Smart FORTWO NIGHTRUN SPECIAL EDITION
The
Smart Coupe Nightrun Special Edition Adds A Sporty Flavor To The Line Up. Steve Ghosley Checks It Out
Having established itself in the UK market, Daimler Chryslers Smart brand has now determined that it is time to introduce special editions to its growing line up. The Nightrun Special Edition Fourtwo coupe that we look at here offers a mean and moody paint job along with a top of the range BRABUS powered engine.
This looks like a clever move by MCC as the Brabus version of the coupe weighs in at a hefty £12,775 whereas the Nightrun Special Edition has the same engine plus a few nice sporting extras all for over two thousand pounds less at £10,425. This model would appear to slot in nicely between the current range of Fortwo coupes and the top of the range Brabus. It would seem that the only drawback is that you can have any colour you like as long as it is black and havent we heard that one somewhere before? Selected Brabus sporting accessories come as standard with the Nightrun Special Edition and include 16-inch alloy wheels, sports exhaust, leather steering wheel with paddleshift along with dashboard instruments as well as to air-conditioning, fog lights and a glass roof. The Fortwos performance is largely a product of its size.
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The car can only carry two people and it weighs a mere 720kg. The 61bhp powerplant has been massaged to give a full 74bhp, enough to thrust this little car to 60mph in 10.5 seconds on the way to an artificially limited top speed of 94mph. Actually, it all feels surprisingly quick despite the gearbox being a little dull-witted off the mark and is more than enough to give other city motorists the humiliating view of your blunt back end.
With this in mind, the Nightrun Special Edition comes with the Electronic Stability Control Programme (ESP) as standard. This means that if you get the car out of shape, the electronics will automatically use throttle and brake inputs to correct the situation. None of this gives you much idea as to exactly how much fun this car is to drive. Its frenetic, slightly crashy and none too fluent through the gears but keep it in manual mode and youll have a ball.
As you might expect, fuel economy is extremely good (expect at least 45mpg on a regular basis).
"keep it in manual mode and youll have a ball."
Other features include a kick-down function allowing the driver to accelerate by dropping down one or two gearchanges. Plus theres a useful service level indicator showing you how many miles or how long it is before your car needs a service. Another interesting touch is the lane-changer function on the indicator stalk. Press the stalk lightly once and the indicator flashes three times, allowing you to maintain easier control of the wheel when changing lanes.
Otherwise, its the usual Fortwo recipe one which is doing surprising well when you bear in mind that for the same kind of money, you could buy a
Citroen C3 or a
Ford Fiesta with more interior space and long distance ability. If you consider how we use our cars, however, the
Smart does make more sense. On average, most cars on European roads carry just 1.2 passengers and 80% of them in urban areas are occupied by the driver alone.
Nearly half of Europes registered cars travel less than 20 miles a day or around 7,000 miles a year. And, as we all know, the vast majority of journeys are short and for leisure or non-work-related purposes. On top of this, cars tend to spend 90% of their time parked or stuck in traffic jams. As the number of passenger vehicles grows due largely to the increase in solo households (young people, singles older people without children) so too does the demand for parking spaces.
In just a few years, the face of urban motoring has completely changed. The Fortwo addresses many of these issues with novel packaging and an innovative sales approach. Few would imagine that
Mercedes-Benz, a car manufacturer with one of the more conservative images, is the financial clout behind this little runabout. Despite the success of the compact A-class, the company continues to protect its reputation as a purveyor of limousines and luxury cars to the executive elite.
This is one of the reasons why you wont find the famous three-pointed star on any part of the bodywork of the Fortwo. Dont be deceived. This car is Mercedes through and through just look at the badging on the tiny three-cylinder 698cc turbocharged engine if you doubt that. Though you can buy the Fortwo at selected Mercedes dealers as well as designated Smart sites, the brand is kept intentionally separate from other models in the range.
Alternatively, customers can go to a virtual sales centre using their own PC at home, where they can request a test drive, decide on the specification of their car and even order on line. European travellers may recall seeing Smart Towers huge perspex totem poles that vend cars like a slot machine. Never let it be said that MCC lack imagination! In spite of its size, however, the Fortwo 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.
The Fortwo Nightrun Special Edition is a neat option for those who want a Smart but also want a sporty feel to their driving. If you are considering a Fortwo, then youve probably already rationalised why not to go for the conventional citycar option. The Nightrun Special Edition option, however, will also ensure that your street-cred remains totally intact.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Smart Fortwo Nightrun Special Edition
PRICE: £10,425 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 2
PERFORMANCE: [0-60mph 10.5s / Max Speed 94mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 45.6mpg / (extra urban) 68.9mpg / (combined) 58.9mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags, ABS, Trustplus, ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 2500/1515/1549mm
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