smart roadster 60 kW

Buying Guide: Smart Roadster and Roadster-Coupé

Hello Petrolheads! In today’s post, I decided to put down a comprehensive guide featuring all the points to look at while searching for a Smart Roadster, plus answering a few of the most regular questions I’m asked. Having first acquired a Roadster 9 years ago and nowadays owning two further units, and having read an awful lot about it, allowed me to have a very detailed idea about the strong and weak points of this Automotive pearl. So, considering buying a Smart Roadster? Congratulations! You’re on the way to a very fun life experience. But, to be so, you must do your homework first. - Which production year? Generally speaking, I always advise people to avoid cars produced during the first production year . I’m a Mechanical Engineer specialized in vehicle development and production, so have a perfect insight about the topic. Without entering in details, let’s just say that rigid marketing milestones regularly imply a car coming to market without perfect pa

Driven: Smart Roadster Brabus Xclusive

Hello once again, petrolheads! It’s finally the time to review my latest acquisition: the Brabus tuned version of my beloved Smart Roadster. My passion for the Smart Roadster is well known and documented, but ever since I bought my first Roadster (the 60kW intermediate variant), I wondered: how much fun is the top of the range Brabus? I mean, with those looks it’s impossible to be something other than phenomenal, right? Sub-1,2m in height, 17” wheels with massive tires, leather-clad interior with aluminium touches and 19 horsepower more … It simply looks irresistible. The latest versions, called Xclusive, add a couple of touches to the standard Brabus, whose specification also changed with the appearance of this top equipment level (then it also appeared a cheaper, equipment-stripped Brabus Finale). However, despite prices starting at a hefty 27k € (in Germany), the options list was still long. For instance, not every single Brabus Xclusive Roadster I have seen has – wait

Driven: Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI Elegance ('04 facelift)

Hello once again! The car I will be talking about in the next lines is the ’04 facelift, W203 Mercedes-Benz C 220 CDI, with Elegance trim. It was bought in August 2004, and I was the second person driving it. As another Mercedes-Benz was traded (a 1998 C 220 CDI, also in Elegance trim), I remember, back then, to think “ This is soooooo much better! It’s as easy to handle as my Rover!!! ” Really, as I was the last person to drive the old Mercedes, the difference was very obvious. Today, the very same car seems to have changed. No, the car is the same, apart being three years old and with almost 90k kilometres (56k miles) on the clock. As I have driven many sportier cars after that first drive, now, the first thing I notice, is the steering’s complete absence of feel. None at all, you have no idea of what’s going on with the front wheels. The brakes are also indirect, somehow, they do not transmit much confidence to me, and the gearbox is very easy to handle, has nice gearing ratios, but

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