Cheers, petrolheads!
This
year’s first post regards, once again, the Smart Roadster. It has became some
sort of tradition to start the year with such a post but, as last year this
time, there are relevant news regarding my garage. I’m now the very proud owner
of three Smart Roadsters, after just having added a Roadster-Coupé 60 to the
collection!
I
must confess that I bought it because of the attractive combination of price/
use/ configuration (and because I need a toy to drive on the Alps before I roll
the Panda over…). I’m far from being the biggest admirer of the fastback rear,
which many (most, from what I noticed until now) people argue make the car’s
profile look svelter, while adding some practicality to the mix. But beauty is
on the beholder’s eye, and to me, this version only works out if everything is
black. The mix of many colours isn’t to my taste, and the fastback also makes
the car look taller than the standard Roadster, so a bit less purposeful.
This
unit represents the cheapest way of having a Roadster-Coupé. Standard equipment
included air-con and wider wheels with a sportier design, 12-radius alloys,
which are as gorgeous to look at as a nightmare to clean. It also lacks power
steering, as my other Roadsters, so the great steering feel is the same.
So,
straight to the driving dynamics. The direct comparison has to be made with the
Roadster 60, and I’m sad to report that this version, with added rubber and
weight, slightly loses the edge in comparison. Ride comfort is on a par
because, while the wheels are wider, they retain the 15” diameter, but the
wider rubber makes the car (even) noisier at speed (the bigger interior volume
also helps on that), and together with the added weight – some 20kg for the
rear-end window frame – make the car feel slightly slower. Despite being placed
high-up in the back – remember the car is already rear-biased on its Roadster
form – this frame doesn’t adversely affect the handling, or at least not
noticeably.
The
final downside is that, after 1300km of driving, fuel economy was 5,5 l/100km
(51 mpg) – down from the 4,7 l/100km (60 mpg) I usually get on the standard
Roadster 60, despite a similar driving pattern. I believe the wider, still
original tires are mostly to blame, as the Brabus Roadster suffers from the
same problem, so I’m already planning on buying a set of Smart Spinline alloys
– the standard alloys on the Roadster 60 – to fit on the Coupé as well.
As
many Roadster owners know and point out – such as Gordon Murray, the designer
of both the McLaren F1 and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren – the Smart Roadster
is way over-wheeled, and the cheapest and most practical way to get round this issue
is to get a set of Spinline wheels, with 185/55R15 tires. This is the smaller
tire dimension the Smart Roadster can legally have, and as these wheels were
standard on the Roadster 60, the other versions don’t look that far from
standard. But I bet it would be better still on even narrower tires, because as
the Brabus showed me, wider rubber doesn’t solve the terminal understeer on
tight bends, as the main cause is the lack of weight over the front axle.
So
here we are. Three Roadsters now, not even on my wildest dreams I thought that
would be possible, but the Smart Roadster showed me that you don’t need
mega-money to drive something fun and a bit exotic. It’s a love or hate car
though, and there’s no rational excuse for the haters, not even the gearbox. If
you’re thinking about buying one, you just need to forget what you have heard
and test-drive one with an open mind. Be warned though, as the car grows in you
a lot with time, you may end up collecting them!
Verdict:
the usual Roadster thrills with a bit of added
common-sense.
Official vital data:
Engine
and transmission:
698 cc, inline-3 cylinder, 2 valves per cylinder (Otto)
82 PS (60 kW)/ 5250 rpm
110 Nm/ 2250-4500 rpm
Red line: 6300 rpm
6-speed automated manual transmission
Dimensions
and weights:
Length/ width/ height: 3,427/ 1,615 (1,656 inc. wing
mirrors)/ 1,207 metres
Turning circle: 10,7 metres
Empty weight: 820 kg (measured, with ca. 5L of fuel on
board)
Boot: 59+189 litres (front+rear)
Fuel tank: 35 litres
Tires: 205/50R15, Continental
Premium Contact
Performance:
Top speed: 180 km/h (113 mph)
0-100 km/h (0-62 mph): 11.2 seconds
Fuel consumption (urban/extra-urban/average): 6.4/ 4.3/
5.1 l/100km (44/ 66/ 55 UK mpg)
CO2 emissions: 122 g/km
3000 rpm, 5th gear: 80 km/h (50 mph)
3000 rpm, 6th gear: 105 km/h (66 mph)
Main equipment: air conditioning, twin front airbags,
radio with CD player, 15” alloy wheels, ABS+ASR+ESP+hill holder, electric roof.
Portuguese price in 2004: 20 000€.
Driven: from December 2014; car left with 36 800 km (23
000 miles).
Rating:
17 out of 20
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