Smart #1 (2023 - ) review

Recommended retail prices don’t necessarily reflect the way most people buy their cars these days but remain a handy way of comparing relative value and here the Smart #1 looks pretty competitive whether you choose to go direct or via a dealership. There are just three models – two rear-wheel drive and the all-wheel drive Brabus – and while it’s more expensive than an MG ZS EV it’s also a much fresher product, feels better put together than a BYD Atto 3 and is a fair comparison with the Vauxhall Mokka-e and others. And way, way cheaper than the Mercedes-Benz EQA it superficially resembles. You feel like your money is going a long way, let’s say that much. In running cost terms it’s the usual electric car thing of much cheaper ‘fuel’ if you have facility to charge at home, potentially huge savings in tax if you run it as a company car and reduced costs in low-emission or congestion zones.

This is an all-new product from a yet untested partnership between Mercedes and Geely, but the Chinese brand has demonstrated the quality of its engineering through its ownership of Lotus and Volvo and the #1 shares foundations with the latter’s EX30 SUV. All of which should inspire a bit more confidence than buying from a completely new brand. We also like that Smart throws in three years (or 30,000 miles) of all-inclusive servicing including wear and tear items as well.

We’re torn here, because the huge array of driver assistance technology on the Smart #1 is great in theory. But we have some concerns about the execution. For example, you’re told it’s got all sorts of clever sensors monitoring lane position, blind spots and traffic around you, represented by little icons of surrounding cars on the instrument cluster. But the way these appear and disappear with seemingly no relation to what’s going on in the outside world hardly inspires confidence. To test that theory we had a go with the automated parking system, which on its first attempt tried to back us into a 90-degree space at an impossible angle before giving up, and on the second try doddered around the car park so incompetently a frustrated driver in a waiting car ended up shouting “you can’t drive!” at us. Then there’s the fact safety critical features like mirror adjustments and even the foglight switch are buried in touch-screen menus, the latter downright dangerous given the exact conditions in which you’d need to use it require all your attention on the road, not stabbing blindly at a screen. Last but not least, the camera system designed to monitor your attention is far, far too sensitive and constantly scolds you if you dare to take your eyes off the dead ahead. Even at junctions and roundabouts, where you need to be looking around you for hazards. At best this is annoying, at worst seriously distracting.

With its standard panoramic roof, the pale fabrics on our test car and the sense of space around you the interior of the Smart feels as comfortable as it is stylish. One advantage of being designed from the start as an electric car – rather than adapted from a combustion one like the Vauxhall Mokka-e – is the space between the wheels can be much longer within a similarly sized vehicle. This looks good and helps ride quality but, most of all, frees up space inside, which rear seat passengers will appreciate in the amount of legroom they get. The trade-off is a relatively small boot, but there is a compartment beneath it for stashing cables and you can slide the back seats forward a bit for more room. There’s also a small compartment at the front under what would otherwise be the bonnet. Quality generally feels good but we were concerned the rear parcel shelf had an untrimmed edge on it that was – literally – sharp enough to draw blood. As we discovered when trying to remove it to free up some space to take the kids’ scooters to the skate park. Smart is looking into this for us and we’ll report back on what they discover when they’ve checked the car over. Meanwhile out on the road the Smart handles unobtrusively enough, the low-slung weight and rear-mounted engine meaning good balance through the light and precise steering.

The Smart has a sense of style and quality a cut above other Chinese-developed cars, and the Mercedes influence is both obvious and welcome. Long-time fans will recognise some of the Smart styling cues, while the tall floating centre console gives you somewhere to rest your arm and space underneath for loose items. At least as much attention will focus on the large screen in the centre, through which you do pretty much all your interaction with the car. Perhaps too much at times, as mentioned above in ‘Safety’. The cutesy anime fox that supposedly learns and reacts to your inputs will be a talking point but we were more concerned at the lack of CarPlay integration for our iPhone, though Smart assures us this and Android Auto will be added via an over-the-air update by the time customers take delivery. Equipment levels are otherwise good, meanwhile, with LED headlights, 360-degree camera and power bootlid among the standard features. Go up a level and you get a fancy Beats-branded stereo, snazzier headlights and the aforementioned automated parking while the Brabus gets lots of branded sportier trimmings to make it stand out.

The standard single motor #1 will be fine for most needs, the balance between performance and range seemingly on the money with most of the cars it’s up against. We needed more miles in the car to get a real sense of its efficiency but, while the stats on the trip computer didn’t look too good, it actually seemed well up to hitting something close to the claimed 273 miles of range in the warm weather we tested it in. This is better than the Mokka-e or MG ZS EV and on a par with the BYD Atto 3, so again underlines the #1’s value for money proposition. Adjustable regenerative braking is another plus, with a ‘one-pedal’ mode lurking in the touch-screen menus for relaxing and efficient driving in stop-start traffic. In theory this means you can come to a complete halt just by lifting off the accelerator, though in practice this happened most of the time. But not every time. Keep your brake foot hovering over the pedal just in case… We were also a little concerned that in manoeuvring on steep slopes the hill hold didn’t always work, and the car could roll back some distance when you were expecting it to go forward. Not ideal in tight parking situations. Again, keep that brake pedal covered, just in case. Those with a need for speed over range can, meanwhile, opt for the twin-motor Brabus version. Power increases here to a burly 315 horsepower, though it doesn’t go quite as far on a charge.