German stylist Veronika Heilbrunner is presenting her take on the smart fortwo BRABUS model during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin.
smart
City Car, News, Technology, Quirky, Consumer
smart shoppers can now buy smart cars online
For the first time, UK customers can now choose to buy a new smart fortwo or forfour via the Internet.
City Car, News, Family Car, Convertible
smart car sales top two million
smart adds Brabus sport line to updated range
smart has announced its latest updates to the range, including pricing for a new Brabus sport line model.
smart reveals new special edition models
smart has revealed special ‘edition white’ and ‘edition black’ models to its fortwo and forfour range.
Set to hit showrooms in late February, the special models are based on existing prime model line with both new models featuring over £1,500-worth of extra equipment for a premium of £895.
Easily recognisable thanks to new exterior colour schemes, the special smart fortwo coupe (£12,360 OTR) and smart forfour (£12,855 OTR) models include standard ‘prime’ features such as heated leather seats but adds the Urban Style and the Premium packages. These include: three-spoke sports steering wheel with perforated leather; brushed stainless steel sports pedals with rubber studs; 16-inch Y-spoke-alloy wheels in black; exhaust system with chrome-plated tailpipe; wheel-arch extensions with smart lettering; comfort package (consisting of: height adjustable steering wheel; height adjustable driver’s seat; heated and electrically adjustable exterior mirrors); rear parking assistance and smart media system including European satellite navigation. Forfour models also come with privacy glass in the rear.
The fortwo special editions come with over £1,500-worth of extra equipment – for only £895– resulting in a customer saving of over £600. The forfour offers £1,660-worth of features (adding rear privacy glass), giving customers over £760-worth of extra value. The edition white models feature white tridion cells, combined with white body panels and a white grille, making them instantly recognisable as special-edition smarts. As you’d expect, edition black models come with black bodywork, black tridion cells and a black grille – although customers can opt for a white tridion cell (£100).
As with the rest of the smart range, the edition white and edition black models can be ordered with either a 71 hp naturally-aspirated or 90 hp turbo three-cylinder petrol engine, and with a five-speed manual or six-speed twinamic automatic gearbox.
smart fortwo cabrio pricing announced
smart has confirmed the new fortwo cabrio will be priced from £13,265 OTR when it goes on sale early next year.
The fortwo cabrio is available with one of two engines - 71 hp or 90 hp turbo - mated to a new five-speed manual gearbox (available to order in spring 2016) or twinamic six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission (£995), which brings quick gear shifts and ‘even greater efficiency’ when paired with the 90hp engine.
Like its fortwo and forfour siblings, there are three model lines available: passion, prime and proxy. The passion, 71hp manual model is the entry point to the range at £13,265 OTR (or 13,860 for the 90hp model) and features 15” eight-spoke alloy wheels along with automatic climate control; smart audio system with Bluetooth connectivity; and a choice of either an orange/black or a grey/black interior.
Entry to the prime trim level starts at 13,960 (14,555 OTR 90hp) and adds 15” five-twin-spoke black alloys with high sheen finish; black leather upholstery with grey topstitching; and heated seats. Additional dashboard instrument pods with a cockpit clock and rev counter are a classic smart touch.
The proxy model range starts from 13,960 OTR (14,555 90hp) and is fitted with 16” eight-Y-spoke alloy wheels in black. It also features a blue and white interior with Artico and cloth upholstery, and – as standard – the Sports Package which includes: a sports perforated leather multifunction steering wheel; sports suspension lowered by 10 mm; rubber-studded brushed steel sports pedals and a chrome exhaust finisher.
The fortwo cabrio comes with a black soft top as standard, but customers can also opt for the red option (£115). A compact wind deflector (£59) is also available. Customers can also choose to upgrade with the choice of the Premium and Premium Plus Packages. The Premium Package is available on passion, prime and proxy model lines (£795) and includes rear parking assistance (acoustic parking sensors); smart media system with navigation; and the Comfort package (which includes a height adjustable steering wheel and heated, electrically adjustable door mirrors).
The Premium Plus Package (which includes all the features of the Premium and Comfort Pack) is available on the prime and proxy model lines only, for £1,295, and includes: ambient lighting; welcome home function; LED headlamps with enhanced LED daytime running lights; cube-like LED tail lights; rain and light sensors; and a rear-view camera.
The new fortwo cabrio arrives in showrooms in early 2016.
Coupe, Hatchback, Convertible, News
smart reveals new fortwo cabrio
smart has unveiled a new open-top two-seater - the fortwo cabrio.
Set for a world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the fortwo cabrio will be available with three different colours for the 'tritop' fabric soft top: blue denim, red or black. The removable roof bars, that can be stowed in a compartment in the tailgate, come in the tridion colour.
At the push of a button, the cabrio is transformed from a closed two-seater into a car with a large sliding canvas sunroof, or a fully fledged cabriolet with the soft top completely open. The B-pillar is narrower than on the closed variant and the styling of the tridion safety cell is more progressive, giving the smart fortwo cabrio an 'even sportier and more forward-focused look'.
The fabric soft top can be opened fully automatically in twelve seconds - even when driving at top speed. With the 3-button key the soft top can also be opened from outside the car by remote control. Removing the side roof bars enables a full-blown cabrio experience.
Torsional strength has been improved by around 15 percent compared with the predecessor with the material mix featuring a high proportion of ultra-high strength hot-formed steels and maximum-strength multiphase steels. In addition, the cabrio has been specifically reinforced in decisive places in comparison to the coupe. The modifications include a large steel cross under the vehicle, two torsional bulkheads under the vehicle at the front and rear and an inner tube in the A-pillars made of high strength hot-formed steel.
As well as meeting the requirements of mandatory crash tests, the new smart fortwo cabrio features advanced assistance systems such as the latest-generation ESP with Crosswind Assist and hill start assist (standard), forward collision warning (option) and Lane Keeping Assist (option).
Initially available with two three-cylinder engines rated at 71 hp and 90 hp, both units can be combined with the five-speed manual transmission or the fully automatic twinamic dual clutch transmission. In addition to the three trim lines passion, prime and proxy, customers can choose from a large range of safety and comfort features - including the new features added in the latest facelift such as smartphone integration with MirrorLink (standard in combination with the smart Media-System) or the Urban Style package (including black wheel arch linings and lowering kit).
The testing programme for open-top vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Cars is extensive - and identical for all models. The new smart fortwo cabrio was therefore subjected to the same rigorous tests as, for example, the Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet. In an endurance test, the opening and closing of the soft top was simulated over the whole vehicle life cycle. As well as this component test, which comprises 20,000 cycles, the soft top and the soft top mechanism must also prove themselves in the climatic chamber with temperatures between -15 and +80 degrees centigrade.
A car wash test ensures that smart cabrio passengers always stay dry, with 500 cycles - the requirements correspond to those for the coupe. In addition to this testing in the development phase, every single smart cabrio is also tested for 'leak-proofness' - at the end of the production at the Hambach plant every vehicle is sprinkled with a standardised amount of water for seven minutes.
The new smart cabrio will be available to order in mid-November with first models reaching dealers in February 2016.
smart 'forrail' debuts on track
smart has revealed a special 'forrail' in a one-off experiment.
The smart forfour is described by the Mercedes-owned brand as the 'ultimate commuting machine' yet as it is reliant on roads, smart admits the train has an obvious advantage in that it can get from point-to-point through a more direct route. With this in mind, engineers set up a light-hearted, one-off experiment to redressed the balance and see if the two could be combined.
Nicknamed the forrail, it might appear like a lightly modified forfour but it is, in fact, a fully certified mini-train, says smart. The car's tridion safety cell underpins the forrail and to avoid any steering movement, aluminium supports were welded between the axles meaning the wheels are locked in position.
Following six months of engineering work and sophisticated CAD modelling, the smart forrail comes equipped with unique, solid steel wheels each measuring 22-inches in diameter and weighing 80 kg, allowing it the traction it needs on rails. Designed by Interfleet, a specialised British train engineering business based in Derby, the team - who usually work on 16-litre, 70-tonne diesel locomotives - had to employ a new approach to the challenge presented by a 999 cc, one-tonne smart.
Under close supervision, the smart forrail tentatively took to the tracks on the privately operated Bluebell Railway. Tackling the 10-mile stretch of railway cutting through Sussex the experimental 'train' successfully completed its test, much to the surprise of some local trainspotters.