Within its natural urban environment the i is actually quite a spirited little performer. The tiny engine spins happily and without any obvious lag, with the relatively low torque peak (62lb ft at 3000rpm) giving the sort of easily accessed urge necessary for the nip-and-tuck of town driving. The 15.6sec necessary to reach 60mph from rest doesn’t give an accurate indication of how keen the i feels at lower speeds – the 10.7sec 0-50mph time is considerably more relevant. It certainly feels far zippier than the standard Smart ForTwo.
Within city limits the four-speed auto works well. Upshifts are delivered smoothly and the transmission is commendably quick to shift into top and let the engine’s torque keep things rolling. Kickdowns are less accomplished, the gearbox’s electronic brain refusing to deliver them until the throttle pedal is most of the way to the carpet. It’s actually easier to use the override of the gearchange to deliver part-throttle downchanges.
On country roads, dual carriageways and motorways the i quickly starts to feel out of its depth. Low gearing means that even at a steady 70mph the engine is turning over at 4000 times a minute, and any attempts on the claimed 84mph top speed make the tiny unit sound like it’s about to explode. The 21.4sec 60-80mph time that we recorded gives an idea of how uncomfortable the i feels at these kinds of speeds. There’s also lots of road noise and wind noise laid over the engine’s plaintive complaining.
Of more concern is the paucity of overtaking performance. It’s poor enough to make for very frustrating progress on country roads. The i possesses just about enough punch to get past lumbering tractors, but the 8.7sec 40-60mph time means it needs a very long straight to pass anything speedier.
