sized adult should have no such issues.

The ambience is de-cluttered and posh, though not as perfect as a MINI or Audi interior. Remember, this car was built in partnership with Renault and apparently 70% of the parts are shared. The design is different though. We especially liked the air conditioning system controls, which look like a classic radio and work very intuitively, unlike the Renault systems, which require some getting used to.

The center console floats off the dash and reminds us of the game tables installed at McDonalds to keep kids busy. German car fans will probably hate it because it's not recessed, but everybody else will appreciate this major design highlight.

The navigation/infotainment system is based on Renault's R-Link technology. This costs a lot of money that we wouldn't recommend spending, but works well with car. Just to give you an idea of where the money was spent, the multimedia system of the car can display both pictures and videos from USB devices and SD cards… because looking directly at your phone is too mainstream.

Another niggle we had with the new Forfour is that the vanity mirrors in the sun visors have no lighting. Women like to have that when they do their makeup and this car is going to be bought by a lot of women.

There's also a hint of Mercedes in the menus of the trip computer and the 3-pointed star shape of the air vents. The central ones are going to be more useful than the one on the new Twingo, because they point directly at you instead of the roof, so keeping cool in the summer is easier in the Smart. We don't want to have sweaty pits, now do we?

Getting comfortable may be tricky for some drivers because the steering wheel adjusts only for height, not reach. So unless you have a very average body, you're either too far from the gear shifter if you're long-legged or you're practically hugging the steering wheel in order to reach those small pedals. We can't really blame Smart for this though, as most cars in the segment have similar problems.

The back seats are tight and a bit claustrophobic, not helped by the porthole windows we mentioned. All you see in front of you is the back of the front seats and the engine noise coming from the back makes holding a conversation harder. What's interesting is that instead of a traditional bench, Smart chose to give you two separate seats, divided in the middle by an optional console. Installing a child seat will be a bit of a hassle and once that child grows up, you might want to get a different car because the rear seats have lots of metal edges that could prove harmful to an inquisitive toddler.

To make the best use of the rear seats, just fold them down and use them for stowage. The standard cargo space is 184 liters (6.4 cubic feet), which is way off the standard set by its rivals. For example, the Hyundai i10 has 252 liters (8.9 cubic feet), marginally beating the Volkswagen Up!'s 251 liters (the same as Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii). By our calculations, that means the 2015 Forfour is 37% down on cargo space compared to its rivals.

That's no to say the car is useless. You can fit two of those large shopping bags and a case of bottle water, so the weekly shop is pretty much covered. But if you have a baby and you need to carry diapers and bottles or formula, you're better off with the Hyundai or VW. A trip to Ikea could also prove problematic. Sure, you can fold the rear seats completely flat, but wider packages simply won't fit due to the narrow opening of the hatch.

Even the front passenger’s seat can be folded flat, so a 2 meter long package like a Billy bookcase would fit if you can somehow get rid of your wife, who kindly helped you buy the bookcase in the first place. Another problem we discovered is that ice cream won't keep for very long in the trunk because the engine deck gets warm. Not hot, just warm enough to melt your popsicle. Shame on you Smart!