Smart #1 Brabus Drag Races Brabus 850, It's Painful to Watch

When I visited the Paris Motor Show back in 2014, I drove a Smart Brabus that didn't run on fossil fuels. I've included a photo of a 25-year-old Dragos excited about a future that included EVs. But at the time, I didn't realize these cars would take over completely. Today, the Smart #1 Brabus almost looks like the love child of a Kia Soul and an Opel Adam.

But I guess that's just my brain's way of trying to make sense of this new world. We've often seen EVs outperforming cars with traditional internal combustion engines, at least in specific scenarios. So you can expect the same thing to happen here as well. Out on the airfield, it's all about straight-line speed. The Smart #1 Brabus will be racing against its larger, more expensive, and more powerful sibling, the Brabus 850.

These cars are worlds apart, as you may be able to tell just by looking at them. But what do the numbers have to say about this line-up? The EV runs on a dual-motor setup, with a maximum combined output of 422 hp and 400 lb-ft (543 Nm) of torque. That's good enough for a 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) time of just under four seconds! Official figures give it a range of about 249 miles (400 km), which is okay if you drive it in urban areas.

But this thing weighs 4,188 lbs (1,900 kg)! Luckily, its opponent is even more massive than that at 5,189 lbs (2,350 kg). The Brabus 850 relies on a massive, twin-turbocharged, 6.0-liter V8 to move that mass around. And it can do it quite well, as it has an output of 850 hp and 1,069 lb-ft (1,450 Nm) of torque. That's almost twice as much power and three times as much torque as the smaller Smart #1. But then there's the price of it all: for the price of one Brabus 850, you can get around four units of its opponent.

As both cars line up for the first 1/4-mile (402-meter) run of the day, it's safe to assume that the Brabus 850 will struggle to keep up. Despite having a better start, it quickly loses control of the race. And there's no need for a photo finish. A second run reveals the same result, and the Brabus 850 is simply 0.3 seconds slower to the finish line than its opponent.

Will a 30 mph (48 kph) rolling race to the 1/2-mile (804 meters) render a different winner? The EV shoots off again, while the big SUV seems to have had a gear change issue. But there's a catch: the Smart #1 EV is limited to 115 mph (185 kph), which should allow the Brabus 850 to catch up from behind. That only happens on the second run, but it's still a painful thing to watch. There's no sense in spending that much money on a "fast" SUV when plenty of other, more exciting alternatives exist.

But maybe that's my way of thinking, as some people might not be interested in a 911 Turbo S or a tricked-out RS 6 Avant. A 50 mph (80 kph) rolling race to the 1/4-mile between the Brabus 850 and Smart #1 Brabus turns out slightly more exciting, and there's one last test to go before calling it a day. Usually, you'd think that the lighter car would win the brake test. But is its stopping setup just as good as the one on the SUV? I won't spoil the answer for you but don't place any bets on this one.