Ownership report: Smart Roadster 60 kW (2007)
Hello Petrolheads!
Today I bring you further news of my
first car, the Smart Roadster.
A couple of years have passed since I
last wrote about it, and by then I was as thrilled as in the very first day of
ownership. It was something like you dating that girl you always found sexy,
all was perfect, but it was all about having fun. Two more years later, that
dating has ended. It got so serious it turned into marriage now!
I find this a great analogy to what
happened to me regarding the Roadster. I bought it without even having driven
one before, all because of those stunning looks. Yet, the looks are only the
tip of the Roadster’s qualities.
By now, I got to know the Roadster
pretty well. It still thrills me every time I start that fantastic 3-cylinder,
it still surprises me every time I drive it on any B-road and, as I found out last
month, it amazed me as I drove it for an entire weekend during heavy rain, on
pretty bad roads. Still with the original rubber – Bridgestone B340 – it found
grip where there wasn’t and it didn’t allow a drop of water inside. On the last
IPO (Portuguese’s equivalent to UK’s MOT, or Germany’s TÜV), its condition was
described “as new”, but that’s no coincidence. Yes, the Smart Roadster can be
quite a dependable machine, but also one which needs strict preventive
maintenance.
So far, the only real pitfall happened
one year ago. It was early December and, despite living on Europe’s California,
I found out it was probably a good idea to put the roof back on, something I hadn’t done in the previous 10 months. Likely due to the lack of use, the roof mechanism
didn’t operate as it should, so the canvas got stuck and misaligned itself. As
the roof doesn’t have a manual override, it was difficult to solve the problem,
but after a lot of patience and some cold-blood (you need that when you turn
part of your pride and joy into a lot of small pieces) I fixed it, sort of. Now
I have a Smart Roadster Supperleggera, due to the amount of pieces that ended
up remaining and because my roof is now only semi-automatic. Today I would have
fixed it entirely, because I only understood it after breaking several pieces,
and here’s my point: the mechanics are pretty straight-forward, since you have
the patience to learn how they work.
I suppose every Petrolhead has to get
into deep waters with their favourite wheels at some point, as nowadays it’s so
expensive to fix everything at a garage, let alone an official dealer. The
rubber seals are a wonderful example: carefully applying silicon to regenerate
them avoids any water ingress on the inside, at least if there’s no other
problem, such as misaligned doors. Yet, many people sell their Roadsters
because they start leaking…
Oil changes are a bit of a problem,
as there’s no oil drain plug, so it must be sucked from the dipstick hole. On
the other hand, coolant change isn’t… Oil changes must be performed every 10k
kilometer (~7k miles), especially if you drive mainly on the city or if you
often push the engine hard. Distribution is chain-driven, and it relies on
perfect oil condition not to swap. Don’t you ever forget this little 0,7-litre
engine develops 82 hp, or 60 kW, on an eleven-year old engine design!
The electrics have proven to be quite
reliable so far, but I’ve read lots of horror stories regarding the
electronics. To resume, they do hate humidity, and leaks from the windshield
wiper arms cover, due to leaves and dirt obstructing water drains, do upset
them quite badly. All in all, most problems appear due to poor care. Unlike,
say, an old Mercedes-Benz, the Roadster doesn’t tolerate neglect. My car is
barely used nowadays, but its battery is still the original one, the key being regular
driving. I heard of people who are now on the third one…
One other aspect I noticed, this time
on other Roadsters and Fortwos, is that the paint isn’t very high quality. It
loses its brightness after a couple of years, irrespective of the material
under it being steel (Tridion) or plastic (panels).
Finally, the biggest downside
regarding perceived quality are squeaks and rattles. Build quality was never
good, even when new, but the way the situation worsens with time boggles the
mind. With no roof that’s not so much of an issue, as the wind noise gets over any
other just above walking pace, and also because the roof mechanism is the main
squeak source. With the roof up, so much squeaks are very irritating, indeed.
So, the world of the Smart Roadster. For me,
still the perfect blend of charisma, economy and fun. It feels very special and
it does know how to turn any drive into an absolute event. You can bet your
life it’s a future classic!
Oh, one more thing: my passion grew
so much that I also bought a Brabus! Stay tuned for a test of that, and a
comparison between both Roadsters!
Verdict: the affair lives on.
Vital data:
Engine and transmission:
698 cc, inline-3 cylinder, 2 valves
per cylinder, turbo (petrol)
60 kW (82 hp)/ 5250 rpm
110 Nm/ 2250-4500 rpm
Red line: 6000 rpm
6-speed sequential, automated manual
transmission
Dimensions and weights:
Empty weight (incl. driver): 865 kg
Boot: 59 (front) + 86 (rear) litres
Fuel tank: 35 litres (98-RON)
Tires: Bridgestone B340 185/55 R15
Official performance:
Top speed: 175 km/h (109 mph)
0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 10,9 seconds
Fuel consumption (urban/extra-urban/average):
6,3/ 4,3/ 5,1 l/100km (45/ 66/ 55 UK mpg)
3000 rpm, 5th gear: 80
km/h (50 mph)
3000 rpm, 6th gear: 106
km/h (66 mph)
3500 rpm, 6th gear: 121
km/h (76 mph)
Main equipment: air conditioning,
dual front and side airbags, ABS+BAS+ASR+ESP with hill start assist, radio with
CD-player, electric and heated side-mirrors.
Owned: from March 2009 to date;
actual mileage: 35 100km (21 900 miles).
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