Overview & Reviews

The concept of the Smart car emerged in the early 1990s when the Swiss company Swatch, best known for its kitschy watches, sought to build an affordable city car that would fit into the smallest of parking spots and go easy on fuel. Not too long after, the company paired up with Mercedes-Benz to make the idea a reality. The car was later christened "Smart," an acronym for Swatch Mercedes Art.

The Smart Fortwo, originally dubbed the City Coupe, debuted at the 1997 Frankfurt Auto Show. Although the first generation never made it to the U.S., the tiny two-seater, which persevered through its parent company's financial troubles and an eventual buyout by Daimler-Benz, was later replaced by the slightly larger second-generation Fortwo. Not only is the reworked Fortwo newly available in the States, but an ambitious plan to launch several stand-alone dealerships in the U.S. makes it clear that the Smart brand is serious about competing in the American subcompact market. While its diminutive size and power entail certain on-road limitations, the Fortwo is a worthy candidate for urban commuters who want to maneuver through city congestion and save on gas without giving up the creature comforts of a car.

Current Smart Fortwo

At 8 feet, 10 inches long, the Smart Fortwo is a two-seat subcompact city car and is the smallest production car currently sold in North America. It comes in two body styles: the hatchback Coupe and the convertible Cabrio. The standard trim levels are Pure and the more well-equipped Passion. The Fortwo is powered by a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine that produces 71 horsepower and 68 pound-feet of torque and sends its power to the rear wheels through an automated sequential-shift manual transmission.

There's also a limited-edition model from German tuner Brabus that upgrades the Smart with sportier wheels, a stiffer suspension, aerodynamic and cosmetic body cladding, a higher-performing exhaust and heated leather seats.

Because of its Lilliputian proportions (it's more than 3 feet shorter than a Mini Cooper), safety is at the core of the Fortwo design. The engine is in the rear of the car to increase front crumple-zone space, and the car is built around a cage of high-strength steel known as the Tridion safety cell, which helps the Fortwo post passable if unimpressive frontal crash-test scores. Side impact protection is enhanced by the closer placement of axles to the passenger compartment, and the Smart's scores in side-impact crash testing are top-notch. And although the car might look something like a golf cart, standard safety features like side airbags, antilock brakes, stability control and traction control combine to put that comparison to rest.

Fuel economy is another welcome asset of the Smart Fortwo; its EPA rating is 33 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. With its 8.7-gallon gas tank, that makes for a lot of driving between fill-ups, though it's worth noting that premium gasoline is recommended.

In our initial reviews, we found the Smart Fortwo surprisingly comfortable. The interior is roomier than it might appear from the outside -- especially in the passenger seat, which is set back 6 inches for increased legroom. (It also folds flat for extra cargo space.) On the road, however, the Smart's manner is less than graceful over rough pavement. Moreover, while the car is admirably stable at high speeds for such a small vehicle, its slablike side panels and upright posture conspire to make it unsettlingly vulnerable to crosswinds.

We aren't fans of the automated manual transmission either. Gearchanges are sluggish and somewhat jerky. The Fortwo is also one of the slowest vehicles for sale today (zero to 60 mph takes 14.1 seconds) and it has a particularly hard time keeping up with traffic on the highway. Still, the Smart Fortwo is great for tooling around city streets. Buyers who aren't looking to do much more than that will probably be quite satisfied with the Smart car.

Used Smart Fortwo Models

The current (second) generation Fortwo debuted for 2008 and was the first Smart model to go on sale in the U.S. There have been no major changes since, though the Brabus trim level wasn't available for its first year.

Designed primarily for urban cities in Europe, the first-generation Smart Fortwo was originally known as the City Coupe and not sold in North America. It debuted for the 1998 model year and it came with a turbocharged three-cylinder engine that was either gasoline-fueled (initially 599cc of displacement and later 698cc) or diesel-fueled (799cc). The first-generation Smart Fortwo was discontinued after the 2007 model year.

User Reviews:

• 

  Love it, Attention getter, Best so far - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Mel - February 26 - 12:23 pm

  If someone wanted to trade me, title for title, Mercedes, corvette, etc... and I could not sell there trade, would not trade. Love it, fun to drive, S A F E. Read the info, published, go to a smart car dealer and look at the frame.

• 

  Run About - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By Mark C - February 25 - 12:34 am

  Great Car for the West Coast; Never a parking problem. Always able to fit in somewhere. Easy in & out. Non-electric maint., I bought it five years ago from the original owner. Love this car. It is a convert. Brabus 2009. UPDATE; 7/3/17, Yes I still have the car. It is not my daily driver. I have a 3/4 ton truck for my daily work. I still enjoy this little guy after all of these years. If I decide to sell it? Its not b/c I dont like it. I might just want to try something else. Going out to dinner downtown. We take the Smart and leave the BMW at home. Why? So easy to PARK and get in & out of. When you are inside, it feels much bigger than it looks like from the outside.Update; 1/7/18 Yes, I still have and am Happy with it. Sorry I dont see more of them around. Much better than an electric or hybrid car.

• 

  GOOD THING COME IN SMALL PACKAGES - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By SMARTALEC - February 24 - 8:40 pm

  Wanted one as soon as they hit the US market. This car is the bomb. Shifting a little strange at first, but after a couple says you get in "sync" the car. Nimble, quick as it needs to be, great at highway speeds.

• 

  My Rollercoaster Ride - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By LouG - February 18 - 9:06 pm

  I have owned this car for 9 months. I cant wait too get rid of it!!!! Yeah its cute but it isnt all that its made out too be. The gas mileage is good only if you drive like an old person, A car this small should get better MPG. The transmission is the worst, annoying, uncomfortable feeling I have ever exp, even with the trans software update. It is soooo annoying if you get stuck in traffic, Shifting from 1st to 2nd constantly up and down will make you want to vomit. This is the main reason I want too sell it. Gas gauge still wont read rt, even after 5 times back too the dealer, Mercedes should be ashamed to hsve there name linked too this car. THE LITTLE HERKY JERKY ROLLERCOASTER RIDE..

• 

  More attention than a cute puppy - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By Craig - December 7 - 3:40 am

  This car is great. I just bought it and the transmission must be shifted by hand. In the automatic mode feels sluggish. But I never have bought an automatic in my life. I have ridden a motorcycle my for most of my life and driven everything including tractor trailers. The entire roll cage cabin makes you feel safer than a NASCAR. When gas hits 5 bucks a gallon (and it will) the salesmen will have to hold buyers off with a whip and a chair. Forget those stupid electric cars for now. They are 10 years away. We plan a country wide, east of the Mississippi trip this summer. I will write a Smart car blog...warts and all.:>)

• 

  Fantastic Car - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By Sobe - December 4 - 1:03 pm

  I wish I had owned this car years ago, but being in the US I had to wait. I fell in love with it since I first saw it in Milano, Italy. I now own this car and I adore it.

• 

  BB! - 2009 Smart fortwo
  By leeleeph - November 28 - 5:01 am

  I just got this car a few days ago & it was used, with 20,000 miles on it already.It still looks brand new though and works like a charm! I have heated seats with black leather interior and my smart car is yellow with black panels.I absolutely love it! I couldnt think of any other car to satisfy my every need on the road.I have yet to drive it on the highway, but im sure that day will come sometime soon! I recommend this car to EVERYONE.Unless driving small, cool, and fun just isnt your style.This car is for someone who isnt much of a business person.But It is overall and amazing car.Im glad i purchased it.

• 

  Get Your Info From OWNERS - NOT Writers - 2013 Smart fortwo
  By penndriver - November 20 - 2:05 am

  It exceeds every measure of what anyone should reasonably expect! During my 55 years of driving I have owned quite a few of those "highly recommended" status symbols. In quality and reliability my smart car is equal to or exceeds every one of them! The writers REALLY blew it on the smart car. Do you believe a magazine writer knows more than the engineers at Mercedes? Rate the car for its intended purpose! Dont get out of your manufacturer provided 455hp sport car and say the smart car lacks acceleration! My advice, if you truly want to know about any car, talk to an owner. Forget the writers getting paid by the manufactures to write about their "phenomenal new engineering creation."

• 

  Driving a Smart Car - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By Herb - November 17 - 12:43 am

  The somewhat leisurely acceleration is expected and can be circumvented by flogging the engine in manual mode using the paddle shifters. Initial fuel economy was disappointing, but rapidly improved after putting "Sea-Foam" fuel system cleaner in the tank. Am now getting 38.5 mpg in city driving. The local Smart dealership was very friendly and reprogrammed the transmission to largely eliminate the 1-2 shift lag in my 2008 as part of a no-charge update to 2009 standards. This made a huge improvement in driveability! Highway stability in cross-winds is somewhat squirrely, but I had no trouble keeping it in the lane even when x-winds topped 35 mph on a fast causeway.

• 

  See for yourself! - 2008 Smart fortwo
  By mipod - November 1 - 10:50 am

  Driving is a fun pleasure.Inside is roomy and one sits higher than most mid-sized cars. Engine has a bit of a lag if you drive other cars as well,but you adjust quickly. Going on six months now and I look forward to driving it more and more.