November 9, 2006
ForTwo Two to the fore
As every band knows, the second album is always tricky. Keep things the same and you'll be criticised for stagnating. Try a fresh tack and you risk losing your fans.
The follow-up is made even trickier if you've left it for eight years.
It's been nearly a decade since the original Smart ForTwo hit our streets, with its compact dimensions and smug ability to park nose-in to the pavement. So reinventing the teeny-tiny city car was always going to be a serious task. But with Smart's reputation for providing alternative solutions, surely the new ForTwo would be radical, different and challenging?
Well, no. The visuals mostly remain true to the original. Smart devotees will spot the new projection headlights and the horizontal door handle incorporated into the shoulder line, but the split tailgate and styling cues remain. With over 750,000 old ForTwos already built, Smart argues that there's no need to change a wining formula.
Look closely, however, and the new ForTwo does have its differences. It's 20cm longer than its predecessor, giving better pedestrian safety impact and making it a bit less dodgy if you get rear-ended. The extra length also improves the woeful bootspace by some 70 litres to a slightly-less-woeful 220-litre total.
The wheelbase has been lengthened by 55mm, which should provide a much-needed improvement in ride quality without compromising that cheeky two-to-a-bay parking possibility.
The S-shaped dashboard of the old ForTwo has been done away with, replaced by a less funky but doubtless more practical straight instrument panel. There's a smidgen more space inside the cabin too, but - judging from these shots at least - Smart has kept faith with the same old dodgy patterned fabric. Joy.
The three-cylinder petrol engine has been expanded from 700cc to a massive one-litre, and produces 61, 71 or even 84bhp. The diesel option - which hasn't yet been confirmed for the UK - also gets a 10 per cent power boost, taking it up to 45bhp.
Perhaps the best news is that the clunky clutchless gearbox of the old ForTwo has been reworked. It's still a 5-speed 'automated manual', but with any luck it'll be that vital bit smoother.
The ultra-chic cabriolet - as shown here - gets a fully automatic soft top. Smart claims that the electric hood can be opened or closed at any driving speed, which sounds like a fun - if potentially terrifying - challenge.
The new ForTwo will be on sale in Britain in April, with a Brabus version arriving in the autumn.
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