It’s a new Smart, obviously, the third such new Smart following the Fortwo and Forfour, all based as they are on a new platform shared with the Renault Twingo. Minus a roof, this time around.
Specifically, a fabric roof that can slide back at the touch of a button in just 12 seconds. If you remove the roof bars and stow them in a special compartment in the tailgate – by hand, just like a Lamborghini Aventador! – you get even more air.
Unlike the Lamborghini Aventador, however, it doesn’t come with a screaming, 6.5-litre V12 and four-wheel-drive. Nope, the Smart Fortwo Cabrio comes equipped with your choice of a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol with 71hp, or a 898cc three-pot with 90hp, which will do 0-62mph in 10.8s. Both are rear-mounted and drive the rear wheels through either a five-speed manual or dual-clutch auto ‘box.
The body has also been reinforced – there are two new bulkheads under the front and rear, along with another steel tube inside the A-pillars – and it’s 15 per cent stiffer than the last Smart Cabrio. And because it’s a Merc deep down, it is subject to the same crash testing as, say, the new S-Class Cabriolet too.
“I am sure we will delight our present 220,000 Cabrio customers and win lots of new fans with this successful lifestyle icon,” explains Smart boss Dr Annette Winkler. Does it delight?
