2005 Smart Forfour Reviews

That was, a guide who spoke Italian and English.The second smart thing I did was borrow a car economical enough for Rome's $2.50 a litre petrol wallop, and small enough to squeeze through the traffic yet big enough, so I'm visible to the smoke-belching trucks and erratically zig-zagging scooters.That clever option was a Smart.Built in France and the child of a fractured marriage between Swiss watchmaker Swatch and Mercedes-Benz, the Smart forfour, that is, for four people, is the biggest of the maker's four-car range.Smart is probably best known for its diminutive fortwo – you guessed it, for two people – that in Perth can share a single car bay with another fortwo.The forfour is a different animal because it uses mechanical components shared with the new Mitsubishi Colt. It also has four doors and excellent interior room. Which is all good.The road to the Pope's summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, sits high on the hill with its fortress-like stance overlooking a lake.From Rome the road is incredibly busy, but the Smart forfour picked its line well through the metallic weave.Surprisingly, the Smart drove more like a zippy sports car than a family chariot.It was upset by the rough cobblestone roads, especially at low speeds, though enjoyed a rev on the open highways.I knocked repeatedly on the wooden doors of Castel Gandolfo in the hope that the owner was home but was told, curtly, that he wasn't and to go away.So I did. All the way to Perth where I had a chance to drive the Smart forfour in Australian trim.The four-door is sold here with two engines, the 1.3-litre as tested and a 1.5, and two transmissions and a harlequin of body colours.With a conventional five-speed manual, the cheapest model was also the most fun to drive.Unlike the Euro-spec forfour, the Aussie car had excellent ride characteristics at all speeds.The engine may be small but it's willing, revving cleanly to give spirited performance while being pleasantly economical.While it will get excellent fuel economy around town and even better in the country, the engine is a bit weak on torque and requires lots of gearshifts to keep the performance on tap.It also starts to fall away when you have more than two people aboard so if you're a regular children's taxi driver, the bigger 1.5-litre engine is advised.But it is clear that the Smart 1.3 was made for someone who enjoys driving. Take it for a blast and you immediately notice the taut chassis.It was so much fun and such a delight to drive that it was one of the hardest cars to return after the test.Like the other Smarts, the fortwo, cabrio and roadster, the car has fresh styling that, though a bit tacky and plasticy, is extremely appealing.The cloth-covered dash has goggle-eyed vents, ancillary gauges sprouting from stalks, a cute, little steering wheel and an underdash tray with glovebox.The CD sound system is clean and simple, as is most switchgear.Visibility is excellent and there's plenty of adjustment in the seats and steering wheel.The rear seat slides on runners to boost boot space. With leg and headroom for a 1.8m backseat passenger, the boot space is minimal though with kiddies on board it deepens to hold lots of shopping.The basic 1.3-litre Pulse as tested has airconditioning, electric front windows, central locking, two airbags, alloy wheels and a CD player.The electric sunroof is a $1620 option, though you can have a full-length fixed smoked-glass roof for about $800.It's a superb little car and if you're in the market for a small four-door hatch, this must at least be seen.

"Have faith," I insisted, with fingers crossed. "It's a smart car."I had heard great things about this "Mini-Me" vehicle: tough, comfortable, reliable, revolutionary even, part of the Mercedes-Benz group.And, after all, it's called a forfour ... for four people ... so why not put it to the test?Well, aren't I just the smartypants. The forfour passed the test with flying colours.The only place the smart car struggled (and only a little) was pushing up through the Adelaide Hills. But, don't forget, the 1.3-litre engine was working overtime with the car loaded to the brim. It's surprising what you can fit into a car that measures just 3.7m long and 1.7m wide ... four people plus enough gear for a weekend away, including liquid refreshments.Yes, there is enough room in the boot for an Esky. Just. In fact, the entire back seat moves forward or back to allow for more leg room or luggage – depending on how nice you want to be to your passengers.The 2/3 split seat also folds all the way down so you have a mini version of a station wagon.A common misconception with this little car is that driving it will make you feel vulnerable because it's so small.Not so, thanks to a lot of smart ideas. The roomy interior makes you feel like you're in a much larger car.Safety was obviously a big consideration in the smart design, starting with the tridion safety cell (sounds like something out of a Dr Who series).Then, add dual front and side airbags, integral safety seats (whatever that means), seat-belt tensioners, belt-force limiters and a whole ABC of safety features, including ABS brakes with EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution) and ESP (electronic stability program).As for looks, this little car is a smart dresser, thanks again, in part, to that tridion cell – the frame on which the forfour is built.The cell is also the base for some pretty snazzy colour co-ordination. Pick one of three frames and then chop and change the other panels (from a choice of 10 colours) to create the look you want – sleek silver, bold red and black, trendy black or adorable panda. The panels are made from scratch-resistant plastic, robust enough, Mercedes says, "to withstand light bumps virtually unscathed".Unfortunately, I can vouch for that – thanks to some smart alec who hit me and then took off.Barely a scratch on the bumper.But the smart ideas don't stop there. Here are just a few more to whet your appetite:Automatic windows in the front but manual in the back.A tray by the side of the front seats ... how often have you dropped something down the side of the front seat and then struggled to find it?Removable ashtray.A four-way interior light with a soft glow or stronger individual reading globes.LOVE ITEverything – the look, the size (small on the outside but big on the inside), easy on the juice and especially the fact that other cars seem to "bounce off" those special body panels.LEAVE ITHaving to give it back.

Top of the hip hop heap from the day it hit the road, the Jazz has been dethroned as the king of cool by Smart's Forfour.The funk factor starts with the name – Forfour – chosen because Smart's latest model is designed to carry four people.It also works for the Fortwo, which got the brand up and running and has just been approved for two-cars-in-one-space parking in many Australian cities because it is only three metres long.Then again, the sporty Smart is called the Roadster. Whatever.The Forfour's youthful approach is reflected in everything from the car's polycarbonate roof to plastic doors and a fabric-covered dashboard.The design is one of the trendiest on the road today, and turns heads all the time."Wow! What is this?" asks Annette at the tip when she spots the Forfour."This is different. I'm not sure that I like it for me, but it is definitely different," says Todd at the service station.The Forfour is that kind of car.It's for people who want to be seen, who want people to know they are different, and believe the baby Benz brand has something for them.But the Forfour is not what it seems. Not entirely, anyway.It came from a joint development program with the Mitsubishi Colt, which includes everything from the engine to the underbody, and is being bolted together at the Nedcar factory in Holland.But we've driven the Colt, and the Smart is very different. It is more lively, more enjoyable and – no surprise for a Benz brand – more expensive.Make that much more expensive, because the starting price is $23,900 for a Forfour with a 1.3-litre engine. It is possible to go closer to $30,000 for one with a 1.5-litre engine and some additional equipment. This is in a class in which plenty of cars are below $20,000 and even a top-line Jazz VTi-S is $21,790.Still, the price isn't hurting sales and DaimlerChrysler says the Forfour is giving the Smart brand a big shot in showrooms.Sales of Smarts were up 240 per cent last month, from 20 cars in January 2004 to 68 this year.It doesn't sound much, but it shows the brand is getting closer to the critical mass it needs in Australia.It's no good having good cars if no one sees them, but the Forfour is doing the job on both fronts.The Australian Forfour sits closer to the fully equipped model sold in Europe and has everything from airconditioner and CD sound to 15-inch alloys and electric windows.Smart has been surprised by the reaction to the car, particularly the popularity of the costlier 1.5-litre version, and has been forced to mount a special trip to Germany to stock up."Everyone is going for the larger engine," Smart spokesman Toni Andreevski says."We thought people would be more sensitive to the price, so we ordered more 1.3-litre cars, but the reverse is true."He also says the Softouch Plus semi-automatic manual gearbox, which costs $1035, is also more popular than expected.

Smart is the latest to join the fray with its five door, four seater forfour, a "small car" in the true sense.There's a distinctive Smart DNA about its flanks and it has a "funky doo da" interior just like other Smart models sold here – fortwo and roadster.Too much hard plastic though.The funkster formula has lots of appeal and is a welcome change from generically styled stuff that rules the roost.Boring obviously sells but the forfour might have enough "woohoo" value to change some people's thinking.It deserves a look.A progeny of the marriage between Daimler/Chrysler and Mitsubishi, forfour shares its platform, indeed its "philosophy" with the new Mitsubishi Colt. They are different cars with individual body styles and engines but if you drive the two back to back, there is an uncanny similarity between the two.You can also expect a lot of forfour in the new A-Class Benz.Forfour looks fantastic and has a passenger cell featuring that special metal called Tridion. It's light and supposed to be super strong but I wouldn't like to test it. Some body panels are plastic.The 1.3-litre manual was in a superb burnt orange duco with contrast black highlights that looks a million bucks.It is priced up compared with other offerings in the segment selling for $23,990 plus on roads. Only one spec', the high range Pulse, is available in this and the 1.5-litre model.Some necessities were missing from the test vehicle – rear power windows, electrically adjustable mirrors and other stuff you'd expect for the price.On the other side of the coin is ESP (Electronic Stability Program) that selectively brakes each wheel for stability.It delivers strong performance and incredible fuel economy though using premium unleaded. The 1.3 will whizz along sipping less than 6.0-litres/100km.It's a four cylinder petrol model with 70kW/125Nm output.As forfour weighs in at just under 1000kg, it has perky performance and is quite acceptable around town and on the highway though it's raucous at higher revs.The five speed manual transmission is standard fare with a short throw between gears and slick action.A six speed auto is available. Handling has a sportiness to it but can be caught out on bumpy corners. On the straightaway and despite the short wheelbase, it smooths out bumps OK.The interior is impressively spacious even down to a sliding rear seat. It's attractive and functional and the sound system impresses in such a car.Forfour is all about "stylin" but is well built and an honest performer with a weighty price for the market.