Smart Reviews

Two cars built on the same platform, sharing a powertrain, but with slightly different intentions... does one of these Chinese-built, Euro-targeting EVs come out on top?

Smart is back as an EV-only brand, with the #3 Brabus being the fastest, most expensive... and most compelling? Not only does the dual-motor AWD small SUV look like a Mercedes-Benz GLA AMG 45, it goes like one too, with blistering acceleration and athletic dynamics to match the racy styling. A Mercedes and Geely co-op, the #3 is related to the Volvo EX30, so brims with lots of safety and tech.

The Smart #3 Brabus isn’t just the fastest, most powerful model in the #3 range, it also makes the first time the German performance sub-brand has been in Australia in over a decade.

The Premium is the mid-level grade in the #3 family, above the Pro+ but below the Brabus.

The Smart #1 Brabus marks a return to Australia for not just the Smart brand, but also for the lesser-known Mercedes-focused performance brand of Brabus.Both were last in Australia attached to the city-friendly and petrol-powered ForTwo and ForFour more than a decade ago, and now they’re back, with the Brabus model acting as the flagship in #1 family.A small, all-electric SUV, the #1 can also be had in Pro+ ($54,900) and Premium ($58,900) guises, but the Brabus ($67,900) delivers a unique look, a sportier drive experience and significantly more power, thanks to its twin-motor set-up.While other models in the Smart #1 feature a single rear-mounted electric motor, the Brabus adds a motor at the front axle, giving it AWD, and which ups the outputs to a punchy 315kW and 543Nm, dropping the sprint to 100km/h to a very fast-feeling 3.9 seconds.All Smart #1 models share the same 66kWh battery, but how far you can travel between charges comes down to the trim you choose, with the WLTP driving range either 400km, 420km or 440km. The Brabus, of course, covers the least ground between charges, owing to its dual-motor setup and prodigious power outputs.

The Pro+ is the entry to the Smart #3 family, listing at $57,900. Though to give credit to Smart, it definitely doesn’t feel like you’ve cut any corners.Even entry-level cars score 19-inch alloys, a panoramic roof, LED lighting, a powered tailgate and a 12.8-inch central screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a 9.2-inch digital dashboard.The Pro+ is a single-motor, rear-drive configuration, which isn't all that common in the EV world, where most position their electric motor on the front axle for front-wheel drive. That motor produces 200kW and 315Nm, meaning a sprint to 100km/h in 5.8 seconds and a 180km/h top speed.It also nabs a 66kWh battery, delivering a WLTP driving range of 435km. And when it comes time to charge, you can choose between home AC charging (either power point or wall box), or 150kW DC fast charging, which should take around 30 minutes to go from empty to 80 per cent charged.

Smart is part-owned by Germany's Mercedes-Benz and China's Geely, and is promising quality premium-feeling EVs at affordable(ish) prices as a result. We put the #3 to the local test to find out if it lives up to that promise.

The Smart #1 Premium is the middle model in the #1’s three-trim line-up, sitting above the Pro+ ($54,900) and below the performance-focused Brabus ($67,900), all before on-road costs.The Premium will set you back $58,900, and it builds on the Pro+’s 19-inch alloys, panoramic roof, powered tailgate 12.8-inch central screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and 9.2-inch digital dashboard with matrix LED headlights, leather trim, a huge head-up display and a better Beats stereo.It shares it battery and powertrain with the Pro+ below it, which mean it’s fitted with 66kWh battery, unlocking a driving range of up to 420kms, and scores a rear-mounted electric motor producing 200kW and 343Nm — enough to push you from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds. When it comes time to plug in, all models are equipped with 150kW DC fast-charging capability, and when plugged into said charger, you can expect to go from zero to 80 per cent charged in less than 30 minutes.The #1 also wears a maximum five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, and comes with a pretty stacked active safety list, and though our test drive was far from exhaustive, only the speed limit warning (which you can switch off) felt overly intrusive, with the rest just sort of humming away in the background.

The Smart #1 Pro+ is the cheapest way into this all-electric SUV family, though to the brand’s credit, it doesn’t feel like an entry-level model.

Smart is back in Australia, but gone are the clever petrol-powered city cars, replaced by a small electric SUV, the #1, the brand says will sit between mainstream players and traditional premium marques. Which makes sense given Smart is part-owned by Chinese giant Geely and German premium brand Mercedes-Benz. So is this #1 the best of both those worlds? We put it to the test to find out.