The
original two-seater Smart car was a motoring
milestone. Its tiny dimensions and radical
styling made it one of the most recognisable
cars on the road. But as DaimlerChrysler,
the owner of the brand, soon found out,
innovation in itself does not make you
money. With the financial losses mounting at
Smart, the manufacturer hoped the
introduction of a larger, more practical
four-seater model would put the accounts
back into the black.
Introduced to the UK in September 2004, the
Smart Forfour was 50% longer than its little
brother, giving it not only rear seats but
also a reasonable boot. That extra length
also transformed the car’s road manners:
gone was the choppy ride caused by the
ultra-short wheelbase, replaced by the sense
that you are driving a proper grown-up car.
While there are some visual similarities
with the Fortwo, the Forfour shares more
than half of its components with the
Mitsubishi Colt. It also comes with a much
more traditional line-up of engines. Out
went the 600cc turbocharged unit found in
the Fourtwo and in came a range of three
petrol and two diesel engines.
The
smallest of the engines, the 1.1 litre,
makes do with just three cylinders, produces
75bhp and generates a distinctive and not
unpleasant warble when revved hard. Next
comes a four-cylinder 1.3 litre producing
95bhp and a 1.5 litre with 109bhp. Both
larger engines feel more eager and manage
respectable fuel economy of around 45-47mpg
in the combined cycle.
The
diesel power comes courtesy of a 1.5 litre
turbocharged unit tuned to either 68bhp or
95bhp. The extra power adds £1,000 to the
cost of the Smart Forfour but that premium
halves on second-hand examples, making them
well worth the extra cash. Either engine
should return you 58mpg in mixed motoring.
While the Forfour’s exterior may be pretty
distinctive its interior may come as a
slight disappointment. There are still some
familiar Smart features, such as the
pod-like dials, but it’s a more conservative
approach than the earlier Fortwo. That said,
the layout is clear and easy to use and the
somewhat plasticky switchgear stands the
test of time surprisingly well.
The
Forfour is also admirably practical for a
car that is, despite its large size relative
to the Fortwo, still a very small supermini.
It boasts clever rear seats that can be slid
forward and back by up to 6in, giving the
choice of a bigger boot or more rear
legroom.
Equipment levels are reasonable and all
models get antilock brakes, airbags,
electronic stability control and electric
front windows. Passion models add alloy
wheels and air-conditioning to that list,
although many owners ticked the long list of
factory options when new, so most cars come
with decent specifications.
Running a Forfour should be a very
inexpensive exercise, and residual values
look set to remain reasonably strong despite
the fact that the car is no longer being
built. Indeed this rarity factor seems to be
working in its favour. Servicing is every
9,000 miles, and while it is best to get
nearly new cars serviced by a franchised
dealer to protect residual values it is
often more economical to take them to a
non-franchised dealer once they creep over a
couple of years old.
In
the case of the Smart Forfour servicing
should be relatively easy as the car is
mechanically straightforward and parts are
cheap to buy.
The
Forfour may not be the innovator that its
little brother was, but together with the
rest of the Smart car line-up it must have
done something right because the Smart
owners’ club (www.thesmartclub.co.uk) is one
of the largest UK clubs devoted to a single
marque.
The
model may never have generated any money for
DaimlerChrysler but the fact that it made it
into production certainly made the UK
motoring landscape more interesting.
