2015 Smart Forfour Review

Visibility is much better than on the old Forfour and superior to every other car in the city segment. The windshield is stretched up and you get about 120 degrees of visibility in the vertical plane. We definitely recommend getting the panoramic split roof, which gives the cabin an even more airy feel and lifts the depression on those cold winter mornings. The large wing mirrors are another great visibility feature, leaving very few blind spots.

There are a total of three engines available right now on the 2015 Smart Forfour, all of them with three cylinders and running on petrol. The company has just introduced a base mode 1-liter with 61 horsepower.

We'd avoid this one because it feels underpowered and is actually less economical than the 71 hp version of the same engine due to the fact that it doesn't come with start/stop. Even with this model, you won't feel like you're going anywhere in a hurry, partly due to the fact that it only has 91 Nm (67 lb-ft) of torque. Daimler reportedly consulted with Ford to learn the trick of the 1-liter EcoBoost 3-cylinder engine, but the 1-liter mill has failed to win us over, despite the fact that most buyers will likely order it.

The official specs suggest the 71 hp Forfour will get from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 15.9 seconds. However, it feels even slower than that and you'll need a really long stretch of empty road to reach the benchmark speed. You'd think that a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive Smart is just like a Porsche 911, but it's the exact opposite.

The other engine choice is Renault's famous 0.9-liter turbo mill, which we've sampled on the Clio 4 and Logan 2 already. The main different between the Clio and the Forfour is that the engine had to be installed at an angle to leave enough room for the trunk space on top. The output has been carried over, meaning you get 90 hp and 135 Nm (100 lb-ft) of torque. While the 50% extra torque makes itself noticed, the band in which you get optimal performance or fuel economy is narrow. The gearbox will require constant rowing of cogs, which is not ideal for a city car.This time, 0 to 100 km/h takes 11.2 seconds – now that's more like it!

Right now, the only gearbox available is a 5-speed manual, but in a few months there will be a new Twinamic automatic available, with a twin-clutch setup instead of the dreaded Softouch automated manual you got on older Smarts. The standard manual is pretty decent for this class of car, not to mention easy to use, but those expecting a premium feel like that of a Mercedes will be sorely disappointed by the notches and the imprecision.

The suspension of the new Forfour is noticeably smoother than that of the Fortwo to the point where you'd think these two cars have nothing in common. The front end glides over most bumps nicely, but the big surprise is at the back. You see, all cheap cars have rudimentary rear suspension, basically a giant metal girder with some springs on it. But because the Smart is rear-wheel drive, they couldn’t do that.

You don't really need to know that the car uses a De Dion rear suspension, complete with twin-tube shocks, or that the front has McPherson struts. All you need to know is that it works and the rear is better than normal cars with beam axles. Go over a speed bump or a tram track and you'll be thanking Smart for their work.

Because the engine is not at the front, the wheels can turn a lot more than any other car out there, up to 51 degrees. This makes turning in two lanes very easy and maneuvering around a congested town is effortless. Parking the Forfour was so easy we felt we have been doing it wrong our whole lives.

The car is also extremely maneuverable and its turning circle of 8.65 meters (28 feet, 4.5 inches) from curb to curb is only slightly larger than that of the previous Fortwo. One downside is that there's a lot of lock to put on the steering wheel. Compared to a Peugeot 208, for example, you'll be doing a lot of steering wheel turning, but the electric assist does all of the work. Speaking of which, the Direct-Steer system has a variable ration and is intuitive, but numb. On the 0.9 turbo models, the rack is much shorter, another reason to go turbo.

You know us, when it comes to automotive matters, we’re always hungry for more. Thus, noticing how the short front overhang helps with the parking (the rear is covered, as you have sensors), we wanted to have a bit of fun. Thus, we pulled the “by hand” parking maneuver you see in the clip below.


Smart says the soundproofing of the Forfour is better than on the Renault Twingo 3. You can tell there is very little road noise at town speeds, but unfortunately the engine’s note is omnipresent and not a pleasant one at that. This becomes especially annoying at highway speeds, when you need at least 3,000rpm in 5th gear to keep up with traffic. Even when idling, the 1-liter engine refuses to shut up, the only upside being that you don't need a rev counter to shift.

A city car is not going to spend a lot of its time on the highway, but you'll be pleased to know the Forfour can handle some speed. There is a lot of body roll in the corners, but once you get used to it, the character of the car is predictable and safe. They used different tires on this car, 165/65 R15 ones for the front and 185/60 R15 at the back. That means you may experience some understeer at high speeds. The brakes are good, even though Smart used drums for the back. They slow the car smoothly and because the 5-door weighs just under 1 ton, stopping distances are decent.

Let's get one thing straight: the 2015 Forfour isn't a Porsche in any way, even though it has the engine in the back. The only time you notice where the power is going is when you try to accelerate out of a corner and notice the front wheels aren't the ones pulling you out. This is a very civilized, very neutral shopping car/city runabout that's as predictable as it is cute. The lady-like character is made clear by the very small and tightly packed pedals, which basically all our manly editors had trouble using.

And then we arrive at the topic of fuel efficiency. The big problem is that even though you can make a car smaller, that doesn't mean it will be much lighter. It still needs headlights, wipers, seats, airbags and everything to keep the driver happy. And so, our test car ended up weighing 970 kilograms (2138 lbs), basically the same as any other A- or B-segment car.

Weight is the enemy of fuel consumption, so Smart had to work really hard to make the car efficient. All engines have an aluminum construction, overhead camshafts and four-valve cylinder heads, friction-optimized cylinders and an infinitely variable oil pump, which only brings as much lubricant to the engine as necessary. Just like the Ford 1-liter EcoBoost engine, there's an optimized heat management system. Below 80 degrees, a special valve stays closed, blocking the flow of the coolant though the block and ensuring the optimal running temperature is reached more quickly.

On all models, automatic start/stop is offered as a standard feature. This shuts the engine when you've put the gearbox in neutral and released the clutch. Unfortunately, it's sometimes caught by surprise during sluggish traffic. But the driver can deactivate the start/stop system when he/she gets annoyed with it.

The official fuel consumption numbers are promising. The 71 hp version, which is going to be the most common model, claims 4.8 l/100km (49 mpg US) in city and 3.8 l/100km (61.9 mpg US) on the highway. Unfortunately, we were unable to get anywhere near those numbers, as we got 6 l/100km (39.2 mpg US) in the city and 6.5 l.100km (36.2 mpg US) on the highway, because the small engine required high revs in order to keep up.

The closest we ever got to the official numbers was at night, in zero traffic conditions, where keeping a constant speed of 70 km/h (44 mph), we managed to get the Forfour to do 4.4 l/100km (53.5 mpg US) and no less. Don't expect any miracles!

Safety is another marketing tool Smart won't be able to rely on. Everybody remembers the huge marketing stunts they pulled to ensure everybody knew the Tridion Safety Cell on the old model was ultra-strong. But they won't be able to act boastful with the 2015 Forfour because it only received a 4-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, not something to brag about.

That said, the new MINI hatch, which is a lot bigger, received the same score and that's because the tests are more stringent nowadays. The Smart is not actually unsafe, having received a 78% score in adult occupant protection and 77% for child occupant protection. During the severe side impact pole test, Euro NCAP did discover chest protection is weak, the biggest fault of the whole car. The safety body also says the pole came extremely close to hitting the dummy's head and that they have concerns over the protection provided by the current seat-mounted head/thorax airbag, which Daimler has promised to fix by mid-2015.

No Smart model is equipped with an automatic emergency braking system, which Euro NCAP didn't find amusing. They also gave no scores for the lane assist system because most buyers won't pay extra for it. Our test car had it installed and we found that it only senses the lane change when the Forfour's body is in the middle of the line.

So how much does a new 5-door Smart cost? In Germany, prices start at €10,995 for the most spartan Forfour and can rise to around €20,500 for a fully equipped car in the Proxy trim level or with the Edition 1 package. Our test vehicle came armed to the teeth and retailed for €19,917. Ouch! But it had leather seats that we'd ignore and a media system that taxed you €1,400. The problem with this full-spec Forfour is that it comes within reach of the new MINI One and even the diesel-powered One D. We would definitely keep the panoramic roof for just €400 and €500 LED & Sensor package that gives you auto wipers, lights and those LED strips at the front.

Overall, the Forfour is the type of car you can only buy with your heart. Just because it's small doesn't mean you will save a lot of money on fuel and there are much more practical conventional cars you can buy for the same money. However, if you want a rear-engined 5-door city car with premium features, this is your only choice. Compared to the new Renault Twingo, it feels slightly better engineered and, we think, better designed.

Details about the US market launch have not been announced. However, we could see both the 3- and 5-door cars being launched at the end of 2015. The relatively small segment in which they play in means Smart should follow them up with other variants, like a Nissan Juke rival, otherwise Daimler's spinoff will remain a niche product that very few people will buy or grow to understand the way we did.