Best, most fun car I've ever owned. Local Smart specialist tweaked it to 112 bhp and kept the clutch properly regulated at each service. Well sealed; no leaks. If only it had room for our greyhound...😥
I have owned five Smarts, 4 x ForTwo and a Roadster. The best upgrade I had done, and there was a few, was the fitting of a pedal shift steering wheel. Made it a lot more enjoyable to drive. You learn plan ahead more, you drive along not thinking "What gear do I need now?", but more "What gear will I need in 4 seconds". Seven years on from selling it, I still miss it.
Very true.... Anticipating the gear change keeps both the car and the driver on their toes. Its part of the fun life is to short, so you definitely need buy another one .
I have had a 4/2 for 17 years, and a roadster for about a year. Both great cars. The gearbox everyone hates, is something you get used to. And when you learn to work with it, it's so rewarding. Until you have done that. Don't knock it!!
As an American living in Germany, I own both a Cayman S and a Smart Fortwo. I absolutely love them both--the Porsche for obvious reasons, the Smart car because it feels like a go-cart, and at any given time, I get to push the accelerator to the floor. Plus, my first maintenance on the Porsche cost more than the purchase price for the Smart. I was driving slowly on the autobahn when a Smart Roadster passed me, and it was so striking that I sped up to read the brand name and was shocked that it was made by Smart.
Ed This was such a boost to my morning drowsy mood over my cereal. My smile was as broad as yours, and your obvious fun and excitement was electric! And it looked that you were testing the 'smile-a-yard' sports car on a familiar Lakeland Road, so knowing it I felt your experience through my whole body in a way I have not had before. BRIALLIANT! You have grown over so few years from a young enthusiast to a fully blown, researched and professionally presented expert to the point that you are without equal in the motoring world because your professionalism is matched by your so-obvious sense of fun and smiling enjoyment! I face a dull day with joy with thanks to you as always! Thank you - and I too want one too! For a while I helped a young motor racer who is now quiet well-known and for whom for his daily transport on the way to the racing stars was a Smart that I felt a little infra dig but hey, you have changed my mind! Also a 79 year-old friend has a Kia with a three pot and I love its pretend 6-cylnder sound and grunt. With good wishes and expectations for the next Ed magic! Rob
I honestly can't tell you how much I love my Smart Roadster. If I'm having a bad day, I pop out in it for half an hour and my whole mindset changes - it's that much fun to drive. Lots and lots of B roads to play on where I live which is the perfect environment. Cheap on petrol, cheap to insure and cheap to service. The chirp is wonderful and you forget about the gearbox once you get used to it. If you're tempted to buy one then make sure you buy a paddleshift car - much better than the standard gearchange. Stirling Moss was a big fan and I think Jenson Button had one too. If it's good enough for them...
I see that the car is very light in terms of kilograms. Only 750 kg. In the Netherlands every day is windy, sometimes very strong. I currently drive a Renault Clio and it is not 100% stable on the road, and I drive to work every day with 100 km. I see that the beautiful Smart is only 750kg and I'm worried about the wind outside 🥴. And I fell in love with this car
@@mquuu...6022 Strong gushes of wind from the side at 140 kph don't affect the Roadster a lot. It's got a tiny and very flat side profile and quite a long wheelbase for it's size (same as a Golf Mk IV).
The first time I drove a Smart, a fourtwo, I honestly thought the gearbox was broken. I returned it to it's owner with some trepidation explaining that the gearbox seems to be faulty. "Oh no", he said, "it's just total crap". I never tried the raodster, wish I had now having seen how much you enjoyed it. Good work as always Ed. Thanks.
It's worse in a fortwo. Also made more apparent as there's less power, so need to change gear more often. Have both, they're surprisingly different to drive.
They aren't crap, just different. Once you learn to use them properly and anticipate when you need to change they are absolutely fine, but you can't treat them like a modern DSG. Though I prefer a manual box, the Smart auto adds an element of involvement to driving that is missing in a modern auto or DSG and I love it for that.
I've owned one of these for the last 12 years. Brilliant little car. Why you wouldn't just leave it in auto I don't know, drives much better. Also you mention the cars character, the gearbox is part of it's character. Wouldn't change any of it, been smiling for years.
How about the maintenance? Its quite an unconventional setup so id expect it to be more expensive to fix? Do they have reliabilty issues, like the engine and transmission?
Great, positive video! Smart needed it’s own dealer network filled with people who had passion for the brand. Mercedes dealers have never have much interest in it and it showed, from the cars always seeming condemned to a little corner of the premises, to their attitude towards you upon arrival. These amazing and quirky cars deserved more, as did the buyers.
I have owned one since 2020. And absolutely love it. The paddle shift if used well is quick. That said for shear drive abillity and smiles for miles it fits everything wanted in a small functionable sports car.
I ADORED my Roadster! Consistently put a smile on my face every time I drove it! Just so much fun! And more practical than you might be forgiven for thinking - you could accommodate some pretty long loads if you folded the passenger seat forward! You’ve made me miss it all over again ☺️
I never owned a roadster but i did own a ForTwo MK2 which i used to commute to Manchester everyday. I used to rag it around the moors early mornings which was such a hoot. Only a 1 litre but so quick and nimble around those sharp turns and uneven roads.
Sehr schönes Video! Der smart roadster ist mein absolutes lieblings Auto. An die Schaltung hab ich mich längst gewohnt. Man muß etwas früher schalten, als man den anderen Gang wirklich braucht, z.B. schalte ich einen Gang runter, wenn ich überholen möchte, dann ist der richtig beim Überholen schon eingelegt. In bald 20 Jahren hatte ich nur eine Reparatur, ausser der normalen Wartung, eine Lambdasonde war defekt. Ansonsten nur Spaß am fahren! Dir wünsche ich auch weiterhin viel Spaß, much fun!
Cracking video. New owner of a 2006 450 Fortwo. Love it - the funnest thing I've ever driven. I have zero concerns with the gearbox; you just have to learn how it works (in auto mode in particular) and alter your driving to accommodate - i.e lift of your foot, switch to manual mode on fast roads, and enjoying a combination of what both modes have to offer. It's all part of the quirks of the car. I'd love a Roadster next!
You CAN get used to the gearbox and smooth the changes by using a bit of throttle at the right time, but the main thing with these cars is that you will need an engine rebuild at about 50k miles and make sure you change the non-return valve on the tube that comes out of the crankcase and goes into one of the turbo pipes. Do it every year as they are about £12 from memory. If the valve fails, the turbo will pressurise the crank case and believe me, that is not a good thing. Fun though.
The 700cc engine in the was better. I know of several that got over 100k miles on their original engines. The earlier 600cc engine wasn't as strong and did only last around 60k.
Best thing for longevity is to fit a sump with a drain rather than the ridiculous factory version that relies on oil being pumped out from above. After that, regular oil changes and the engine js very robust indeed. Even my 599 City Cab has over 100K. Brilliant cars, I've got a Roadsrer Coupe running a 113bhp map plus the stock City Cab.
I tried a number of times to feather the throttle, as is mentioned on the internet, but with the hour and a half or so of driving I had, I didn't notice much of a difference whatever I did.
@@TwinCam You don't really need to do anything, just keep applying the throttle. I've heard different opinions about it, where some say you need to lift and others say you need to feather the throttle. The ECU cuts the ignition as it shifts, so the position of the throttle doesn't matter one bit. The only perceived difference might be the moment when the clutch releases. What helps the shifts be more smoothly in my particular Smart, a 700cc City Coupe with 197.000 km's, is to slightly rev the engine a little higher when it's warm. The sweet spot for the shifts seems to sit at around 4000 rpm for my car. Taking it easy in the city means I mostly shift between 3000-3500 rpm and then it will have the occasional small hiccup when releasing the clutch. It's something you get used to pretty quickly though. After the software update the first generation already got, the Smart's robotized gearbox does a pretty decent job, though it is very sensitive to clutch and gearshift adjustments. Especially keeping the clutch well-adjusted and maybe even more important well-greased makes a huge difference in the shifts. In my experience the gearbox tends to make the most mistakes in slower corners, where it hangs on to third gear too long and often decides to downshift in the middle of the corner. I don't know if that's standard or specific for my Smart though.
"need an engine rebuild at about 50k miles " ... really? I hope nobody tells that to my Roadster-Coupe, currently having 150 000 km on the clock and going strong. "change the non-return valve" Interesting. I still have the original in use.
Having driven loads of Smart’s, i can say this, on downchanges i blip the throttle and smooths out the shift. On upchanges, I slightly feather off the throttle, smooths it out. Around town I just leave it in auto mode If the clutch is adjusted with the diagnostic annually, the changes are quicker. basically the distance between the clutch & the flywheel is adjusted to take into consideration clutch wear Here in Greece, Smart’s are trendy and hugely popular, the 600cc version used to blow the engine at around 100k kilometres, the 700cc is without issues. Despite the heat here, they cope well but the majority of owners here completely ignore the recommended service intervals and change the oil every 5000km at most. My sister-in-law has a late 2007 Fortwo Passion which is the top version with paddles, leather and of course A/C (all Greek versions have it) which works well.
I did try modulating the throttle, as suggested on the internet, but I didn't find that much difference on my short drive. I'm sure it's better with experience!
A great review, thank you so much. I have owned 2 Smarts, one was amazing and never let me down, the other was a nightmare from start to finish. The real problem with these is the electrics, they were one of the early adopters of lead free solder in the circuit boards and after a decade or so combined with vibration the solder joints fail and then reliability becomes the big problem.. the other big problem as briefly mentioned is the water ingress that is impossible to solve (at least impossible to solve In my experience). If you do not have garage space or need to use these or park in rain, the be prepared for misery.. also the rain gets into the electronics. The gearchange is something that you can massively improve with experience and technique, also an uprated clutch actuator can be purchased from Germany which is a game changer. From a technical and engineering perspective it’s theoretically perfectly possible in my opinion to add a manual clutch pedal and hydraulic actuator as it’s a perfectly conventional clutch with a electronic actuator. The gearbox also is controlled by the ecu, but with manual control it would be perfectly easy to achieve as it’s a simple motorcycle type 6 speed sequential box. The electronics of the whole car would be affected and I’m convinced that actual owners of these cars would not see the value in a manual conversion as it would be quite expensive. By the way I had one with power steering and one without power steering and I’d always take the power steering every time. Anyone considering buying one of these as a second car and with a dry space to keep it, go for it.. but get one with good history from Mercedes or a recognized specialist.. and get the top spec with the leather, ideally the Brabus. If you see lots of previous owners it’s almost certainly one of the unreliable ones with electronics gremlins that in my experience is a nightmare. A good one is a real fun car, with so much character.
Unbeilevable that this is the first I've ever seen of this car, and on first blush (your thumbnail) I thought it was a new concept of some kind. It's hard to believe it's 20ish years old! That gearbox and electric steering you'd think would kill it, but it's loaded with charisma and charm somehow.
I loved my '04 Roadster Coupe. Bought it accident damaged, repaired it & ran it for almost 4 years. It never let me down & never did much less than 50mpg. Definitely an 8 tenths car but nothing wrong with that. The gearbox was pretty awful in absolute terms but once you tune into it then it was fine. I used to always paddle shift up & let it sort itself out on the way down. There was a real joy in getting it right. Still a mega looking thing to my eyes, the 16" spikelines, specifically the epic offset on the rears is mega.
A few years ago I delivered one of these from Lancashire up to Braemar. On the motorway it was absolutely awful. Once I reached Perth, however, the character of the car completely changed & driving up the A93 over the Spittal Of Glenshee has got to be up there in one of the best drives I've ever done within the posted speed limit. It was so much fun!
I was going to say that any car would be fun on the A93, but maybe not. The Smart Roadster would certainly suit it though. I remember driving it in a very different vehicle, a VW Bay Window camper, and that was great too - high enough up to get good visibility over the humps in Glen Shee so I could keep speed up and enjoy the (limited) power. The double-jointed rear axle on the Bay gave good handling too - a lot better than the swing axles in the Split Screen and most Beetles.
You should try my one. It's a Brabus coupe. Power steering has been diabled, and it has the small diameter Brabus V6 steering wheel with paddle shifts, which transforms the steering feel. The gearbox has also been "tuned" and the shift takes about half the time now, which makes the whole package an absolute hoot to drive. I prefer it to the Ferrari F355 or the Porsche 968 which I had before. The roadie is tons more fun.
Wow…you got hold of this *much* sooner than expected. I'm now screaming that we didn't get this car Stateside, mainly just the ForTwo (with its lackluster-for-it's-size fuel economy). Thanks to you and JayEm, this car finally gets its due, somewhat-dodgy transmission and all. Well-done!
I have this car without the eletric sterring. And it’s one of the “best” cars in the whole world! Because it’s fun! I wish it had a proper H-shifter. But the slow auto clutch, you get used to, and it makes it even more engaging to drive. You really have to think forward in time with this car. When you live with it, it’s become “natural”. I don’t know of any car that can give the same feeling. Maybe a Elise, but that’s way more serious. The Smart is a clown car, making you smile all the time. I really love it!
The Fiat X1/9 gave me a very similar feeling when I drove one last year, but apart from that, moving more modern, I'd only suggest the likes of the Honda Beat, Suzuki Cappuccino, and Honda S660 would be comparable?
You've forgot to mention the fact that after couple of years after ceasing production some aftermarket cheap mods made the car gearbox and engine much more responsive and enjoyable. A, Gordon Murray used one as daily for 16 years
The roadster is an amazing car. The gearbox isn’t actually as bad as most people thing in a car like this. You learn to actually work it. It gets you thinking like a manual and auto is great just for around town and on motor ways when you don’t need to keep the revs up. Remember it was stated as a city/sports car so in town the lack of power in lower revs works cause it’s more manageable. I have driven everything from Ferraris, Porsches, Morgans, to Caterhams around country roads and actually opted for my roadster over a 997. Mainly for two reasons 1. It is just a lot cheaper to run and didn’t want ever bill to just leave me disliking the car (although don’t get me wrong the smart hasn’t been cheap to maintain) 2. 20years ago I had both a 997 and a roadster at my disposal and I found I just used the roadster more. Beautiful car and all the ‘faults’ I would say add to its fun. One final note for those looking to buy. If this one is boosting around to 1.5 bar on the turbo. It’s been mapped. Only the brabus engines cars boosted around to this.
Roadster is the “red one” the blue one a Coupe. Gearbox is great if you play. Auto and drive. Tiptronic change, flappy paddles and decide or, just drive it with foot flat down and it will rev to the red line and change gear ⚙️ it’s self.
Way to go Ed……. Excellent and your infectious love of this little car is to behold! Mike PS we had a blue and silver ForTwo and loved it….. even the gearbox which we always had set to ‘auto’ gave us so many laughs!
Great review by a great reviewer/presenter. In fact I'd go so far as to say one of my favourite TH-camrs when it comes to this kind of thing. Remarkable given your age.👍
Had the Bluewave Coupe roadster years ago. Great fun to drive and loved the paddle shift. Had to sell when we had our second child. Oldest one most upset. She had named it Squishy because she said if you had a normal Smart car then pressed really hard on the roof it would squash down into a coupe. Oh and a second memory..it leaked. Even after two visits it leaked. Still great drive. Nice sunny day, take the roof off, out on a country road it was wonderful. Wish i still had it as apparently only 125 Bluewaves were built.
A car should be fun to drive. I've had many cars over the years and my favorite of them all was a '73 Datsun 180b bluebird purely because if the fun factor! The man & machine in perfect harmony applied more so than even the sportiest car I've had. If you're not having fun it's just something you have to do! I've always fancied a Smart roadster but have never got around to getting one.
Love the review, thank you. I've had my black and silver roadster coupe since 2011. It's such a great car, and is such fun to drive. The gear box initially takes some getting used to, but after a while you get to love that too. The paddle shift and main gear stick can even be used together in combination to quickly shift down two gears if ever you need to. Just plan ahead and it's part of being alive and thinking ahead. I've often wished both my Audi and Golf had a similar gear box. The auto mode on the Golf just isn't as good, and sometimes even in manual mode the tiptronic shift on the golf insists in being in the wrong gear and won't allow me to be in the gear I actually know I want to be in. My roadster also qualifies now for classic car insurance, so costs nothing to run, and very little to insure. Some maintenance I also do myself. There is even a very good mod to allow you to have full manual steering on the roadster, so that isn't something you can really fault either. Leaks also are well known old problem but have a complete set of fixes. My roadster has never leaked since I've owned it as the leaks were all sorted. Also do get the drain plug for the oil sump. As long as it's well maintained and cared for, they can be great and reliable cars and don't cost the earth to own or maintain.
Eee! Exciting to see a review of my car. I love mine so much. It's definitely not perfect and it has recently cost me money as you really don't want to hit an unseen pothole in one but I still just love it. So much fun. As others have said, you can cope with the gearbox. I had been out if driving for a while when I got mine so it wasn't a massive shock. I think I've got to the point where I can work around its quirks. Completely agree it's the wrong way round shift wise though.
Loved mine but it was like driving around in a bath - a full one at that. In Ireland, it was totally unsuitable, so I got rid after about a year. Shame, as it was great fun.
As someone who also had difficulty with it, I'm here do defend the gearbox in the 450 and 452 because I've yet to see someone who respects/understands what it as it is: a robotized manual gearbox. Everyone expects of it to be either a dual-clutch DSG because they see it's an "automatic", which is not a fair representation of the gearbox itself. It can shift just fine in automatic mode if you take the time to learn its shift points, which are fixed. It also has a "sport" mode where you switch it to manual and it will shift at redline and under 2k rpm, without you touching it. Daily any 450 or 452 in a busy city going to work in the morning and you'll quickly learn to enjoy the gearbox in this fun little car.
The Roadster amazing car, I found once you get used to throttle & turbo you can control the gearbox very nicely in auto mode, I also had the paddle shift that also helped as you could just flick it up or down without having to move my hands of the steering wheel
The space you mentioned is already in use for the fuel tank. The packaging is actually pretty decent. The suspension hardware is a lesson in minimalist production engineering. It's a really well executed bit of kit. I might need to have another look at them.
I miss my Roadster, although my NC MX-5 is objectively better in almost every way and still makes me smile. The paddle shift wheel makes a big difference to the driving experience and can be retrofitted. Also the boost gauge lies a bit, as I found when my car was going into limp mode from overboosting but the gauge wasn't showing it...
Been waiting for a review of this and this is brilliant. So much great detail. And I prefer the glass booted version. And does it whistle each time you change gear? Fantastic!
Here in Canada we only saw the ForTwo. A neighbour had one. I came out one day to find he had most of the front end off. When I asked why he told me that he was changing a headlamp bulb. Here, these cars are about useless. Distances are much greater here. They have almost all disappointed from the road. Have fun with it. That narrow power band is why they really don't work here.
My wife had a ForFour EQ (Electric) with Brabus alloys. 160Nm of instant torque through the rear wheels and a traction system designed for a wheezy petrol engine; it was a blast to drive. Wonder if that power train would fit in a roadster...
I had a 101bhp BRABUS version, with paddles, was a brilliant little thing. Gearbox is actually a 3spd with overdrive so the 3rd to 4th change is the slowest. There's not enough space in the footwell for 3 pedals, especially in right hand drive form. BRABUS converted a LHD with a forfour Gearbox, but it wasn't developed further.
100% agree with you... The Smart roadster coupe has always been a car i adored and would have loved to have owned BUT because of that gearbox i have honestly never even driven one! i hear when equipped with the steering wheel paddle shift there is an improvement? a future classic? OH YES
I believe you can have the gearbox remapped to make it faster and smoother....worth doing apparently. I have the ForTwo 451 and I have exactly the same smile on my face constantly. When I feel like driving I use the sequential selector but if I'm just stuck in traffic or bimbling about the area I enjoy the laziness of auto select. It's nice to have both. I improved the suspension by adding spring buffers and it's transformed the ride...no longer do you feel potholes like spine jarring explosions! Get one...make your life fun every single day. Great video...really enjoyed your style... subscribed!
This looks exactly the same as my roady. It is the most fun car I have ever had (and I've had a few) but he's right, it should have had a gear box. I can't part with it even though I am constantly asked if I want to sell it! I absolutely love it
I have a smart fortwo cabrio and i think it's a fantastic looking car just like the roadster. I've just purchased a set of scruffy roadster trackline alloys I'll be getting refurbished to fit to it😊. Had it 3 months and fallen head over heels in love with it, always been into Air-cooled vw's but this car has won my heart. 3 cylinder turbo is fab. Shame about the gear shift.
Fun all the way , if it is sorted out and been looked after , had the Brabus coupe for 4 months and love it , such a HOOT to drive and vacuum pack every thing bar your self .LOL
Although i loved my Roadster Coupé Brabus it wasn't without faults and expense during 4 years of ownership. Loved the looks, handling and the sound of that 3 pot unit. The Monoblock wheels are way too soft for UK potholed roads and buckle easily. Mine blew the SAM amd ECU units due to water and shorting out. Also went through a clutch and clutch actuator after just 55k miles. Door cables have a habit of coming off the handles or snapping meaning you can't open or close/lock it. Rain water would always drip through the door mirro😢r trim and tweeters, running down the door cards. The gearbox you get used to but it can be alarming at roundabouts or junctions where you can carry on but it the car is in the wrong gear or selects the wrong gear. There's a too long pause with the change and power delivery, which is dangerous if there is another vehicle approaching. In ways i do miss her but then i remember all the issues. These days my daily commute is my trusty Smart Forfour Cdi which i love as its quirky. Another toy is the Honda CRZ GT which reminds me if the Roadie, without the issues
I finagled my dad into getting a test drive when these first came out, and dreamed of them ever since. i finally got an ex tuner democar a few years back. the it had a screamer pipe, was lowered a scary amount, was on very wide 17", and painted in a very tastefull matte grey. The thermostat died on the way home, the next day the gearbox refused service and it was sideswiped while immobile. the roof leaked and was not functional, and it had some mass problems. after fixing all this it drove brilliantly, except for the gearbox obvs. you could only find the limits of traction while aquaplaning, on the dry you had to scandi flick the live out of it to get the back out, otherwise, it steered by telepathy (it didn't have power steering) and corner entry speeds were ridiculous for a road car, the only thing i've driven that could get close was a Lotus Elise (which was way quicker, but not nearly as cute). But, the gearbox is and remains dimwitted, the maintenance costs rose to 2€/km which was getting the better of me. I sold it a while back, and while i was glad to be rid of it, I should've bought a 60hp version with a broken engine and stuffed a bike engine in it, it would have been very close to the perfect sports car
It's a charming car I always wanted to like. Then I drove a few Mk I Smarts as rental cars, really hated the gear changes and buried the idea of ever buying anything connected to that semi-autobox.
The gearshift pattern (forward for up, back for down) can be reconfigured. Better with the paddles. The great thing about smarts (I have a 451) is that it is fun at low speeds, much like, as you said, a Sprite or MX5. It also costs sod all to run !
I've always liked the look of these, but didn't know anybody with one, nor seen much enthusiasm for them, but I'll keep my eye out for a cheap one, as they do look fun
I bought one new from Smart Chiswick (54 reg), well pre-reg so only cost me £9,995! Most fun car i've ever owned, wish i still had it. Gearbox was fine if you had paddle shifters once you got used to it, changes were much better than using the stick. Didn't leak too much either! Brilliant car!
I used to have a Honda Beat - I suspect it knocks this into a cocked hat. Very well built, engine revs to 8K + and you feel you are doing in mph what you are actually doing in km/h. Proper hood, A/C (!!) and mine had a luggage rack so a small suitcase could be carried. Should never have sold it!
I'd love a Honda Beat, but as they were discontinued some eight years before the Smart, and were never sold in the UK, they can't be directly compared. From today's perspective however, Honda for me.
As for the luggage capacity... I easily pack two people, in two suitcases, a few extra bags in the back + a 6pack of wine and what else you need in the front;)
When I first drove the Smart car, I hated it. Lumpy gearchanges and seats almost directly over the rear axle it was hideously uncomfortable. So when I had to drive the Smart roadster I didn't have high expectations - but it was a revelation! Everything the Smart car wasn't - it was quick, agile and great fun. Even the crappy gear change didn't detract from the enjoyment.
Great little cars. I have an 05 Roadster with about 55k on it in star blue metallic like the video car. Had it from 3 years old. Hasn't seen road salt in years lol. Has been very good just needing a front ball joint outside regular servicing.
Owned one for a year and this is an accurate review, the gearbox ruins a fun car. Biggest flaw of that MTA gearbox was when it shredded angle sensors and got stuck in one gear. £600+ to fix, in 2008 money. Steering racks were expensive too.
I had one of these in black. was brilliant with a 108hp remap but I had to sell it and buy something that could keep the rain out because I don't have a garage and I was already on my second ECU. In fact if you're pulling 1.5 bar of boost then the one you drove has had a sneaky remap too, they only boost to 1.0 bar stock.
@@TwinCam the owner might believe it's standard, who knows how long ago it might have been done. Most remaps increase the power band so you have a bit more oomph below 3000rpm though. You know you're in a remapped one if you don't have to downshift to 4th to overtake someone on the motorway at 70
To my knowledge it’s standard. Not to say it hasn’t been remapped, but I have no paperwork and I’ve never driven another so have nothing to compare against.
My only experience of one of these was a short test-drive in one for sale; it took no more than three or four miles to come to terms with the gearbox. Treat it as a manual with an automatic clutch, modulate the throttle and the gearchange is no slower than a conventional manual. If it wasn't so low built I would be shopping for one right now, but sadly old age and arthritic knees means it's not for me :(
Though I only had an hour and a half of driving, I did try as the internet suggests to modulate the throttle while changing, but it made little to no difference. I could change gear in any manual car in less than half the time this takes.
When I was looking for a car,t ten ears ago,there was a Smart roadster, and a Daihatsu Copen for sale, locally .I bought the Copen,and often think about that Smart.
It kind of reminds me of an old British car. The fact that it did not help things financially for the company, it was quite badly made which would fall to the detriment of owners and the automatic manual almost makes it a deal breaker anyway but at the same time it makes perfect sense and you definitely definitely would buy one
Great, entertaining review… Have you driven a 1988 - 1991 Civic CRX Si? Both your commentary regarding the Roadster and the expression on your face remind me very much, despite their obvious differences) of the CRX. (Though the gearbox on the CRX is, to put it (in deference to the Smart) very mildly, rather more refined). Very worthwhile video. And once you claimed a sports car should, of course, have a manual transmission, you earned my respect and my sub.
Unfortunately I have not - and I'd love to! Closest I've gotten to a Civic of that sort is a Rover 220 GTi I reviewed last year, which was spectacular to drive, but with strut/multi-link suspension and a Rover T-Series engine, it's only real Honda link is the bodyshell!
I do eye one of these up once and a while, I love JDM cars, kei cars and I have been thinking about importing a Honda S660 to replace my Honda CRZ once Im done with it, and the Smart Roadster and Daihatsu Copen are giving me the same vibe.
Great video, however, having owned my "finale edition" roadster for over 12 years , I disagree that the gearbox robs the car of character. For me , anticipating the gear changes, and keeping the engine in its sweet spot on twisty road is a huge part of the fun and character of the car...The whole experience is unique to the smart roadster. Add that to the fact that I have never seen another model the same as mine on the road, makes driving it a bit of an occasion. The only time I'll consider selling it is when I can no longer manage to climb in and out of it ..
Smart only sold Fortwos back where I live so I never knew this thing even existed. I've definitely go through the pain of swapping this for a MT but I'd own one and drive it every single day if I could
Just a note on the gearbox - the example for downshifts was done when driving at a steady speed and then attempting to drop a gear. Clarkson also used this example on Top Gear. This is the only type of shift that's particularly irritating - the rest of the time you're downshifting when braking, for corners etc, and you can just shift earlier, it can be unnoticeable and inconsequential. Not really an issue for fun driving. The only real time most people drop down a gear from a steady speed is overtaking, but again can be planned around. This is an issue for all automated manuals, as the gearbox can't predict that you're going to downshift, it can't speed up the change, and you're left waiting for the actuator to slowly lift the clutch as a result. You can't speed it up for such instances as it would be massively unpleasant to drive in other conditions, but sadly that means you get a boot full of revs rather than any acceleration as the car is attempting to work out what you're up to. The computer is just about smart enough to introduce quicker shifts when you're properly on it, although still obviously worse than a proper manual. Still find it preferable to a slushbox, it can be fun if you accept it for what it is and drive around the foibles.
Totally agree it's preferable to a slushbox, but it has to be compared to a manual. The anticipation the computer can't do is a good point though, as the Hyundai i30 N I drove in 2022 had a similar problem with its automatic rev matching. It's so slow that you can't drive it quickly in that mode. For the Smart, however, you're forced to live with it. While it wouldn't at all stop me from having one, I don't think the limit of technology can be excused if the alternative of abandoning the technology is physically better.
@@TwinCam Only referenced the slushbox as that's often a suggested comparison as they offer smoother changes. They do. But I'd still personally prefer to drive around the foibles of an automated manual if I can't have a traditional shift. Am certainly not suggesting it's a decent alternative for a proper manual - it's not, and nor was BMW's SMG or whatever Ferrari's attempt at similar was called, as all shared an inability to second-guess what the driver wanted in all conditions. If it can't be a normal manual, DSG and similar is obviously a much better compromise as it's already effectively holding gears, but then it weighs almost the same as a Smart engine on its own, so again pros and cons. Personally think the limit of the technology can be excused simply as the Roadster wouldn't exist in any other form - is very much a take it or leave it, as they didn't have an alternative drivetrain and suspension to throw in there without major design changes. Much cheaper to develop a car when you already have front and rear subframes/suspension, drivetrain and whatever else was pretty much dropped in wholesale. The majority of car enthusiasts will sadly dismiss the Roadster and move on, which is fair enough. Personally think you have to approach it differently unless you're going to make major engine and suspension modifications (no point, just buy an Elise). It is what it is, so think people would be better served by considering how to adapt their driving to get the best out of it. Pretty much the same as driving a classic - many (arguably all, outside of niche super-light stuff) have horrific brakes, transmissions, live-axle suspension - unless you're going to fundamentally change these you just have to accept the limitations and embrace the foibles. Some people will never get past that, and it's a shame. Maybe not you, but it 100% does put other people off owning them, or even extensively driving one. I've had every bit as much fun in my Roadster as I have the Elises I spent a decade driving and modifying. It's nowhere near as good, but knowing that I don't attempt to drive it in the same way. My comment wasn't an attack on your video btw - is a fair review - just flagging the point that the worst parts of the gearbox generally blend into insignificance if you're not looking for the worst parts of the gearbox! It also helps if you own a Smart 450 alongside, which has the literal worst drivetrain known to man (or woman). Imagine a Roadster with 50% slower shifts, and a car with 40% less power so you're changing gear 80% more often, and you're about there. Roadster doesn't look so bad then!
I was interested in these back in the day, actually got a loaner for 24hrs, but never bought one in the end. It was possible to modify the shifter 'the right way round', but that was a bit more difficult than just switching two wires round.
I get very frustrated with reviewers being so critical of the gearbox, once you get used to it , it is a joy, the best of both worlds and as fast as a manual change. Great fun little car!
That’s a cool little car, and the 3 pot engine really suits it, but I’m with you on the gearbox, why didn’t they just get a manual gearbox option for it rather than complicating it with that electronic box it’s got, I’d imagine that would be hideously expensive to fix should you have issues with it which I suspect has happened to a few owners. I haven’t seen many of these over the years since they were new, they are a bit scarce. Excellent review Edd as always, thanks again! 👍😎
In the For Two, the secret was to leave it in auto mode, and lift the throttle momentarily when you wanted to upshift. That way, it didn’t cut the power and lose momentum. I can’t say if that would work in the Roadster, because they never reached Canada.
the litle alfa-romeu if it had a manual driving stick with clutch ,it would be perfect, i almost bought one of this but at the time seemed to frail but after driving it in diferent roads i was amzed by it, it´s really fast with a low profile and a litle engine but feels perfect what more can one say, now are rare , it was less expensive than what cost to the brand to built it, the old swatch mercdes art that never went far
Can you manual swap these? I had a for two and loved it. Commutted 80 miles a day in it until the engine blew up in spectacular fashion. It had also been converted to run on LPG by a previous owner which probably didn't help the longevity of the engine although I think the engines do need a rebuild at around 70K miles.
Anything's theoretically possible, though maintaining the standard architecture of the car I don't know. The selector mechanism would be the big engineering challenge.
This is my Smart! It was an absolute pleasure to have Ed up to review it! Delighted that he had as much enjoyment driving it as I do!
Crazily I was the one that had it before you! Glad to see its still dealing out smiles
Best, most fun car I've ever owned. Local Smart specialist tweaked it to 112 bhp and kept the clutch properly regulated at each service. Well sealed; no leaks. If only it had room for our greyhound...😥
Which Smart specialist are you using ? looking to get my Brabus chipped . Fun to drive and smiles per mile .
112 of the Best HP - and probably able to use every one
"If only it had room for our Greyhound"; that's what the optional rear boot rack was for, you strap the Greyhound to it! 👍
I have owned five Smarts, 4 x ForTwo and a Roadster. The best upgrade I had done, and there was a few, was the fitting of a pedal shift steering wheel. Made it a lot more enjoyable to drive. You learn plan ahead more, you drive along not thinking "What gear do I need now?", but more "What gear will I need in 4 seconds". Seven years on from selling it, I still miss it.
Very true.... Anticipating the gear change keeps both the car and the driver on their toes. Its part of the fun
life is to short, so you definitely need buy another one .
I have had a 4/2 for 17 years, and a roadster for about a year. Both great cars. The gearbox everyone hates, is something you get used to. And when you learn to work with it, it's so rewarding. Until you have done that. Don't knock it!!
As an American living in Germany, I own both a Cayman S and a Smart Fortwo. I absolutely love them both--the Porsche for obvious reasons, the Smart car because it feels like a go-cart, and at any given time, I get to push the accelerator to the floor. Plus, my first maintenance on the Porsche cost more than the purchase price for the Smart. I was driving slowly on the autobahn when a Smart Roadster passed me, and it was so striking that I sped up to read the brand name and was shocked that it was made by Smart.
Ed This was such a boost to my morning drowsy mood over my cereal. My smile was as broad as yours, and your obvious fun and excitement was electric! And it looked that you were testing the 'smile-a-yard' sports car on a familiar Lakeland Road, so knowing it I felt your experience through my whole body in a way I have not had before. BRIALLIANT! You have grown over so few years from a young enthusiast to a fully blown, researched and professionally presented expert to the point that you are without equal in the motoring world because your professionalism is matched by your so-obvious sense of fun and smiling enjoyment! I face a dull day with joy with thanks to you as always!
Thank you - and I too want one too!
For a while I helped a young motor racer who is now quiet well-known and for whom for his daily transport on the way to the racing stars was a Smart that I felt a little infra dig but hey, you have changed my mind! Also a 79 year-old friend has a Kia with a three pot and I love its pretend 6-cylnder sound and grunt.
With good wishes and expectations for the next Ed magic!
Rob
Thanks as always Rob :)
I have the flappy paddles which are great and the sound the engine makes when wrung out is just marvellous.
I honestly can't tell you how much I love my Smart Roadster. If I'm having a bad day, I pop out in it for half an hour and my whole mindset changes - it's that much fun to drive. Lots and lots of B roads to play on where I live which is the perfect environment. Cheap on petrol, cheap to insure and cheap to service. The chirp is wonderful and you forget about the gearbox once you get used to it. If you're tempted to buy one then make sure you buy a paddleshift car - much better than the standard gearchange. Stirling Moss was a big fan and I think Jenson Button had one too. If it's good enough for them...
Gordon Murray had one too
I see that the car is very light in terms of kilograms. Only 750 kg. In the Netherlands every day is windy, sometimes very strong. I currently drive a Renault Clio and it is not 100% stable on the road, and I drive to work every day with 100 km. I see that the beautiful Smart is only 750kg and I'm worried about the wind outside 🥴. And I fell in love with this car
@mquuu...6022 it's alot smaller than a Renault so should be more stable than it in the wind.
I am buying one - what should I check well and be ready for to pay as a part of repairs?
@@mquuu...6022 Strong gushes of wind from the side at 140 kph don't affect the Roadster a lot. It's got a tiny and very flat side profile and quite a long wheelbase for it's size (same as a Golf Mk IV).
The first time I drove a Smart, a fourtwo, I honestly thought the gearbox was broken. I returned it to it's owner with some trepidation explaining that the gearbox seems to be faulty. "Oh no", he said, "it's just total crap". I never tried the raodster, wish I had now having seen how much you enjoyed it. Good work as always Ed. Thanks.
It's worse in a fortwo. Also made more apparent as there's less power, so need to change gear more often. Have both, they're surprisingly different to drive.
They aren't crap, just different. Once you learn to use them properly and anticipate when you need to change they are absolutely fine, but you can't treat them like a modern DSG. Though I prefer a manual box, the Smart auto adds an element of involvement to driving that is missing in a modern auto or DSG and I love it for that.
I've owned one of these for the last 12 years. Brilliant little car. Why you wouldn't just leave it in auto I don't know, drives much better. Also you mention the cars character, the gearbox is part of it's character. Wouldn't change any of it, been smiling for years.
This one really doesn't, and in that case, I'd lose that last precious bit of control! ;)
How about the maintenance? Its quite an unconventional setup so id expect it to be more expensive to fix? Do they have reliabilty issues, like the engine and transmission?
Great, positive video! Smart needed it’s own dealer network filled with people who had passion for the brand. Mercedes dealers have never have much interest in it and it showed, from the cars always seeming condemned to a little corner of the premises, to their attitude towards you upon arrival. These amazing and quirky cars deserved more, as did the buyers.
I have owned one since 2020. And absolutely love it. The paddle shift if used well is quick. That said for shear drive abillity and smiles for miles it fits everything wanted in a small functionable sports car.
I ADORED my Roadster! Consistently put a smile on my face every time I drove it! Just so much fun! And more practical than you might be forgiven for thinking - you could accommodate some pretty long loads if you folded the passenger seat forward! You’ve made me miss it all over again ☺️
I never owned a roadster but i did own a ForTwo MK2 which i used to commute to Manchester everyday. I used to rag it around the moors early mornings which was such a hoot. Only a 1 litre but so quick and nimble around those sharp turns and uneven roads.
Sehr schönes Video! Der smart roadster ist mein absolutes lieblings Auto. An die Schaltung hab ich mich längst gewohnt. Man muß etwas früher schalten, als man den anderen Gang wirklich braucht, z.B. schalte ich einen Gang runter, wenn ich überholen möchte, dann ist der richtig beim Überholen schon eingelegt. In bald 20 Jahren hatte ich nur eine Reparatur, ausser der normalen Wartung, eine Lambdasonde war defekt. Ansonsten nur Spaß am fahren! Dir wünsche ich auch weiterhin viel Spaß, much fun!
Cracking video. New owner of a 2006 450 Fortwo. Love it - the funnest thing I've ever driven. I have zero concerns with the gearbox; you just have to learn how it works (in auto mode in particular) and alter your driving to accommodate - i.e lift of your foot, switch to manual mode on fast roads, and enjoying a combination of what both modes have to offer.
It's all part of the quirks of the car. I'd love a Roadster next!
Great to see your joy from driving the little Smart ! I’m guessing that you’re going to have quite the car collection in a few years time, Ed 😄❗️❗️
Ah, we can all dream :)
You CAN get used to the gearbox and smooth the changes by using a bit of throttle at the right time, but the main thing with these cars is that you will need an engine rebuild at about 50k miles and make sure you change the non-return valve on the tube that comes out of the crankcase and goes into one of the turbo pipes. Do it every year as they are about £12 from memory. If the valve fails, the turbo will pressurise the crank case and believe me, that is not a good thing. Fun though.
The 700cc engine in the was better. I know of several that got over 100k miles on their original engines. The earlier 600cc engine wasn't as strong and did only last around 60k.
Best thing for longevity is to fit a sump with a drain rather than the ridiculous factory version that relies on oil being pumped out from above. After that, regular oil changes and the engine js very robust indeed. Even my 599 City Cab has over 100K. Brilliant cars, I've got a Roadsrer Coupe running a 113bhp map plus the stock City Cab.
I tried a number of times to feather the throttle, as is mentioned on the internet, but with the hour and a half or so of driving I had, I didn't notice much of a difference whatever I did.
@@TwinCam You don't really need to do anything, just keep applying the throttle. I've heard different opinions about it, where some say you need to lift and others say you need to feather the throttle. The ECU cuts the ignition as it shifts, so the position of the throttle doesn't matter one bit. The only perceived difference might be the moment when the clutch releases. What helps the shifts be more smoothly in my particular Smart, a 700cc City Coupe with 197.000 km's, is to slightly rev the engine a little higher when it's warm. The sweet spot for the shifts seems to sit at around 4000 rpm for my car. Taking it easy in the city means I mostly shift between 3000-3500 rpm and then it will have the occasional small hiccup when releasing the clutch. It's something you get used to pretty quickly though.
After the software update the first generation already got, the Smart's robotized gearbox does a pretty decent job, though it is very sensitive to clutch and gearshift adjustments. Especially keeping the clutch well-adjusted and maybe even more important well-greased makes a huge difference in the shifts. In my experience the gearbox tends to make the most mistakes in slower corners, where it hangs on to third gear too long and often decides to downshift in the middle of the corner. I don't know if that's standard or specific for my Smart though.
"need an engine rebuild at about 50k miles " ... really? I hope nobody tells that to my Roadster-Coupe, currently having 150 000 km on the clock and going strong.
"change the non-return valve" Interesting. I still have the original in use.
Having driven loads of Smart’s, i can say this, on downchanges i blip the throttle and smooths out the shift. On upchanges, I slightly feather off the throttle, smooths it out. Around town I just leave it in auto mode
If the clutch is adjusted with the diagnostic annually, the changes are quicker. basically the distance between the clutch & the flywheel is adjusted to take into consideration clutch wear
Here in Greece, Smart’s are trendy and hugely popular, the 600cc version used to blow the engine at around 100k kilometres, the 700cc is without issues. Despite the heat here, they cope well but the majority of owners here completely ignore the recommended service intervals and change the oil every 5000km at most.
My sister-in-law has a late 2007 Fortwo Passion which is the top version with paddles, leather and of course A/C (all Greek versions have it) which works well.
I did try modulating the throttle, as suggested on the internet, but I didn't find that much difference on my short drive. I'm sure it's better with experience!
A great review, thank you so much. I have owned 2 Smarts, one was amazing and never let me down, the other was a nightmare from start to finish. The real problem with these is the electrics, they were one of the early adopters of lead free solder in the circuit boards and after a decade or so combined with vibration the solder joints fail and then reliability becomes the big problem.. the other big problem as briefly mentioned is the water ingress that is impossible to solve (at least impossible to solve In my experience).
If you do not have garage space or need to use these or park in rain, the be prepared for misery.. also the rain gets into the electronics.
The gearchange is something that you can massively improve with experience and technique, also an uprated clutch actuator can be purchased from Germany which is a game changer.
From a technical and engineering perspective it’s theoretically perfectly possible in my opinion to add a manual clutch pedal and hydraulic actuator as it’s a perfectly conventional clutch with a electronic actuator. The gearbox also is controlled by the ecu, but with manual control it would be perfectly easy to achieve as it’s a simple motorcycle type 6 speed sequential box. The electronics of the whole car would be affected and I’m convinced that actual owners of these cars would not see the value in a manual conversion as it would be quite expensive.
By the way I had one with power steering and one without power steering and I’d always take the power steering every time.
Anyone considering buying one of these as a second car and with a dry space to keep it, go for it.. but get one with good history from Mercedes or a recognized specialist.. and get the top spec with the leather, ideally the Brabus. If you see lots of previous owners it’s almost certainly one of the unreliable ones with electronics gremlins that in my experience is a nightmare. A good one is a real fun car, with so much character.
I think the challenge would be in engineering a manual gear selector and packaging it all?
Unbeilevable that this is the first I've ever seen of this car, and on first blush (your thumbnail) I thought it was a new concept of some kind. It's hard to believe it's 20ish years old! That gearbox and electric steering you'd think would kill it, but it's loaded with charisma and charm somehow.
I loved my '04 Roadster Coupe. Bought it accident damaged, repaired it & ran it for almost 4 years. It never let me down & never did much less than 50mpg. Definitely an 8 tenths car but nothing wrong with that. The gearbox was pretty awful in absolute terms but once you tune into it then it was fine. I used to always paddle shift up & let it sort itself out on the way down. There was a real joy in getting it right. Still a mega looking thing to my eyes, the 16" spikelines, specifically the epic offset on the rears is mega.
Dammit all! Every time you review a car I like, it makes me want one. You have that in common with another TH-camr I subscribe to.
Bought mine over ten years ago and I have been smiling ever since what a wonderful little car, totally impracticable but so much fun.
A few years ago I delivered one of these from Lancashire up to Braemar. On the motorway it was absolutely awful. Once I reached Perth, however, the character of the car completely changed & driving up the A93 over the Spittal Of Glenshee has got to be up there in one of the best drives I've ever done within the posted speed limit. It was so much fun!
I was going to say that any car would be fun on the A93, but maybe not. The Smart Roadster would certainly suit it though. I remember driving it in a very different vehicle, a VW Bay Window camper, and that was great too - high enough up to get good visibility over the humps in Glen Shee so I could keep speed up and enjoy the (limited) power. The double-jointed rear axle on the Bay gave good handling too - a lot better than the swing axles in the Split Screen and most Beetles.
You should try my one. It's a Brabus coupe. Power steering has been diabled, and it has the small diameter Brabus V6 steering wheel with paddle shifts, which transforms the steering feel. The gearbox has also been "tuned" and the shift takes about half the time now, which makes the whole package an absolute hoot to drive. I prefer it to the Ferrari F355 or the Porsche 968 which I had before. The roadie is tons more fun.
Wow…you got hold of this *much* sooner than expected. I'm now screaming that we didn't get this car Stateside, mainly just the ForTwo (with its lackluster-for-it's-size fuel economy). Thanks to you and JayEm, this car finally gets its due, somewhat-dodgy transmission and all. Well-done!
I have this car without the eletric sterring. And it’s one of the “best” cars in the whole world! Because it’s fun! I wish it had a proper H-shifter. But the slow auto clutch, you get used to, and it makes it even more engaging to drive. You really have to think forward in time with this car.
When you live with it, it’s become “natural”. I don’t know of any car that can give the same feeling. Maybe a Elise, but that’s way more serious. The Smart is a clown car, making you smile all the time. I really love it!
The Fiat X1/9 gave me a very similar feeling when I drove one last year, but apart from that, moving more modern, I'd only suggest the likes of the Honda Beat, Suzuki Cappuccino, and Honda S660 would be comparable?
You've forgot to mention the fact that after couple of years after ceasing production some aftermarket cheap mods made the car gearbox and engine much more responsive and enjoyable.
A, Gordon Murray used one as daily for 16 years
The roadster is an amazing car. The gearbox isn’t actually as bad as most people thing in a car like this. You learn to actually work it. It gets you thinking like a manual and auto is great just for around town and on motor ways when you don’t need to keep the revs up. Remember it was stated as a city/sports car so in town the lack of power in lower revs works cause it’s more manageable. I have driven everything from Ferraris, Porsches, Morgans, to Caterhams around country roads and actually opted for my roadster over a 997. Mainly for two reasons 1. It is just a lot cheaper to run and didn’t want ever bill to just leave me disliking the car (although don’t get me wrong the smart hasn’t been cheap to maintain) 2. 20years ago I had both a 997 and a roadster at my disposal and I found I just used the roadster more. Beautiful car and all the ‘faults’ I would say add to its fun.
One final note for those looking to buy. If this one is boosting around to 1.5 bar on the turbo. It’s been mapped. Only the brabus engines cars boosted around to this.
Roadster is the “red one” the blue one a Coupe.
Gearbox is great if you play.
Auto and drive. Tiptronic change, flappy paddles and decide or, just drive it with foot flat down and it will rev to the red line and change gear ⚙️ it’s self.
Owned 2, fantastic cars
Also when it comes to the gearbox, you're much better off getting the flappy paddles
Way to go Ed…….
Excellent and your infectious love of this little car is to behold!
Mike
PS we had a blue and silver ForTwo and loved it….. even the gearbox which we always had set to ‘auto’ gave us so many laughs!
Great review by a great reviewer/presenter. In fact I'd go so far as to say one of my favourite TH-camrs when it comes to this kind of thing. Remarkable given your age.👍
Thanks James :)
Had the Bluewave Coupe roadster years ago. Great fun to drive and loved the paddle shift. Had to sell when we had our second child. Oldest one most upset. She had named it Squishy because she said if you had a normal Smart car then pressed really hard on the roof it would squash down into a coupe. Oh and a second memory..it leaked. Even after two visits it leaked. Still great drive. Nice sunny day, take the roof off, out on a country road it was wonderful. Wish i still had it as apparently only 125 Bluewaves were built.
A car should be fun to drive. I've had many cars over the years and my favorite of them all was a '73 Datsun 180b bluebird purely because if the fun factor! The man & machine in perfect harmony applied more so than even the sportiest car I've had. If you're not having fun it's just something you have to do! I've always fancied a Smart roadster but have never got around to getting one.
What a great, honest review; I could feel the enthusiasm this side of the screen. SUBSCRIBED!
Thanks mate, hope you enjoy my ramblings :)
Love the review, thank you. I've had my black and silver roadster coupe since 2011. It's such a great car, and is such fun to drive. The gear box initially takes some getting used to, but after a while you get to love that too. The paddle shift and main gear stick can even be used together in combination to quickly shift down two gears if ever you need to. Just plan ahead and it's part of being alive and thinking ahead. I've often wished both my Audi and Golf had a similar gear box. The auto mode on the Golf just isn't as good, and sometimes even in manual mode the tiptronic shift on the golf insists in being in the wrong gear and won't allow me to be in the gear I actually know I want to be in. My roadster also qualifies now for classic car insurance, so costs nothing to run, and very little to insure. Some maintenance I also do myself. There is even a very good mod to allow you to have full manual steering on the roadster, so that isn't something you can really fault either. Leaks also are well known old problem but have a complete set of fixes. My roadster has never leaked since I've owned it as the leaks were all sorted. Also do get the drain plug for the oil sump. As long as it's well maintained and cared for, they can be great and reliable cars and don't cost the earth to own or maintain.
Eee! Exciting to see a review of my car. I love mine so much. It's definitely not perfect and it has recently cost me money as you really don't want to hit an unseen pothole in one but I still just love it. So much fun.
As others have said, you can cope with the gearbox. I had been out if driving for a while when I got mine so it wasn't a massive shock. I think I've got to the point where I can work around its quirks. Completely agree it's the wrong way round shift wise though.
One of my neighbours has one of these, can't stop myself looking at it when I walk past it :)
MAGNIFIQUE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved mine but it was like driving around in a bath - a full one at that. In Ireland, it was totally unsuitable, so I got rid after about a year. Shame, as it was great fun.
As someone who also had difficulty with it, I'm here do defend the gearbox in the 450 and 452 because I've yet to see someone who respects/understands what it as it is: a robotized manual gearbox.
Everyone expects of it to be either a dual-clutch DSG because they see it's an "automatic", which is not a fair representation of the gearbox itself.
It can shift just fine in automatic mode if you take the time to learn its shift points, which are fixed. It also has a "sport" mode where you switch it to manual and it will shift at redline and under 2k rpm, without you touching it.
Daily any 450 or 452 in a busy city going to work in the morning and you'll quickly learn to enjoy the gearbox in this fun little car.
Great review. You have great insight into cars.
The Roadster amazing car, I found once you get used to throttle & turbo you can control the gearbox very nicely in auto mode, I also had the paddle shift that also helped as you could just flick it up or down without having to move my hands of the steering wheel
Yeah I think the paddle shift, and even some improved software, would make a big difference to the example I drove.
The space you mentioned is already in use for the fuel tank. The packaging is actually pretty decent. The suspension hardware is a lesson in minimalist production engineering. It's a really well executed bit of kit. I might need to have another look at them.
Ah of course!
I miss my Roadster, although my NC MX-5 is objectively better in almost every way and still makes me smile. The paddle shift wheel makes a big difference to the driving experience and can be retrofitted. Also the boost gauge lies a bit, as I found when my car was going into limp mode from overboosting but the gauge wasn't showing it...
we didn't get these roadsters in the us but my 09 453 passion always gets me where i need to go!
Been waiting for a review of this and this is brilliant. So much great detail. And I prefer the glass booted version. And does it whistle each time you change gear? Fantastic!
Every single time!
Here in Canada we only saw the ForTwo. A neighbour had one. I came out one day to find he had most of the front end off. When I asked why he told me that he was changing a headlamp bulb. Here, these cars are about useless. Distances are much greater here. They have almost all disappointed from the road. Have fun with it. That narrow power band is why they really don't work here.
My wife had a ForFour EQ (Electric) with Brabus alloys. 160Nm of instant torque through the rear wheels and a traction system designed for a wheezy petrol engine; it was a blast to drive. Wonder if that power train would fit in a roadster...
giíf gir wife fur wife módél à mídél t ektruç
I had a 101bhp BRABUS version, with paddles, was a brilliant little thing.
Gearbox is actually a 3spd with overdrive so the 3rd to 4th change is the slowest. There's not enough space in the footwell for 3 pedals, especially in right hand drive form. BRABUS converted a LHD with a forfour Gearbox, but it wasn't developed further.
As always a truly professional and informative video.
100% agree with you... The Smart roadster coupe has always been a car i adored and would have loved to have owned BUT because of that gearbox i have honestly never even driven one! i hear when equipped with the steering wheel paddle shift there is an improvement? a future classic? OH YES
I think the paddles would be an improvement, but I did enjoy bashing through the gears with the sequential lever.
I believe you can have the gearbox remapped to make it faster and smoother....worth doing apparently.
I have the ForTwo 451 and I have exactly the same smile on my face constantly. When I feel like driving I use the sequential selector but if I'm just stuck in traffic or bimbling about the area I enjoy the laziness of auto select. It's nice to have both. I improved the suspension by adding spring buffers and it's transformed the ride...no longer do you feel potholes like spine jarring explosions!
Get one...make your life fun every single day.
Great video...really enjoyed your style... subscribed!
Thanks mate, hope you enjoy my wittering :)
A cute little car indeed. Good looking and very practical. Some of these were great ideas but much ahead of their time.
I own an SLK230 for 1 year and still have my Roadster Coupe for 8 years, the roadster is never leaving me🙂
This looks exactly the same as my roady. It is the most fun car I have ever had (and I've had a few) but he's right, it should have had a gear box. I can't part with it even though I am constantly asked if I want to sell it! I absolutely love it
I have a smart fortwo cabrio and i think it's a fantastic looking car just like the roadster.
I've just purchased a set of scruffy roadster trackline alloys I'll be getting refurbished to fit to it😊. Had it 3 months and fallen head over heels in love with it, always been into Air-cooled vw's but this car has won my heart.
3 cylinder turbo is fab. Shame about the gear shift.
Fun all the way , if it is sorted out and been looked after , had the Brabus coupe for 4 months and love it , such a HOOT to drive and vacuum pack every thing bar your self .LOL
Although i loved my Roadster Coupé Brabus it wasn't without faults and expense during 4 years of ownership.
Loved the looks, handling and the sound of that 3 pot unit. The Monoblock wheels are way too soft for UK potholed roads and buckle easily.
Mine blew the SAM amd ECU units due to water and shorting out. Also went through a clutch and clutch actuator after just 55k miles.
Door cables have a habit of coming off the handles or snapping meaning you can't open or close/lock it. Rain water would always drip through the door mirro😢r trim and tweeters, running down the door cards.
The gearbox you get used to but it can be alarming at roundabouts or junctions where you can carry on but it the car is in the wrong gear or selects the wrong gear. There's a too long pause with the change and power delivery, which is dangerous if there is another vehicle approaching.
In ways i do miss her but then i remember all the issues.
These days my daily commute is my trusty Smart Forfour Cdi which i love as its quirky. Another toy is the Honda CRZ GT which reminds me if the Roadie, without the issues
thanks for this review. i can confirm that this is one of the most underrated cars in terms of fun for bucks...
I finagled my dad into getting a test drive when these first came out, and dreamed of them ever since. i finally got an ex tuner democar a few years back. the it had a screamer pipe, was lowered a scary amount, was on very wide 17", and painted in a very tastefull matte grey. The thermostat died on the way home, the next day the gearbox refused service and it was sideswiped while immobile. the roof leaked and was not functional, and it had some mass problems. after fixing all this it drove brilliantly, except for the gearbox obvs. you could only find the limits of traction while aquaplaning, on the dry you had to scandi flick the live out of it to get the back out, otherwise, it steered by telepathy (it didn't have power steering) and corner entry speeds were ridiculous for a road car, the only thing i've driven that could get close was a Lotus Elise (which was way quicker, but not nearly as cute). But, the gearbox is and remains dimwitted, the maintenance costs rose to 2€/km which was getting the better of me. I sold it a while back, and while i was glad to be rid of it, I should've bought a 60hp version with a broken engine and stuffed a bike engine in it, it would have been very close to the perfect sports car
It's a charming car I always wanted to like. Then I drove a few Mk I Smarts as rental cars, really hated the gear changes and buried the idea of ever buying anything connected to that semi-autobox.
The gearshift pattern (forward for up, back for down) can be reconfigured. Better with the paddles. The great thing about smarts (I have a 451) is that it is fun at low speeds, much like, as you said, a Sprite or MX5. It also costs sod all to run !
I've always liked the look of these, but didn't know anybody with one, nor seen much enthusiasm for them, but I'll keep my eye out for a cheap one, as they do look fun
I bought one new from Smart Chiswick (54 reg), well pre-reg so only cost me £9,995! Most fun car i've ever owned, wish i still had it. Gearbox was fine if you had paddle shifters once you got used to it, changes were much better than using the stick. Didn't leak too much either! Brilliant car!
gm geoo meteó same oriçe tagé same mpg
I used to have a Honda Beat - I suspect it knocks this into a cocked hat. Very well built, engine revs to 8K + and you feel you are doing in mph what you are actually doing in km/h. Proper hood, A/C (!!) and mine had a luggage rack so a small suitcase could be carried. Should never have sold it!
I'd love a Honda Beat, but as they were discontinued some eight years before the Smart, and were never sold in the UK, they can't be directly compared. From today's perspective however, Honda for me.
maßter chef hoñda ß 2000 155 moh
As for the luggage capacity... I easily pack two people, in two suitcases, a few extra bags in the back + a 6pack of wine and what else you need in the front;)
When I first drove the Smart car, I hated it. Lumpy gearchanges and seats almost directly over the rear axle it was hideously uncomfortable. So when I had to drive the Smart roadster I didn't have high expectations - but it was a revelation! Everything the Smart car wasn't - it was quick, agile and great fun. Even the crappy gear change didn't detract from the enjoyment.
Great little cars. I have an 05 Roadster with about 55k on it in star blue metallic like the video car. Had it from 3 years old. Hasn't seen road salt in years lol. Has been very good just needing a front ball joint outside regular servicing.
Always enjoy your videos, opinions, and enthusiasm.
Excellent video, Ed. Thank you 👌🏼
Owned one for a year and this is an accurate review, the gearbox ruins a fun car. Biggest flaw of that MTA gearbox was when it shredded angle sensors and got stuck in one gear. £600+ to fix, in 2008 money. Steering racks were expensive too.
Absolutely love mine... Such a fun car on a twisty B road and a future classic I reckon
byy it
I completely agree with you, I hired a four two cabriolet for my honeymoon here in Australia
I had so much fun driving that little car
maßdßter çhéf déñt lambghiñi çiñtaçhe fur honñy moón
Such a awesome video Ed, it was great to see you enjoying you’re drive so much despite the clearly hideous gearbox, have to say the car did suit you😂
I had one of these in black. was brilliant with a 108hp remap but I had to sell it and buy something that could keep the rain out because I don't have a garage and I was already on my second ECU. In fact if you're pulling 1.5 bar of boost then the one you drove has had a sneaky remap too, they only boost to 1.0 bar stock.
I was told it was standard, and it feels standard judging by the acceleration, but who knows!
@@TwinCam the owner might believe it's standard, who knows how long ago it might have been done. Most remaps increase the power band so you have a bit more oomph below 3000rpm though. You know you're in a remapped one if you don't have to downshift to 4th to overtake someone on the motorway at 70
To my knowledge it’s standard. Not to say it hasn’t been remapped, but I have no paperwork and I’ve never driven another so have nothing to compare against.
My only experience of one of these was a short test-drive in one for sale; it took no more than three or four miles to come to terms with the gearbox. Treat it as a manual with an automatic clutch, modulate the throttle and the gearchange is no slower than a conventional manual. If it wasn't so low built I would be shopping for one right now, but sadly old age and arthritic knees means it's not for me :(
Though I only had an hour and a half of driving, I did try as the internet suggests to modulate the throttle while changing, but it made little to no difference. I could change gear in any manual car in less than half the time this takes.
Top review Ed. Great work. 👍👍
When I was looking for a car,t ten ears ago,there was a Smart roadster, and a Daihatsu Copen for sale, locally .I bought the Copen,and often think about that Smart.
I love Smart and the roadster/coupe was/is brilliant.
It kind of reminds me of an old British car. The fact that it did not help things financially for the company, it was quite badly made which would fall to the detriment of owners and the automatic manual almost makes it a deal breaker anyway but at the same time it makes perfect sense and you definitely definitely would buy one
Of course we'd buy one. We're mad.
Great, entertaining review…
Have you driven a 1988 - 1991 Civic CRX Si? Both your commentary regarding the Roadster and the expression on your face remind me very much, despite their obvious differences) of the CRX. (Though the gearbox on the CRX is, to put it (in deference to the Smart) very mildly, rather more refined).
Very worthwhile video. And once you claimed a sports car should, of course, have a manual transmission, you earned my respect and my sub.
Unfortunately I have not - and I'd love to!
Closest I've gotten to a Civic of that sort is a Rover 220 GTi I reviewed last year, which was spectacular to drive, but with strut/multi-link suspension and a Rover T-Series engine, it's only real Honda link is the bodyshell!
I do eye one of these up once and a while, I love JDM cars, kei cars and I have been thinking about importing a Honda S660 to replace my Honda CRZ once Im done with it, and the Smart Roadster and Daihatsu Copen are giving me the same vibe.
ho da 8ñsifht
Great video, however, having owned my "finale edition" roadster for over 12 years , I disagree that the gearbox robs the car of character.
For me , anticipating the gear changes, and keeping the engine in its sweet spot on twisty road is a huge part of the fun and character of the car...The whole experience is unique to the smart roadster.
Add that to the fact that I have never seen another model the same as mine on the road, makes driving it a bit of an occasion.
The only time I'll consider selling it is when I can no longer manage to climb in and out of it ..
Smart only sold Fortwos back where I live so I never knew this thing even existed. I've definitely go through the pain of swapping this for a MT but I'd own one and drive it every single day if I could
Loved this car in red/black
Just a note on the gearbox - the example for downshifts was done when driving at a steady speed and then attempting to drop a gear. Clarkson also used this example on Top Gear. This is the only type of shift that's particularly irritating - the rest of the time you're downshifting when braking, for corners etc, and you can just shift earlier, it can be unnoticeable and inconsequential. Not really an issue for fun driving. The only real time most people drop down a gear from a steady speed is overtaking, but again can be planned around. This is an issue for all automated manuals, as the gearbox can't predict that you're going to downshift, it can't speed up the change, and you're left waiting for the actuator to slowly lift the clutch as a result. You can't speed it up for such instances as it would be massively unpleasant to drive in other conditions, but sadly that means you get a boot full of revs rather than any acceleration as the car is attempting to work out what you're up to. The computer is just about smart enough to introduce quicker shifts when you're properly on it, although still obviously worse than a proper manual. Still find it preferable to a slushbox, it can be fun if you accept it for what it is and drive around the foibles.
Totally agree it's preferable to a slushbox, but it has to be compared to a manual. The anticipation the computer can't do is a good point though, as the Hyundai i30 N I drove in 2022 had a similar problem with its automatic rev matching. It's so slow that you can't drive it quickly in that mode. For the Smart, however, you're forced to live with it. While it wouldn't at all stop me from having one, I don't think the limit of technology can be excused if the alternative of abandoning the technology is physically better.
@@TwinCam Only referenced the slushbox as that's often a suggested comparison as they offer smoother changes. They do. But I'd still personally prefer to drive around the foibles of an automated manual if I can't have a traditional shift. Am certainly not suggesting it's a decent alternative for a proper manual - it's not, and nor was BMW's SMG or whatever Ferrari's attempt at similar was called, as all shared an inability to second-guess what the driver wanted in all conditions. If it can't be a normal manual, DSG and similar is obviously a much better compromise as it's already effectively holding gears, but then it weighs almost the same as a Smart engine on its own, so again pros and cons.
Personally think the limit of the technology can be excused simply as the Roadster wouldn't exist in any other form - is very much a take it or leave it, as they didn't have an alternative drivetrain and suspension to throw in there without major design changes. Much cheaper to develop a car when you already have front and rear subframes/suspension, drivetrain and whatever else was pretty much dropped in wholesale. The majority of car enthusiasts will sadly dismiss the Roadster and move on, which is fair enough. Personally think you have to approach it differently unless you're going to make major engine and suspension modifications (no point, just buy an Elise). It is what it is, so think people would be better served by considering how to adapt their driving to get the best out of it. Pretty much the same as driving a classic - many (arguably all, outside of niche super-light stuff) have horrific brakes, transmissions, live-axle suspension - unless you're going to fundamentally change these you just have to accept the limitations and embrace the foibles.
Some people will never get past that, and it's a shame. Maybe not you, but it 100% does put other people off owning them, or even extensively driving one. I've had every bit as much fun in my Roadster as I have the Elises I spent a decade driving and modifying. It's nowhere near as good, but knowing that I don't attempt to drive it in the same way. My comment wasn't an attack on your video btw - is a fair review - just flagging the point that the worst parts of the gearbox generally blend into insignificance if you're not looking for the worst parts of the gearbox!
It also helps if you own a Smart 450 alongside, which has the literal worst drivetrain known to man (or woman). Imagine a Roadster with 50% slower shifts, and a car with 40% less power so you're changing gear 80% more often, and you're about there. Roadster doesn't look so bad then!
A classmate had one of those back in 2008. A really nice "toy".
you can get a software update for the gearbox to speed up the gear change
a hyabusa engine swap works too
Always liked these, kinda reminded me of a tiny tvr
I was interested in these back in the day, actually got a loaner for 24hrs, but never bought one in the end. It was possible to modify the shifter 'the right way round', but that was a bit more difficult than just switching two wires round.
Great video. I have an Abarth which is ridiculously quick. Too quick to be fun. I’m going to chop it in for Smart Roadster. Sometimes less is more…
I get very frustrated with reviewers being so critical of the gearbox, once you get used to it , it is a joy, the best of both worlds and as fast as a manual change. Great fun little car!
Yeah, you're actually right. Once you get used to your little Smart, I think the gearbox is brilliant.
subtitles at 6:55!
In all seriousness, this was one of my favourite cars when I was a child, and I still search the classifieds for one now and then.
That’s a cool little car, and the 3 pot engine really suits it, but I’m with you on the gearbox, why didn’t they just get a manual gearbox option for it rather than complicating it with that electronic box it’s got, I’d imagine that would be hideously expensive to fix should you have issues with it which I suspect has happened to a few owners.
I haven’t seen many of these over the years since they were new, they are a bit scarce.
Excellent review Edd as always, thanks again! 👍😎
All down to the parts sharing, I'm afraid :(
In the For Two, the secret was to leave it in auto mode, and lift the throttle momentarily when you wanted to upshift. That way, it didn’t cut the power and lose momentum. I can’t say if that would work in the Roadster, because they never reached Canada.
the litle alfa-romeu if it had a manual driving stick with clutch ,it would be perfect, i almost bought one of this but at the time seemed to frail but after driving it in diferent roads i was amzed by it, it´s really fast with a low profile and a litle engine but feels perfect what more can one say, now are rare , it was less expensive than what cost to the brand to built it, the old swatch mercdes art that never went far
Can you manual swap these?
I had a for two and loved it. Commutted 80 miles a day in it until the engine blew up in spectacular fashion. It had also been converted to run on LPG by a previous owner which probably didn't help the longevity of the engine although I think the engines do need a rebuild at around 70K miles.
Anything's theoretically possible, though maintaining the standard architecture of the car I don't know. The selector mechanism would be the big engineering challenge.