Smart #1 Reviews

The baby-car world was dominated by a single star through the 1990s.The Hyundai Excel was the benchmark for every rival – on price, style and sales – until the death of the Korean king led to a fundamental shift in the noughties.Now the lightweight division is split down the middle and there are two separate contests: one powered by price, the other by class. In the price group are people buying their first new car, usually on a tight budget with less emphasis on features, and the class group wants a compact car for city work or as a second vehicle in the family garage.The bargain-basement contenders are battling in the sub-$15,000 range, just as they did when the Excel was the pacemaker, while the starting price for seriously good babies is close to $17,000 and can run to well beyond $20,000.Toyota changed the game last year when it decided to lob its baby Echo with a sub-$15,000 bottom line including power steering and airconditioning.Although the price has crept up to $14,790, it is still the sales leader. In the first quarter of this year Echo grabbed more than 20 per cent of light-car sales, reflecting the strength of the Toyota brand...despite the design being five years old.Hyundai is still playing the price game with the boxy little Getz. It's second to the Echo in the price fight and leading the Korean contenders against a line-up which includes a broad range of imports, including the Holden-badged but Opel-designed Barina.At the top end of the business, the Japanese really are on top. The classy Mazda2 and Honda Jazz set the standard for shoppers with plenty of cash to splash, even if Ford has arrived – far too late after the loss of its top-selling Korean-made Festiva – with a European Fiesta which is the light star of 2004.The $14,490 starting price for the Fiesta is going to create plenty of action in Ford showrooms, because the blue-oval baby is a good drive and well designed. But buyers will still have to add $2000 for airconditioning – a crippling extra in such a price-sensitive arena.But that's typical of the light-car class.There is always something new, always a price leader and a class champion, and they're all elbowing for space in a bargain basement that introduces many people to their first new car.This is how the Cars Guide team rates them:1. MAZDA2Lowdown: Five-door hatch with 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine producing 82kW and priced from $17,490.Verdict: Another direct hit by MazdaPlus: Quality and comfortMinus: Pricey for the sizeRating: 18/20The baby Mazda is one of the stars of the Japanese company's product-driven comeback.Mazda battled through the 1990s with outdated and cost-down cars that were a poor reflection of the brand's traditional strengths, but when it got serious – with Ford funding – it cranked out the classy Mazda6, RX-8 and Mazda3.The smallest of the crop is the Mazda2, but it has the condensed strengths from the same design team and gene pool.That means it looks good, drives well and is built to class-leader quality.2. HONDA JAZZLowdown: Five-door hatch with 1.3-litre (61kW) or 1.5-litre (81kW) four-cylinder engine, priced from $15,990Verdict: Stylish and practical but harsh ridePlus: Good looks, versatile cabinMinus: Bouncy rideRating: 17/20The Jazz outsold the Mazda2 by 1280 in the first four months of 2004, and that comes down to price and funky looks.It's really a 21st-century Civic, as compact as the original and just as trendy for young buyers.Honda was smart to start with a 1.3-litre motor below $16,000, but doesn't scrimp on the cabin. It's comfortable for four and the seats fold to carry almost any load.People who want the best go straight to the punchy VTi-S with all the fruit for $22,490.3. FORD FIESTALowdown: Three-door and five-door hatch powered by a 74kW 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, from $14,490Verdict: Perky and enjoyablePlus: Goes well, roomy insideMinus: Cheap-ish plastics, finishRating: 16/20Ford went backwards with the Ka, which didn't have the space or automatic to compete, but it now has the right sales ingredients.The Fiesta is a star in Europe and way better than the long-dead Festiva, a Korean version of the previous Mazda 121.It drives well, has plenty of space and is good value, thanks partly to the strength of the Australian dollar.The Fiesta just edges the Toyota Echo and the Hyundai Getz out of the final medal spot in the light-car class.HYUNDAI GETZ 16/20Price: From $13,490Engines: 1.3-litre (60kW) and 1.5-litre (74kW)Body styles: Three-door hatch and five-door hatchNot an Excel, but still packed with Hyundai strengths.TOYOTA ECHO 16/20Price: From $14,740Engines: 1.3-litre (63kW) and 1.5-litre (80kW)Body styles: Three-door hatch and five-door sedan.Shows age inside, but Toyota has done well to keep the price sharp.HOLDEN BARINA 16/20Price: From $15,990Engines: 1.4-litre (66kW) and 1.8-litre (92kW)Body styles: Three-door and five-doorLooks good and drives well, with bonus deal adding appeal. CITROEN C3 14/20Price: From $19,990Engines: 1.4-litre (57kW) and 1.6-litre (83kW)Body styles: Five-door hatchOne of the funkiest babies on sale in Australia. The engine is dozy and there are some quality niggles.RENAULT CLIO 14/20Price: From $19,990Engines: 1.4-litre (72kW), 1.6-litre (79kW) and 2.0-litre (124kW)Body styles: sedan and hatchNot as trendy as the bigger Megane with the J.Lo rump, but still a solid effort from the French brand.VOLKSWAGEN POLO 14/20Price: From $19,990Engines: 1.4-litre (55kW)Body styles: hatchToo costly by far. The Polo is a nice car but smaller than many rivals, and Volkswagen doesn't do enough in Australia to compensate.PEUGEOT 206 13/20Price: From $19,990Engines: 1.4-litre, 1.6-litre (80kW) and 1.8-litre (100kW and 130kW)Body styles: hatchLIKE the C3, the Peugeot is too much and too little. The price is too high and the cabin too cramped.SMART FORTWO 13/20Price: From $21,900Engines: 0.7-litre (45kW)Body styles: Two-door coupeThe smallest and trendiest of the light cars is a phonebox-on-wheels that will only be bought by the trendiest shoppers.DAEWOO KALOS 12/20Price: From $14,990Engines: 1.5-litre (62kW)Body styles: Three-door hatch, five-door sedanA good Korean effort – compact and good-looking but trails in refinement and design.MITSUBISHI MIRAGE 12/20Price: From $15,990Engines: 1.5-litre (69kW)Body styles: Three-door hatchMitsubishi has kept the price competitive, the body is still stylish, and there is potential to add some Evo-style body bits.DAIHATSU SIRION 10/20Price: From $13,250Engines: 1.0-litre (40kW)Body styles: Five-door hatchbackThe Sirion is the best of the Daihatsu contenders, with a roomy cabin and passable power, but it is let down by the driving experience.DAIHATSU YRV 10/20Price: From $15,990Engines: 1.5-litre (40kW)Body styles: Five-door hatchThe funk leader in the D-brand line-up shows what's missing from the mix, with clunky controls and sub-standard driving dynamics.KIA RIO 9/20Price: From $14,990Engines: 1.5-litre (71kW)Body styles: Four-door sedan or five-door wagonThe wagon option gives it a unique selling point, but the sedan was one of the worst cars we drove last year.PROTON SATRIA 9/20Price: From $14,990Engines: 1.5-litre (64kW) and 1.8-litre (99kW)Body styles: Three-door hatch, five-door hatchAnother oldie that struggles to do anything but fill showroom space.SUZUKI IGNIS 9/20Price: From $14,990Engines: 1.3-litre (61kW) and 1.5-litre (83kW)Body styles: HatchThe baby box doesn't have enough of anything. Suzuki hasn't had enough cash to continue.DAIHATSU CHARADE 8/20Price: From $11,950Engines: 1.0-litre (40kW)Body styles: Five-door hatchThe great name is all that remains from one of the earliest bargain-basement stars. Today's Charade is cheap and unimpressive.

It was developed as a Swatch for the world of wheels and aimed at youngsters who could see the potential for a compact runabout in the overcrowded cities of Europe.Australia Smart was rejected twice before the booming DaimlerChrysler empire realised it could take a place Down Under, and that the baby brand would eventually become a full-line car company with solid youth support.It probably also helped that private importers were bringing the phonebox-on-wheels Smart cars to Australia outside the official channels, and doing it at prices which were doing nothing for any long-term success. Too costly, basically.Now we've been through the City coupe and cabrio start-up, with 58 sales through the first two months of 2004, and face the sporty Roadster.This is the first car that puts Smart up against real rivals.Honestly, there's nothing that competes with the City twins, which are so small they can be parked nose-first to the kerb without bumping into traffic. If you want a City car then that's what you get. Game over.But the Roadster, even with a $37,990 bottom line and stand-out styling, will have to win customers against a wide range of rivals.It still has only a 700cc suprex turbo engine, but the body has plenty of room for two, with a lift-out sunroof and plenty of equipment including airconditioning, alloy wheels, remote central locking and electric windows and mirrors.Potential rivals are both sporty and trendy, since the Roadster will still be a fashion item for many owners.So, though the Roadster looks a fair bit like a Lotus Elise, it will also be lined up against the VW Beetle cabrio, the Peugeot 206CC and even the really silly Daihatsu Copen.It will also be shopped against the Toyota MR2, which has a similar objective but does it with more size and weight at a higher price.The design of the Roadster is just what you'd expect for a sports car, with a low plastic body that's pulled tight around wheels at each corner.It has some nice curves and the two-piece hardtop is intended to be stored in a shallow boot space behind the cabin and above the engine.Smart makes a big deal about the car's rigid Tridion safety cell, with claims of superior crash protection.The mechanical package starts with the 60kW engine paired with a sequential manual gearbox.It is rear-wheel drive and Smart engineers have even put wider wheels on the tail to improve the cornering, which is controlled from electrically assisted rack-and-pinion steering.On the roadIF you jump into the Smart roadster expecting a full-on sports car experience then . . . well, you're going to be disappointed.It's fun and functional but won't remotely keep pace with a Nissan 350Z. Smart says it takes 10.9 seconds to reach 100km/h and there are a lot of fairly ordinary family sedans that can do better.But the roadster has a sharp edge and it looks really, really good.You have to work hard – if you're beyond your 20s – to get down into the cabin, but it's a great fit and there is plenty to keep you entertained.The seats are supportive, the wheel feels good and the design of the instruments shows a lot of smart thinking with a youthful twist.The location of the key is a surprise, because it is tucked away on the centre column behind the gear lever. But it works well enough.Turn the key and you hear a gruff little three-potter fire into action, right behind your head. The sound performance includes a selection of chuffs and whistles and burps when you get going, and anyone who likes the blow-off whoosh of a Subaru WRX will enjoy the noise. We found it entertaining.The Smart coupe is not all that powerful or swift, but it feels good as it gets along. There is good response, provided you're in the right gear, and you always feel that the car is keen to help.The gearbox, though, is recalcitrant. If you use it manually it's slow to answer any commands, and completely ignores low-ratio demands by shifting up at the redline.Not good if you're rushing between turns and want to hold a gear.The automatic mode is also frustrating, with slow-pace shifts and a reluctant kickdown. We used it in city traffic, but Smart really needs to do some work to make it a better match for the rest of the Roadster package.Smart says it revives the purist feel of an earlier era and that's true.It feels shrink-wrapped around you and – a lot like the costlier Lotus Elise – you always know what's happening at the wheels.It also encourages you to tackle a corner, any corner, with a quick flick on the wheel and plenty of throttle.It has a good cornering balance and good grip. So it's an impressive chassis that also defeats most bumps, though it will crash through potholes and there is more noise from the chassis than we would like.It's tough to rate the Roadster against rivals as a lot of people will buy it because they like the look.It's tight on space and doesn't have much luggage capacity, but it is much nicer to drive than a Beetle Cabrio or a Peugeot 206CC.It comes closest to the MR2 but has a much more focused feel.As a stepping stone to the future, it also proves that Smart is more than just a telephone box on wheels.