Smart Roadster Reviews

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.

The Smart #5 is a boxy, adventure-ready electric 4WD that will deliver "true off-road capability" and an all-electric drive experience, with the back-in-Australia brand ripping the covers off its most expensive model to date.Likely more of a "light off-ro

Smart might be the latest Chinese brand to launch in Australia, but its one that arrives with a significant difference, with the marque jointly owned by Chinese giant Geely and German heavyweight Mercedes-Benz.

Smart will unveil its largest and most powerful SUV to date – the Smart #5 – at a global launch event in Australia later this month. It will be the first time the electric car has been officially shown to the public and follows the reveal of a concept version in April at the Beijing motor show. The launch event will take place on August 28 in Byron Bay where Smart has planned its domestic launch of the smaller Smart #1 SUV and Smart #3 coupe SUV models, both of which debuted in China last year.Smart has referred to the #5 as a “contemporary adventurer” that combines premium SUV comfort and style. The #5 is designed by Mercedes-Benz and will have off-road capability. Smart says the #5 has only slight variations from the concept model, which showed it as a fully-equipped off-roader. Patent filings earlier this year revealed the the top-spec dual-motor variant of the Smart #5 will have a staggering output of 474kW, blowing away the most powerful versions of the Smart #1 and Smart #3 by at least 150kW.For comparison, the Smart #5 will pack 44kW more than the red hot Kia EV6 GT and nearly as much as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N performance EV.The #5 doesn’t appear to get the same Brabus treatment – via Smart’s part-owner Mercedes-Benz – as the #1 and #3 receive. Full performance figures are expected closer to the vehicle’s official launch date, and it is likely the top-spec variant will be able to hit 0-100km/h in less than three seconds.There will also be a slightly less performance oriented dual-motor variant, which still outputs a hefty 431kW. Two rear-wheel drive variants with outputs of 250kW and 267kW will also join the line-up.Smart says its most efficient #5 will have a range of up to 700km.Exact details regarding the battery capacities for each model are yet to be disclosed, though Smart has stated that the model’s most efficient variant has a battery capacity of more than 100kWh, along with 800-volt fast-charging capacity.Measuring at 4705 mm long, 1920mm wide and 1705 mm tall, the Smart #5 is a similar size to the Tesla Model Y. Details on the vehicle's interior design are yet to be released, though given the vehicle’s exterior design is only likely to differ marginally from the April 2024 concept, it could be safe to assume the interior will remain largely the same.If so, you can expect two central OLED screens, a digital driver’s display, ambient lighting, a portable speaker integrated into the vehicle’s central console, a striking ‘X’-shaped glass roof, as well as heated, ventilated and massage seats. Pricing is expected once the vehicle is officially launched.The global launch will involve a drive program from Brisbane to Byron Bay, which Smart will live-stream to a global audience. It’s very rare for a car company to stage its global launch in Australia, though Smart says its decision was made based Australia’s proximity to China – where the cars are built and where the Smart team is based – and the company's commitment to the Australian market, having announced its return earlier this year. Smart is a jointly owned venture between Mercedes-Benz and Chinese automotive conglomerate Geely, the latter owns car brands such as Polestar, Volvo and Zeekr among others.