The wait has finally come to an end, ladies and gentlemen, and it's our pleasure to present you the 2015 smart fortwo and its bigger brother, the forfour. A whopping 16 years after Daimler AG's smart division introduced the groundbreaking city car, the latest model has been revealed in Berlin and has lots of things to boast about. So where should we start from?
Well, how about the drivetrain? At market launch, the manufacturer will provide two engine options. The first of the bunch is a 999 cc naturally aspirated three-pot which delivers 71 horsepower and 91 Nm of torque at 2,850 rpm, offering economical driving in high gears even in the urban jungle. As for the second, it's still a three-cylinder job, but this one displaces 898 cc and it benefits from turbocharging. Rated at 90 horsepower and 135 Nm at 2,500 rpm, the peppy powerplant comes with automatic start and stop and a state-of-the-art turbocharger that employs an electronically controlled wastegate.
Furthermore, variable swirl control and variable adjustment of the inlet valves are also on the menu. A few months after market launch, both all-aluminium three-pot mills will be joined by an entry-level petrol engine rated at 60 horses. Both the smart fortwo and forfour can be had either with a five-speed manual transmission (At last!) and a twinamic six-speed dual clutch box, which is a big improvement over yesteryear's clunky and sedated automated manual tranny. With the engine mounted at the rear and drive sent to the rear axle, you can bet that the all-new smart models will be pretty fun to flick around city traffic and winding B-roads as well.
How about the price? The manufacturer tells that the least expensive 71 hp variant of the fortwo will cost "under 11,000 euros" when it will hit European showrooms in November, while the forfour will cost "around 600 euros more with the same engine." As opposed to the outgoing model, the new smart fortwo has grown in size but still boasts those short overhangs fans of the breed love so much. A high steering angle is promised as well, with a turning circle of only 6.95 meters from kerb to kerb and 7.3 meters from wall to wall, making it a dream to maneouver around tight parking spaces. The forfour boasts with similar figures as its predecessor: 8.65 meters kerb to kerb and 8.95 meters from wall to wall. As an added bonus, the forfour's rear doors open by almost 90 degrees for effortless access.
"Despite increased safety requirements, we have managed to retain the smart fortwo's unique length of just 2.69 metres," declared Markus Riedel, head of development at smart. "It shares its architecture with the new forfour. We have tailored both of the vehicles to the needs of modern-day city traffic. My team is particularly proud of the turning circle, which sets a brand new benchmark at just 6.95 metres for the fortwo." smart boss Annette Winkler added: "As Europe's youngest car brand, smart enjoys global success today. No-one combines functionality and emotion as well as we do, as the inventors of individual urban mobility. The new smart fortwo and forfour adopt the proven concept while offering more of just about everything – more space, more colour, more equipment … and even more fun in the city! Only the vehicle length remains as unique as ever, at 2.69 metres." While both cars are 1.66 meters wide, the smart forfour is a tad longer at 3.49 meteres.
What about practicality and stuff? Thanks to its longer wheelbasse (2,707 mm), the forfour offers 975 liters of storage with the rear seat backrests folded down into the floor, while the fortwo offers 350 liters for all your bits and bobs from behind the front seats to roof level. In terms of safety, an updated tridion cell protects occupants from harm's way thanks to ultra-high strength hot-formed steels and maximum-strength multiphase steel construction. According to the carmaker, the new smart vehicles "performed well in frontal collisions with the S and C-Class." Standard safety features include Crosswind Assist, driver airbag, kneebag and front passenger airbag as well. Forward Collision Warning and Lane Keeping Assist are offered as optional extras. A new front axle design adopting elements of the previous Mercedes-Benz C-Class, an optimised De Dion rear axle, substantially increased spring travel all round and tires with higher side walls represent the highlights of the new chassis. The chassis and suspension of the new smart generation have been designed for enhanced ride comfort and driving pleasure.
Equipment levels? We have those too. Starting with the basic passion trim, both smart models can also be had in mid-range prime and top-of-the-range proxy variants, which can be further enhanced by a suite of optional extras. Even the entry-level passion gets LED daytime running lights, central locking, cruise control with variable speed limitation, exterior temperature gauge, an instrument cluster with monochrome LCD display, trip computer, as well as electric windows in the front. Leather multifunction steering wheel, a 3.5-inch color instrument cluster display and heated seats can be ticked from the options list. At launch, a "#1" special edition model will come with exclusive design features such as a tridion safety cell in lava orange combined with bodypanels in white on the fortwo and graphite grey on the forfour. The touchscreen infotainment system includes a JBL sound system with 8 or 12 speakers depending on the model, smartphone integration and sat-nav.
Additional data about the 2015 smart fortwo & forfour is available in the press release below the video.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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How about the price? The manufacturer tells that the least expensive 71 hp variant of the fortwo will cost "under 11,000 euros" when it will hit European showrooms in November, while the forfour will cost "around 600 euros more with the same engine." As opposed to the outgoing model, the new smart fortwo has grown in size but still boasts those short overhangs fans of the breed love so much. A high steering angle is promised as well, with a turning circle of only 6.95 meters from kerb to kerb and 7.3 meters from wall to wall, making it a dream to maneouver around tight parking spaces. The forfour boasts with similar figures as its predecessor: 8.65 meters kerb to kerb and 8.95 meters from wall to wall. As an added bonus, the forfour's rear doors open by almost 90 degrees for effortless access.
What about practicality and stuff? Thanks to its longer wheelbasse (2,707 mm), the forfour offers 975 liters of storage with the rear seat backrests folded down into the floor, while the fortwo offers 350 liters for all your bits and bobs from behind the front seats to roof level. In terms of safety, an updated tridion cell protects occupants from harm's way thanks to ultra-high strength hot-formed steels and maximum-strength multiphase steel construction. According to the carmaker, the new smart vehicles "performed well in frontal collisions with the S and C-Class." Standard safety features include Crosswind Assist, driver airbag, kneebag and front passenger airbag as well. Forward Collision Warning and Lane Keeping Assist are offered as optional extras. A new front axle design adopting elements of the previous Mercedes-Benz C-Class, an optimised De Dion rear axle, substantially increased spring travel all round and tires with higher side walls represent the highlights of the new chassis. The chassis and suspension of the new smart generation have been designed for enhanced ride comfort and driving pleasure.
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