Smart ForTwo, Shrewd Smart

Incredibly, the Smart brand is over a decade old, though it only seems like yesterday we were all complaining about how rubbish its automatic gearbox was and how driving it on a truck-infested motorway was as challenging as wrestling a grizzly bear. Thankfully, the second generation model is a lot better, though the original's concept remains and is perhaps more relevant than ever before.

While our stylish European counterparts in Rome and Barcelona took to the original Smart with open arms, we were more dubious and hence there are not as many of them about as you'd expect - even in London, Manchester or Dublin. That may change in time as people switch to even smaller, more fuel efficient cars, and we'd thoroughly recommend fans of the first generation model to try the newer version.

Smart now offers a wide range of options, from £8,500 all the way up to £16,026 - which seems a lot of money to spend on a city car, but it is for the very cool Brabus Xclusive cabrio... On the more sensible side is a 'micro hybrid drive' model and even a version powered by a tiny three-cylinder turbodiesel. Ah, bless. Don't mock it though, as it returns over 80mpg on the combined cycle and emits just 89g/km of CO₂.

Sadly, the five-speed 'softouch' gearbox is still a talking point for the wrong reason, even if it has improved a little, as has the car's competence away from town.

New and used search: Smart ForTwo

Shane O' Donoghue