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Smart City & Fortwo Cabrio (2002 - 2007)

OPEN SEASON ON SMARTS (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Introductionword count: 81

Although the initial novelty may well have worn off, the sight of a Smart City Cabrio buzzing by with its top down is still enough to paint a smile across the face of other drivers. With its cheeky looks, park anywhere ability, surprisingly zippy acceleration and low running costs, these cars have sold very well to those who don't major on practicality. Now that used models are available in reasonable numbers it's tempting to take the plunge. Here are some guidelines.

Modelsword count: 16

Models Covered: (600/700 cc petrol [smart & pure, smart & pulse, smart & passion, Silverblue, Brabus])

Historyword count: 207

The Smart City Cabrio open top car, based on the smart & passion trim level was unveiled in March 2000, with British orders starting in April 2001. Right hand drive versions were introduced to the UK in autumn 2001, but the CDi diesel version has yet to appear, having been on sale in Europe since December 1999. In summer 2002 the Smart crossblade debuted, a chopped down version of the cabriolet with a distinctly big price - £15,990 - and designed for those with big egos. A Brabus version of the cabrio was unveiled toward the end of 2003 with a 74bhp engine and a styling kit that managed to make the car look even squarer. Then, at the start of 2004, the City Coupe and City Cabrio models were re-named as the Fortwo Coupe and the Fortwo Cabrio. The engine was uprated to a larger capacity 698cc 61bhp unit and an ESP Electronic Stability Programme was fitted as standard to help you out should all that power go to your head. A Silverblue limited edition model was also briefly available. In Spring 2004 we saw the introduction of the body-kitted Brabus model with its 74bhp power output. An all new Smart Cabrio arrived in September 2007.

What You Getword count: 227

Assuming you like the idea of peeling back the roof in an urban traffic jam, would you really want one of these? Well yes, you very well might. For a start, the electrically-folding roof is very cleverly designed, fully justifying the £2,000 premium over the equivalent Fortwo Coupe. There are three roof removal options and you can set it to any position you want while the car is in motion with a flick of a switch. You can also lower the electrically locked rearmost roof section. Just remove the roof columns and store them in the special area provided on the inside of the boot lid. Safety was a key development priority and here, the Smart claims to better all its citycar rivals, offering safety standards comparable with a mid-range family saloon. The steel passenger cell retains its shape in the event of a collision and reduces the effect of impact to a minimum. Other safety elements include the sandwich platform construction, front and rear crash boxes and a crash management system. To avoid a crash in the first place, there's 'Trustplus', an electronic stability programme which reduces power and applies gear intervention to correct the car if it swerves. Twin front airbags, ABS, self-tensioning seatbelts, knee impact bolsters and a collapsible steering column are all standard, and the Smart rated highly in recent Euro-NCAP crash tests.

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Scoring (subset of scores)

Category: Convertibles

Performance
50%
Handling
40%
Comfort
60%
Space
30%
Styling, Build, Value, Equipment, Depreciation, Handling, Insurance and Total scores are available with our full data feed.

This is an excerpt from our full review.
To access the full content library please contact us on 0330 0020 227 or click here

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