Smart FORTWO i-move CABRIO
Smarts Fortwo i-move Special Edition Model May Well Be The Apple Of Your Eye. Andy Enright Explains
Its the must-have accessory of this season. Although the Apple iPod has been on sale for a couple of years now, the hype has suddenly been cranked to fever pitch and urban trendies have been falling over themselves to get hold of the slickly styled MP3 music player. Values on ebay have soared fuelled by the launch of the miniPod and street villains have been quick to realise that anyone sporting a pair of the distinctive white headphones is an easy target. Hopefully the
smart fortwo i-move cabrio wont also become a tempting target when parked at traffic lights.
It seems a very good idea on paper, a fusion of two of the trendiest urban brands. The £12,500 smart i-move edition features an integrated i-Pod playback and charging station, the white bodywork of the car matching the 20Gb iPod, itself featuring the smart logo. Jeremy Simpson, Head of smart in the UK and Ireland noted: "As an iPod owner I am delighted to launch this special edition model. The brand fit between Apple and smart is perfect. Both brands offer a high degree of innovation and individuality and combine technology with style and exciting design." Based on the fortwo cabrio passion, the i-move includes BRABUS 16-inch alloy wheels, a dashboard mounted clock and rev counter, interior accents trimmed in iPod white, heated leather seats, leather door and dashboard trims, and that upgraded sound system with iPod mount. Smart will also sell an iPod car integration kit as an accessory for the other fortwo and roadster models. The issue that many will feel concerning this car is that of safety. Not safety in the conventional airbags and seatbelts fashion but safety in the face of crime.
| Build |
 |
| Comfort |
|
| Depreciation |
|
| Economy |
 |
| Equipment |
|
| Handling |
 |
| Insurance |
|
| Performance |
 |
| Styling |
 |
| Value |
|
Given that thieves can resell 20Gb iPods for over £250, a white and silver
smart cabrio idling at a set of traffic lights may be too tempting a target to refuse. If someone were to reach in through the open roof and relieve you of your iPod and make good their escape on foot or on two wheels there would be very little youd be able to do to prevent them. Advertising the fact that I had an expensive consumer durable ripe for the taking would not be the wisest thing in many of the urban areas I routinely drive through.
"The brand fit between Apple and smart is perfect"
But enough of this. Assuming you like the idea of peeling back the roof in an urban traffic jam, would you really want one of these? Well yes, you very well might. For a start, the electrically folding roof is very cleverly designed. There are three roof removal options and you can set it to any position you want while the car is in motion with a flick of a switch.
You can also lower the electrically locked rearmost roof section. Just remove the roof columns and store them in the special area provided on the inside of the boot lid. As with the standard smart model, you shouldnt run away with the idea that this is anything other than an urban runabout though the tiny three-cylinder 698cc turbocharged engine does its best. It isnt just that the performance is so limited (rest to sixty takes 16.
8 seconds on the way to an artificially limited top speed of 85mph). Youre also pretty restricted on luggage space and of course, theres only room for two people. Still, having said that, if you did manage to get your smart out onto a country lane, youd probably find it a hoot to drive. It isnt quite as fast as, say, a
Fiat Seicento Sporting but crucially, it rides better, feels safer and is much better built.
The three-cylinder engine is transversely mounted under the boot at a 48-degree angle to drive the back wheels. The driver gets a 6-speed clutchless and sequential gearbox (just like the saloon car racers): you simply push up to go up the gearbox and down to go down. Easy. As you might expect, fuel economy is dazzlingly good (expect at least 60mpg on a regular basis) and theres now the bonus of a much larger 7.7-gallon fuel tank.
A 90mpg three-cylinder diesel is scheduled for the future, though it probably wont come in Cabrio form. In spite of its size, the smart manages to be astonishingly versatile. The passenger
seat folds flat or can be taken out completely, whilst the engineers claim that cabin room for front seat occupants is better than a VW Polo. Once inside, its hard to argue: you certainly feel like youre in a much bigger car. The body panels meanwhile, come in a choice of five different colours and are interchangeable. A complete set can, apparently, be fitted in a very short time for the price of a new suit. Safety was a key development priority and here, the smart claims to better all its citycar rivals, offering safety standards comparable with a mid-range family saloon.
The steel passenger cell retains its shape in the event of a collision and reduces the effect of impact to a minimum. Other safety elements include the sandwich platform construction, front and rear crash boxes and a crash management system. To avoid a crash in the first place, theres Trustplus, an electronic stability programme that reduces power and applies gear intervention to correct the car if it swerves. Twin front airbags, ABS, self-tensioning seatbelts, knee impact bolsters and a collapsible steering column are all standard.
As long as you can live with the fact that covetous gazes may be eyeing your iPod, the smart i-move is a very desirable piece of equipment. Surfing the zeitgeist this summer is yours for £12,500.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: smart i-move cabrio
PRICES: £12,500 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 2
CO2 EMISSIONS: 118g/km
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 16.8s / Max Speed 85mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 46.1mpg / (extra urban) 65.4mpg / (combined) 57.4mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, ABS, Trustplus, ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 2500/1515/1549mm
<< Back to Smart car reviews
<< Back to car reviews homepage
Find New & Used Cars in the UK |
New & Used Smart Cars For Sale UK
