Test Car Specifications
Model: 2025 Smart #1 Brabus
Price: #1 from £29,960; Brabus from £44,960
Engine: two electric motors
Battery: 66kWh lithium-ion
Transmission: single-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power: 428hp
Torque: 543Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: 248 miles
0-62mph: 3.9 seconds
Top speed: 112mph
Boot space: 313-976 litres
Styling
Considering this is Brabus we're talking about, the upgrades to the #1 are surprisingly subtle. New nostrils mark out the Brabus car at the front, while there's a dash of red in some of the trim around the lower part of the car, but there's no silly spoiler or outrageous body kit. You don't even get an enormous B on the front. But the Smart is quite a smart-looking bit of kit, and you get the sense overly sporty styling would spoil the rounded shape that's appealing in a demi-cutesy kind of way. In the right colour scheme, it's an attractive thing, regardless of whether you choose a Brabus or not.
Interior
Although the Smart #1 is the product of a collaboration between the Germans and the Chinese, the interior styling feels very much a product of the former nation. The rounded, clean design is smart enough (no pun intended), but it doesn't quite have the vodka-bar style of a Mercedes-Benz. Fortunately, though, the build quality feels quite Germanic, with lots of nice materials and well engineered switchgear.
Screens dominate proceedings, with a digital instrument cluster and a massive central touchscreen providing the main interface. The software is a bit odd, with a big cat avatar prowling around for no apparent reason and a strange stylised cityscape providing an unexplained backdrop. The screen is responsive enough, which is good news, and the display is pin sharp, but there's just too much stuff hidden away in the menus to make it properly user-friendly. Certainly, we'd like easier access to the driver assistance features, which are quite irritating at times.
Practicality
Hot hatchbacks are designed to mix fun with practicality, and the Smart does that pretty well. Space in the cabin is ample, with loads of rear leg- and headroom, meaning it's easy enough to carry four adults in perfect comfort. The catch is that the interior space comes at the cost of boot space, which is a little tight. Officially, the 313-litre boot is smaller than that of a VW Polo, and it really does feel that tight. But if you fold down the back seats, the space becomes much more usable, and many customers will prefer to have a larger cabin anyway.
Performance
Standard #1 models come with a 49kWh battery, but the Brabus model uses the larger 66kWh option to provide as much range as possible. And that's because it has two electric motors with a combined output of 428hp, offering all-wheel drive and spectacular performance, taking you from 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds. That puts it roughly on a par with the similarly potent MG4 XPower, but most passengers will be too startled by the pace to notice exactly how fast it is.
So it's definitely fast, but electric cars have to be more than just quick. The bigger battery allows the #1 Brabus to claim a range of up to 248 miles on a single charge, and though you'll struggle to achieve that in the real world, you can do 200 miles or so on the motorway, provided you don't have feet of lead. Elsewhere, though, it's too tempting to use that performance to really make that range achievable.
When the battery is depleted, though, the charging system is pretty quick to fill the car up again. With 150kW charging capability, the car can make best use of most public charge points, and it'll take about half an hour to get from 10 per cent to 80 per cent, at maximum DC charge rate. And because the battery is only medium-sized in the great scheme of electric vehicles, the car will charge quite happily overnight on a domestic 'wallbox' charge point.
Ride & Handling
Although the Brabus moniker suggests performance, and the power output is certainly ample, the car’s suspension is actually no different to that of a standard #1. That means the car rides surprisingly pleasantly day-to-day, with none of the crash and jiggle you expect from a hot hatchback, and it’s quite a nice long-distance cruiser as a result, largely absorbing the bumps neatly on the motorway or around town, despite its big wheels.
The downside is that it doesn’t handle quite as sharply as you might expect. While there’s nothing wrong with the steering per se, it isn’t the most engaging wheel in the world, and there’s a fair bit of body roll thanks to that soft suspension. Don’t get us wrong, it can still be fun – the body control is still reasonable for what is quite a tall hatchback – but there’s less edge to the handling than you might be hoping for.
Value
At almost £45,000, this Brabus version of the #1 is not a cheap car. In fact, it's about £15,000 more expensive than the base model, and given the performance upgrades are mostly experienced in a straight line, that feels like a hefty price hike. That said, you get plenty of standard equipment, so the price doesn't seem too outrageous.
Brabus models get 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic glass roof and red brake callipers, as well as heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel and climate control. You get the big touchscreen, too, complete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility, and you get the Brabus-centric Alcantara and interior styling. Other goodies include the head-up display, wireless phone charging and a 360-degree parking camera.
Verdict
This Brabus version of the #1 doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but it isn't all bad. It's nice to drive and pretty comfortable, while the range is just about sufficient for everyday use. Perhaps it is imperfect, with the strange tech and odd driving position, but under all the weirdness there's a capable car that's trying to get out.
