Smart #3 review: Smart and sexy
The #3 has got your number. The coupe-SUV mashup mixes slinky looks with practicality
[BRISBANE] Within the small but growing Smart family, the #3 has to be the most classically sexy. Though they have similarly coquettish headlamps and soft curves, the lower, wider stance and slender body make it much easier on the eye than the more toy-like #1, a compact sport utility vehicle (SUV).
Come to think of it, the #3 is better looking than its many cousins, too. As part of the sprawling Zhejiang Geely empire, Smart builds its cars with the same or similar fundamental bits that brands such as Zeekr and Volvo do. Next to the #3, their cars look overstyled and fussy.
If anything, the little coupe-SUV mashup bears closer resemblance to its extended family in Germany (Mercedes owns half of Smart).
That explains the #3’s interior. Its dashboard layout, air-con vents and general controls give off baby Mercedes vibes. But the similarities are mostly physical; prodding around the touchscreen’s eye-catching but confusing menus and icons reveals that Smart has some way to go before its software is as easy to operate as Mercedes’ (although to be fair, it took several iterations before the German company sorted out its own user interface).
But the driving experience is pure Smart, with instant acceleration making the #3 feel irrepressibly zippy. It has noticeably tauter handling than the taller #1, making it the obvious choice for keen drivers, but only to a point.
The dual-motor Brabus version is as quick as some Ferraris, but its suspension isn’t quite collected enough to match its motors’ heavy punch. Just as well the single-motor Pro+ version is no slouch, either, and quick enough to give a good hot hatch a run for its money.
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Whatever is driving its wheels, the #3 is surprisingly spacious inside for such a compact car. It’s narrow, but it does offer plenty of rear legroom, and its boot is bigger than the #1’s, at 370 litres. Being able to fold the rear seats down takes loading capacity to 1,160 litres, which gives the car a modicum of practicality.
There are niggles, of course. The glass roof adds to the cabin’s feeling of airy spaciousness, but doesn’t come with a sunshade. Most people would need to plug it in twice a week, because its range isn’t particularly long and the battery’s chemistry doesn’t suit charging the car to 100 per cent too often.
The same applies to many electric vehicles, though, and drivers tend to adapt fairly readily. People have willingly put up with much more for the sake of sexiness, anyway.
Smart #3 Pro+ Motor power/torque 272 hp/343 Nm Battery type/net capacity Lithium nickel cobalt manganese (NCM)/66 kWh Charging type/time Less than 30 minutes 10 to 80 per cent (at 150 kW, DC), approximately 3 hours 10 to 80 per cent (at 22 kW, AC) Range 435 km (estimated) 0-100 kmh 5.8 seconds Top speed 180 kmh Efficiency 16.8 kWh/100 km (estimated) Agent Cycle & Carriage Singapore Price To be announced Available Sep 10
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