More EVs?
Yes indeed, it seems that few debutantes making their way to the Frankfurt Motor Show next week will do so without some form of electrification, and Smart is no different. Actually, the fact that all its model range is purely electric is not the big news for the Daimler-owned subsidiary, as it has been for some time. No, we're here to talk about a facelift for the diminutive city cars.
Oh, what's new?
Quite a bit relative to the usual facelift fodder, with new bumpers, grilles, lights and more for the Smart Fortwo, Fortwo Cabrio and Forfour. The two-seat models are further differentiated from the five-door car up front and all get funky new LED rear lights, plus the option of all-LED headlights. The usual addition of new colours and wheels is accounted for of course. A bigger change comes inside.
How so?
Well, along with more useful storage in the middle of the cars, there's a whole new digital interface. An eight-inch touchscreen is at the centre of it all, but Smart expects its buyers to rely on their smartphones, in conjunction with that screen, to keep costs down without compromising on connected ability. It's the next stage of phone mirroring, essentially, with loads of useful functionality built in if the owner takes advantage of the various Smart apps - for phone and Apple Watch.
Still just city cars?
For the most part, yes. Propulsion comes from an 81.5hp electric motor (that also produces 160Nm of torque from rest) for all models, enabling a 0-62mph time of 11.6 seconds at best and a top speed just over 80mph. There's quite a small lithium-ion battery powering the motor, however, so the maximum range is under 100 miles.
Shane O' Donoghue - 4 Sep 2019