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2015 Smart Forfour Tested: It's not a Porsche 911!

Small, sleek, stylish and sexy – all these words start with the same letter. You guys probably already know where, since the same letter is used to name Daimler's city car brand, Smart. They want us to call it 'smart' because it's too hipster to use capital first letters like everybody else, but we won't because there are rules in the English language that not even Mercedes bosses are allowed to break.
2015 Smart Forfour 1 photo
Photo: Catalin Garmacea
The Fortwo is common in Europe. You can barely walk two steps in France or Italy without seeing one parked next to the shops and the cafes. Its iconic square shape and two-door body are many times more iconic than the Forfour, yet we think that for the first time ever, the 4-seater is the one to get.

Between 2004 and 2006, Smart built a front-engined supermini based on the Mitsubishi Colt. Eight years later, they're back with the second generation, this time made in partnership with Renault. It's smaller than before, more economical and better engineered, yet it arrives in the middle of a hotly contested market.

At almost the same time as Smart, many other automakers launched their A-segment cars, which include the Citroen C1, Peugeot 108, Toyota Aygo, Opel Karl and the practical new Hyundai i10. Of course, the ones to really watch out for are the German triplets, VW Up!, Skoda Citigo and SEAT Mii.

The 2015 Smart Forfour is different than all of them. It's rear-engined, rear-wheel drive and turns on a dime. Of course, it also has some flaws, like having the smallest trunk in its class and a slightly noisier cabin, thanks to the engine being placed under the boot floor instead of in front of the firewall.

Because of the drivetrain layout, we arrived at our test location expecting to drive the Porsche 911 of the city car segment. Instead, we got something that felt like an SUV, thanks to a high driving position, sluggish throttle response and body roll in the corners.

I love the city! I was born in the city, spent all my life and will probably die here as well. Is this the perfect car for the urban lifestyle? You'll have to read the full 2015 Smart Forfour review for that.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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