Carl Yuen
The original Smartcar was economical to run, easy to maintain and park, and fun to drive. Given that most urban journeys are made with two or fewer passengers, it made sense and won peoples' hearts. So, I was sceptical about the hip marque's development of a four-seater.
To accommodate four, Smart has stretched its signature silver Tridion frame to protect a five-door bodyshell. Two small pairs of round headlamps flank the grille up front - and it pouts. No wonder: it's ugly (although you're guaranteed Mercedes safety in a frontal crash).
Safety plays a big role in this car, from the standard electronic stability programme to anti-lock braking, automatic headlamps, rain sensor and wing mirrors with indicator units.
A 1.5-litre, four-cylinder unit drives the front wheels through Smart's own six-speed 'softouch plus' gearbox. The engine's the same as in the Mitsubishi Colt, producing an identical 105bhp at a buzzy 6,000rpm. With just 980kg to carry around, the car should have no problem keeping up with Hong Kong traffic, but don't expect progress to be Benz-smooth.
Somehow the electric clutch and gear-change mechanism couldn't orchestrate a smooth departure. The new 'crawl' function of the softouch gearbox was so jerky I fitted perfectly into Happy Valley's learner-driver community. Frustrated and somewhat shaken, I tried to swap cogs with the '+/-' functions, but only made things worse: the engine nearly stalled with the clutch still engaged.