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2018 smart fortwo EQ Is a Cute, Simple and Deeply Flawed Electric Car

Alright, so we don't know if you know about this, but there's a thing called a smart car. It's small, owned by Mercedes and hasn't been doing very well in North America, which is why they started only selling the EQ electric version about a year ago.
2018 Smart Fortwo EQ Is a Cute, Simple and Deeply Flawed Electric Car 1 photo
Photo: YouTube screenshot/TheStraightPipes
It's pretty rare to have a brand with only one model, and it gets even weirder because the fortwo is so flawed that it only appeals to a tiny section of the market. While mainstream EVs are becoming larger and more practical, this sticks to being a go-kart with insufficient range.

What's the range like? Well, it depends on who you ask. Officially, it's 57 miles, but you can get a little bit more in the real world, up to about 80 when you are careful. It's all thanks to a 17 kWh battery that takes 2.5 hours to fill up on level 2 charging or 13 hours on a regular wall plug.

Like all smart cars, the EQ has the engine over the back, and it sends 80 horsepower plus 118 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels. But as we found out when we tested the gasoline version a few years back, you can't turn the stability control off to have fun, so even if it's RWD, the experience is muted.

The Straight Pipes is probably the only popular YouTube channel to do a fun review, and they seem to enjoy all the quirks. For example, it's got a targa-style, analog gauges, a hood that comes off for no reason and turn-key ignition which makes no sense. They conclude that it makes sense if you're only driving to work every day, but things get dicey with the range if you deviate even a little from your usual route.

They conclude that they wouldn't have it over pretty much any other car in the world, which technically means it's the least appealing 2018 model out there. Sure, it's very cute, and you can live with that horrible infotainment But a Cabrio model like this would cost about $27,000, and for that, you can buy better electric cars.

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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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