Test Drive: 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe. Click image to enlarge

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Review and photos by Jil McIntosh

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2008 Smart Fortwo

Oshawa, Ontario – After a brief hiatus, the Smart is back. The diminutive two-seater was last officially offered as a 2006 model, with dealers selling out that stock throughout 2007. For 2008, there’s an all-new model that, for the first time, is shared with our neighbours to the south, as Smart prepares to enter the U.S. market.

How well it’ll do in a country that traditionally loves its bigger vehicles has yet to be determined, even in the face of soaring gasoline prices, and that may be why Mercedes has given it to Penske to sell, rather than through its own showrooms as it is sold here. In any case, the first look Americans get is of a model that’s improved in several areas over our last generation, although Canadians who fell in love with the diesel-powered Smart may be somewhat disappointed.

2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe. Click image to enlarge

The biggest change is in the Smart’s propulsion. It’s still a three-cylinder engine, mounted over the rear wheels, but whereas the previous model used a 0.8-litre diesel, the 2008 version employs a 1.0-litre gasoline engine. Horsepower is up, from 40 hp to 70 hp. Torque drops by a less drastic difference, but you have to look at the whole picture: the gasoline engine makes its maximum 68 lb-ft at 4,500 rpm, while the diesel produced its 74 lb-ft starting at 1,800 rpm. The Smart is now more top-end spin than low-end power, and the maximum speed rises to 145 km/h, but the diesel’s grunt made more sense in a car that’s designed for city congestion. Europe still gets an oil-burner, of course, but our emissions standards made that too difficult, especially with the push into the U.S. (On the plus side, though, diesel fuel can often be hard to find in the downtown cores where the Smart makes the most sense, and its higher pump price might turn off some buyers in spite of its longer range.) There’s also a micro-hybrid available overseas, which switches off the engine entirely when the car’s stuck in traffic.

Even though the diesel’s gone from our models, its spirit remains: this new gasoline engine is so noisy and coarse that I actually checked to make sure it really was petrol. It also has an odd habit of surging after coming to a stop, so be sure your foot is firmly on the brake.

2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe. Click image to enlarge

The transmission is new, as well: it’s a five-speed automatic that replaces the previous six-speed. The car still lurches heavily between shifts; it’s not quite as bad as before, but it’s still one of the vehicle’s more unappealing habits. It’s possible to smooth it out if you use the manual mode and match the revs exactly, but you really have to work at it. My tester came with paddle shifters, which made it easier to do. Getting it from zero to 100 km/h now takes 13.3 seconds.

The improved acceleration is noticeable under hard throttle, and the car seems happiest at 80 km/h, where it runs smoothly and as quietly as it’s going to get. It feels more stable than the previous model at highway speeds, although a stiff breeze or the turbulence from a tractor-trailer will send it all over the road. I had it up as high as 130 km/h – and was promptly passed by another Smart.

The improved performance comes at a price, of course. Whereas the diesel posted a fuel economy rating of 4.6 L/100 km in the city and 3.8 on the highway, the new gasoline version is officially ranked at 5.9 and 4.8. In combined driving, including a couple of highway trips, I got 6.7 L/100 km. That still meant a fairly small bill at the gas pumps, but the last time I drove a diesel Smart, I averaged 4.7 L/100 km. Not only that, but the posted requirement is for premium fuel.

2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe. Click image to enlarge

Also new is the Smart’s styling, both inside and out. It’s still the same basic shape, but it’s slightly larger, with a new grille and single-unit taillight lenses. The big change is inside, with a dash that looks more like a car, and less like a toy. There’s now a more integrated centre stack, a real glovebox with a lock, heater controls that are far easier to use, better cupholders, and a sleek, attractive steering wheel. The upright dash-mounted vents are gone, but you can still order the optional tachometer and clock, which are housed in funky little pods that you can spin around, and which are a must-have.

As before, the Smart is still available as a coupe or convertible, but the trim lines have been pared down. The coupe comes as the base Pulse or as my Passion tester, while the convertible is top-line Passion only.

Standard equipment on both lines includes an exterior temperature gauge, speed-sensitive wipers, tinny CD stereo with auxiliary jack, keyless entry, and power windows. The Passion coupe adds a glass roof (which now comes with a full sunshade, instead of the half-cover that was used previously), air conditioning, heated mirrors, heated seats, a six-CD stereo that sounds just as flat as the single-disc unit, and a cargo cover.

The 15-inch wheels are now clad in all-season tires, instead of the last generation’s summer-only rubber. I once drove the diesel model on a snow and ice course, outfitted with winter-specific tires, and found that, to its credit, it handled about the same as any subcompact in poor conditions. Next winter should determine if the swap to three-season – pardon me, “all-season” – tires was a good move.

2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe. Click image to enlarge

As before, the Smart is far roomier than you’d guess from the outside. One of my favourite tricks is to invite dubious six-footers to sit inside, and they always fit with room to spare. The seats are surprisingly comfortable, and while the wheel doesn’t tilt, most find it’s in the right spot. Cargo space is nowhere near that of a sedan, of course, but don’t sell it short: I brought home two 19-litre water jugs and three oversized bags of groceries. All models also have a folding passenger seat, which drops down fairly flat, to increase cargo capacity even more. On the old model, you had to pull two levers simultaneously to get it to fold. Now there’s only one lever, but they removed the wrong one: it’s on the inside of the seat, and it’s very difficult to drop or raise the seat if you’re trying to do it from the passenger door. With the seat up, the cargo space is 45 cm long; with it folded, it’s 145 cm.

The tailgate first opens by popping the glass hatch; you then reach in and pull two levers, one on either side, to drop the tailgate. (This could be improved by making it one lever only, especially if your hands are full.) New for the coupe is a covered storage bin inside the tailgate. Previously, only the convertible had it, where it was meant for storing the roof rails when the top was opened.

The big question with Smart, of course, is whether it really is smart, and the answer is going to depend on a number of factors: this car has several items on both the pro and con list.

On the pro side, it’s cute and funky, it’ll squeeze into parking spaces where even a conventional subcompact can’t fit, it’s roomy and fairly cargo-friendly given its size, it’s fun to drive, and although it isn’t as miserly as the diesel, it’s still very fuel-efficient.

On the con list, it’s slow to accelerate, it’s noisy, and it’s not recommended that small children ride in the passenger seat, due to the airbag: this is more a car for adults. It’s also relatively expensive, with the Pure coupe starting at $14,990, and the Passion coupe at $18,250. You don’t buy the Smart for economical reasons; you can get into the Hyundai Accent for less than $10,000, for example, and have a back seat.

2008 Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe. Click image to enlarge

Many people also wonder about the Smart’s safety, and that’s getting mixed reviews, especially since it has now undergone U.S. crash testing in order to be sold in that country. Standard safety features include electronic stability control (which can’t be shut off), anti-lock brakes with brake force distribution, and head/thorax side airbags.

In NHTSA’s crash tests, it didn’t do as well as many competitors. In a frontal crash, it received four stars, one short of the top-rated five, for the driver. This isn’t unusual, and it shares that rating with several cars, including the Toyota Yaris sedan and Nissan Versa. However, it received only three stars for the passenger in a frontal crash, the only 2008 model tested to score so low. It received five stars for side impact, but with a “safety concern” that the driver’s door unlatched and opened during the crash. Its rollover rating was three stars, and at 21 per cent was at the high end of the passenger car range. (The full results can be found at www.safercar.gov, including videos of the crash tests.)

However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) disagrees, saying that the Smart received its highest ratings for front and side crashworthiness. The IIHS said that its tests are also conducted at a higher speed than required by federal safety standards, and are offset tests that replicate most real-world crashes. Their videos can be found at www.iihs.org.

The Smart is not for everyone, and even if you’ve fallen in love with the diminutive little machines, you will need to assess your needs against the Fortwo’s strong points and also its shortcomings. People who love them really do, and I’ll admit that I’m extremely fond of them, but buy with your head along with your heart. There is no perfect car – just the one that’s right for you.