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The Smart #1 is a good car, an impressive one, even — and yes, you pronounce it ‘Hashtag one’.
This comes as a surprise as many first efforts from electric car manufacturers fresh to mature markets such as Australia and Europe have been disappointing.
So often there’s a compromised suspension set-up, poor steering feel, software bugs or awful driver assistance systems.
None of that in the #1, which is packed with technology, has decent driving range and very pleasant steering. It also looks quirky — in a good way, my art director partner tells me — and has one of the best ride and handling balances of any electric car on sale.
It is quite good value, too, the Premium I sampled costs $58,900, before on-road costs and has 19-inch alloy wheels, synthetic leather upholstery, power adjust seats with heating, a heat pump, a Beats sound system and luxury ambience to rival Benz’s entry-level EQA, which is $30,000 more expensive.
The #1 is also cheaper than a petrol-powered base model Mercedes-Benz GLA 200. You really have to want that Merc badge.
Electric stats are decent, the #1 Premium has a 66kWh battery allied with a 200kW/343Nm rear-mounted electric motor for a brisk 0-100km/h sprint of 6.7 seconds and respectable 440km WLTP driving range.
A more powerful Brabus variant is available but the regular #1 is plenty fast. There’s also a more distinctive coupe-like #3 available in a lewd Photon Orange paint that really stands out.
To be fair, the Smart #1 had its fair share of gremlins. Twice during my week with the car the screen went dark and interfacing with the multimedia system (mostly to disable active safety systems) was like pulling teeth — it would be nice if the cute digital fox actually did something helpful. Hopefully, over-the-air software updates can fix these niggles.
There’s also the back seats, which you can’t fold flat from the boot. The pull tabs to raise the backrest end up out of reach when they are folded, so you can’t pull them back up. Annoying and not salvageable by software updates.
The real elephant in the room for Smart is the brand’s meaning today. Certainly if the #1 was in a room otherwise filled with Smart’s back catalogue like the minuscule 2.5-metre long ForTwo, or the 840kg Smart Roadster.
An ultra-quick back-story of the brand: it started as a 49/51 joint venture between Swatch Watch’s owner, Hayek, and Daimler-Mercedes. The tiny ForTwo launched in 1998 as a response to the new millennium.
Efficient, small and affordable but with endless customisation and pops of colour to make the chic urbanite use the car as a fashion accessory as much as a mode of transport. The latter new Mini and Fiat 500 did better jobs, but the Smart was a trailblazer.
Smart became a Mercedes subsidiary after that and, in 2019, Chinese automotive giant Geely bought a 50 per cent stake, reinvigorating the range with what you see here — electric-only, semi-luxury SUVs.
That’s pretty much the same space as a Volvo EX30, Polestar 2 and Zeekr X, which are all related to both of Smart’s new models.
Outside of them, the circa-$60K electric car price bracket includes other small electric SUVs like the Hyundai Kona electric, the Renault Megane E-Tech and BYD Atto 3, with bigger models like the Tesla Model Y, XPeng G6, Deepal S07 and incoming BYD Sealion 7 also in the same price sphere. What a nightmare!
Aside from being quite accomplished and having cute animal avatars like the Fox (or optional Cheetah), there isn’t a whole lot about Smart’s ethos that stands out — at least to my radar. There’s certainly less brand cachet than Audi, BMW, Lexus or Mercedes-Benz.
That leaves the success of these new entrants, in what will be a shrinking new-car market come 2025, down to a combination of price and brand awareness.
Smart has a leg-up on the price game as it is not imported by Mercedes-Benz Australia, which runs a fixed-price agency model. Instead, LSH Auto — one of the largest Mercedes-Benz dealer groups — is importing the cars. This means, in theory, discounting should be possible.
Sharing dealership space with Mercs could be good, or could be negative, it all depends on the service and shopping experience. But they will probably be more visible than other new Chinese brands not associated with existing luxury brands.
Will Smart succeed? Out of all the new names in the game, the tie-in with a legacy manufacturer gives it a semblance of sales security. However, if the cars don’t stand out to buyers, or aren’t priced right, it could go south fast.
Let me know your feelings, are you comfortable taking a chance on an unknown brand? What kind of features would draw you in? Do you care about brand ethos? Have your say in the comments section.
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