Despite any practical shortcomings it might have, we can’t give a concept like the ForTwo anything less than five stars for design and engineering. Even nine years on from the Smart's original launch, no other volume manufacturer has shown similar audacity or inventiveness in their cars’ construction or (save the Mitsubishi i) their packaging layout. We applaud, too, Smart’s persistence with making it work better this time.
The overall notion stays the same; the ForTwo is based on a high-strength ‘Tridion’ safety cell and a visible steel monocoque with interchangeable plastic body panels mounted to it. The structure, according to engineers we’ve spoken to, is impressively strong in crash tests. Smart predicts four NCAP stars, which is excellent for a car with only 2695mm of length in which to squeeze its crumple zones.
The latest ForTwo is marginally bigger than the past model. It’s 195mm longer, most notably in the front overhang (up 72mm) because of pedestrian impact and US crash legislation. The wheelbase is up by 55mm; the remaining 68mm increase is in the rear overhang.
The engine is still under the boot floor, and still a three-cylinder petrol unit, but no longer turbocharged. It goes up in capacity, though. Our test model has 70bhp and is in the middle of a range that stretches from 60 to 83bhp.
Design changes, meanwhile, are minimal, keeping the Smart instantly recognisable. See one alone and at a glance you’d be pushed to tell whether it’s the new model or the old one. But look closer and the clues are there: those overhangs look slightly longer and it’s a tad wider, making it look slightly podgier and squatter.
The detailing enhances this look; instead of twin upright elliptical headlights they now have a horizontal slant, and integrated indicators. The triple, vertical rear lights have become separate twin round ones. And most tellingly of all, the door handles are now horizontal rather than vertical. The emphasis, says Smart, is on making the ForTwo look less like it’s on tiptoes and more ‘beefy’. Beefy? Like an angry jelly baby, perhaps; it’s still at the cute end of any styling scale.
