smart forfour Brabus Takes on Golf GTI 1: What's Changed in 40 Years

With the engine under the trunk, the forfour strikes everybody as a 3-cylinder Porsche 911. But after spending the first few seconds with it, we realized that it's not. You sit high in a body that leans a lot and have to deal with ESP that won't let you play.

For whatever reason, Brabus has moved forward with another generation of the tuned smart car. Launched this year, it features a special body kit and paint, paired with a tuned engine that delivers 109 PS to the back wheels.

But the GTI is somehow the real star of this show. The Mk1 is the prototype for what we now know as the sporty compact, something the Germans are very good at making. You can even say that part of its DNA can be found in the TT RS or the Mercedes-AMG A45.

Powering this old-school toy is a 1.6-liter engine with 110 PS. It will do 100 km/h in 10 seconds and reach a top speed of 180 km/h. Compared to a modern car, everything is a little heavier to use but also more engaging. Its only major flaw is the old braking system, which would probably fail modern tests.

At 3.53 meters long, the smart forfour by Brabus is only slightly shorter than the GTI. Placed under its trunk flood is a tuned version of the 0.9-liter three-cylinder turbo engine used by the Renault Clio or Dacia Sandero. Through a remap and twin exhaust system, output has risen from 90 to 109 hp so it won't blow the GTI out of the water.

Auto Bild says the Brabus is not a true sports compact. It's fast, but not engaging. The advantage of all the modern electronics is that more of the power can be used. Thus, it sets a time around their track of 1:53.43, which is 2 seconds faster.

This apples and oranges comparison ends with a quick reminder of the price. The Brabus model starts at €20,550 in Germany, but you can buy a Mk1 Golf GTI for a fraction of that money.