MCC Smart CDi

Having done quite some kilometers with most of the Smarts, I think I can tell you something about the product range and which model is the most interesting. As I can’t write an op about “the Smart in general” I have chosen to write about the model I haven driven most: the CDI.

SMALL ON THE OUTSIDE…
Everyone by now knows what a smart looks like: very short, high, and perhaps a little ugly. The fact that it’s so short has some major advantages:
First of all, and most obvious, parking your car in a big city is no longer a hopeless seek for a free space. You can get the Smart almost in every free space, and often you even overestimate the length of the Smart. Second, you can also park the Smart sideways, if the free space is wide enough that is. Having to work now and then in Brussels, I can tell you the Smart saves you a lot of time:
- the time you need to find a parking space
- the distance to cover from the parking you’ve finally found to place where you really have to be… especially when it rains!

…BIG ON THE INSIDE
Oh big surprise when you enter a Smart: it’s spacious! It’s even more spacious than the average family car. You have the impression you’re sitting in a MPV, considering the leg room you have. Of course, this space has a price: no back seats and a tiny boot. Actually you can hardly call it a boot, it’s more like a backpack. Personally, I always use the passenger seat as boot: much bigger and much more practical!

TRANSMISSION
All of these little cars come with an good* automatic transmission (or a semi-automatic in the more expensive models). Personally, I don’t like automatic transmissions, but this is a city car, and in the city you’re often in traffic-jams. I can tell you it’s a real improvement if you don’t have declutch every 20 seconds to go 10 meters forward.
By the way, I’ve used both the automatic and the semi-automatic (called Soft Touch) transmission, and I do recommend the Soft Touch. It’s so much more fun to drive if you have control over the gears.
One disadvantage about the gearbox: it’s sometimes hard to get started. You need to follow a certain procedure to start the car, and when you don’t follow it, nothing will happen. Every time I have to drive a Smart I forget how it works… not very ergonomical if you ask me.

* I am aware that some reviews aren’t too positive about the transmission. Personally I am quite satisfied about it, I never had any problems with: it chooses the right gears, and it’s not too the brutal. Perhaps it’s a little slow though.

ROAD HOLDING
Everyone knows the story behind the road holding. Since it failed the dreaded moose-test, the engineers had to adjust its road holding, and I have to say they did very well. The Smart always feels safe, does never anything unexpected. It may sound a little daft, but when you turn you never get the impression you will “fall over”. However there is a place where I prefer to slow down comparing to regular cars, and that is on slip roads. I can’t tell you where the limit is, and I have no ambition to find out this time… I have noticed a slight understeering though.

But this good road holding has of course a price. To attain such a result, the engineers had to harden the suspension. Especially at low speeds, the Smart has the tendency to bump over irregularities. Speed ramps especially can be very uncomfortable. But the higher the speed, the better it gets. I’d say from 50mph on gets comfortable, although it stays harder than the average car.

BREAKING
This baby brakes like a Porsche! You have to be very gentle with the brakes, or you end up crushing your nose against the windscreen. At first, you really have to get used to it, but once you got it, you’ll be able to brake comfortable under normal circumstances, and very hard when in emergencies.

QUALITY & FINISHING
In general, you can see that the Smart is in fact a little Mercedes. The quality of most materials is really excellent and all accessories are very strong. In my experience rent cars suffer a lot, so most cars I lay my hands on have everywhere scratches, broken plastic, and all other little damages. Nothing like this in the Smarts I’ve driven, the materials doesn’t seem to have suffered. The finishing is also typically German: almost flawless, every detail has been thoroughly studied and checked. I said almost flawless, because unfortunately there are two things that spoil the look of the dashboard: the ridiculous revolution counter and the ditto watch. It makes me think of my Play Mobil when I was little.

ENGINE
Personally, I hate the diesel version, although it has one big advantage: it’s very sober. Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever driven a car that uses less fuel than this one. However, this can’t compensate the disadvantages:
- The diesel has absolutely no power. This car doesn’t accelerate at all, and you can completely forget about overtaking. The top speed is 87mph, which can be reached without forcing the engine… and a lot of patience.
- Now if you’re a very calm driver you won’t mind this perhaps, but there is something else wrong: the noise the engine makes. You almost need earplugs! If you drive more than 50 miles, it’s almost unbearable. It speaks for itself that listening to the radio is out of the question. The engine makes even more noise on the inside than the convertible!

CONCLUSION
Advantages:
- small
- sober
- semi-automatic transmission
- strongly built

Disadvantages:
- poor engine
- hard suspension
- ridiculous boot
- expensive

What to think of all this? On one hand we have one of most practical city cars ever made: very small and extremely sober. But on the other hand the diesel engine seems to be in eternal hibernation.

The conclusion is simple: the Smart is a great car, as long as you use it in the city, and as long as you don’t buy the diesel version!