Agree... Not a disruptor. It's just another of many. Small, efficient and less costly would have been the SMART thing to do 😁

@choddo

9 ай бұрын

Small was why the first cars had such little range.

@timscott3027

9 ай бұрын

Not for their wallets, unfortunately for us.

@Coddiwomple4x4

9 ай бұрын

Same as for housing; they have higher margins on expensive big housing instead of small affordable ones. Shame

@concinnus

9 ай бұрын

EV efficiency is dominated by aero, and aero doesn't care how long the car is, only the drag coefficient and frontal area. So a new Smart in the shape of the ForTwo would have worse efficiency than a Tesla 3. The only reason the ForTwo was efficient is weight and engine size, neither of which matter much on EVs. So, if you need an EV with the space efficiency of a stubby car, plus decent range, you also need a large battery. And the extra cost of EVs is all battery, so you're SoL. If you don't need much range, this channel has covered cheaper cars with lower range. Admittedly, small is the part of the market Smart should be playing in, but with lithium prices so volatile there's probably no business case right now.

@cypvh74

9 ай бұрын

@@concinnusgiven the same frontal area and same basic shape, a longer object has better aero than the shorter object. A brick will have a lower drag than a cube for example.

When I first time I saw this I was thinking it was a mini replacement but this is so much better than a new mini

@Foucault2001

9 ай бұрын

It’s actually fractionally bigger than a mini clubman rather than a normal mini (though that’s bound to get bigger when the new one launches later this year, especially as the ORA Funky Cat is almost as big as the Smart #1)

@QALibrary

8 ай бұрын

@@Foucault2001 Since BMW took over Mini not sure if the size has grown by 25% or 50% and from all reports it only going to get bigger

@chrispnw2547

8 ай бұрын

The Smart #1 is slightly smaller than than a MINI Countryman. Smart #1 - 4,270 mm , 2025 MINI Countryman - 4429 mm. The 159 mm difference is n the boot of the Countryman.

Jack has a different understanding of the word affordable than I have

@andreiionescu205

9 ай бұрын

Robert îs the same,fancy home,solar panels,they are acting Like everyone has their money and can buy anything

@sixpackpilot

9 ай бұрын

I said the same in earlier reviews. This is not an affordable car for the majority of people in most European countries. Maybe it is affordable if you own a house in central London, Amsterdam or perhaps Monaco.

@Likr666

9 ай бұрын

Smart was always overpriced. Now it's just another segment.

@MarkXHolland

9 ай бұрын

It will take time for EVs to become affordable for used car buyers.

@kraenk12

9 ай бұрын

37K is below the average car price people pay these days.

£20k would be a smart price .

@ayosworld

2 ай бұрын

depreciation hit in 3 years will make sense then

Test drove one at the weekend, and I would have a Smart #1 over any EQA or EQB and it's cheaper than them.. The interior is excellent from Mercedes and it drives like a dream..

@kraenk12

9 ай бұрын

Absolutely!

@MaticTheProto

9 ай бұрын

Yeah, so many haters here have never driven a #1 and it shows

@rflach42

9 ай бұрын

The only thing EQx can do better u is the foldable trailer hook. Smart come with a pretty standard detachable one…

@K1989L

7 ай бұрын

I'd pick a Fortwo EQ in a heartbeat before any of the above.

I loved my 2017 Smart ForTwo, it had everything you needed including heated seats, satnav, bluetooth, panoramic roof, climate control. It was the 0.9L petrol auto one and it was surprisingly quick (everyone underestimated it), the horn was made for a much more imposing vehicle, turning circle put a smile on my face, the interior was roomy and the boot , though small could hold 7 paxks of pepsi (24 can packs) and we used it to go on holiday for a week or more away, packing our two cases, 2 laptop bags, and a vacuum packed feather duver, sheet and 4 feather pillows slid down between the seat back and boot. So many good memories, and people taking photos when we reversed up to the curb to park it 8). This new one wont live up to the brand… i want them to do a faithful version again, it was so good. Maybe improve the handling a bit though!

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

Proud owner of two smarts (2013 cabrio electric drive and a 2014 coupe electric drive). I’m very disappointed that MB/Geely thought that this is what the smart community would buy. It’s lost all of what makes the smarts before it iconic and desirable. Not only that, it’s priced far too high. It’s practically the same price as Mercedes own EQA (which looks essentially the same) and the EQB. If I wanted a “bargain baby Mercedes” for this kind of money, I’d just buy an actual Mercedes. smh. Maybe they’ll get the next smart right. 🤞🏼

@Slim-Bagel

9 ай бұрын

I miss the original Smart people, culture, and cars

@GudieveNing

9 ай бұрын

I suppose this design is subjective. Love the front though.

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

@@GudieveNing funny thing is.. I photoshopped the smart badging off the car, and replaced the front and rear “smart” badging with Mercedes three pointed star emblems, and voila.. the car suddenly looks alright to me. Why? Because it’s essentially a MB EQA wearing smart badges. The world has had two plus decades of a smart looking like a smart, priced like a smart, and behaving like a smart. This “#1” looks like an imposter. And that’s why it just looks wrong wearing the smart name. If I bought this car, the *first* thing I’d do is remove or cover every mention of smart or it’s logo, replace them with three-pointed stars, and only then would it look and feel right driving this thing. Oh, and the “#1” is definitely coming off as well. If I were to display a model name at all, I’d place a MB “EQ” badge in front of just the 1.. displaying “EQ1”. Because if I’m paying that much for a rebranded MB, it might as well just look like a MB.

“I have no idea what that means.” This is but one reason why I appreciate Jack.

@stevenbollinger9776

9 ай бұрын

Jack is following Socrates' example. Socrates said "I know that I know nothing." But wait, there's more! He also knew that others knew nothing, but thought that they knew a lot. His refusal to over-estimate his own mind gave Socrates his edge. About 2000 years later, Erasmus said something similar: "In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." "in regione caecorum rex est luscus" I know that I am a pseudo-intellectual fool. Jack's great, I agree.

@MrQwerty3000

9 ай бұрын

You're reviewing Jack?

Your vids are always a pleasure - very infotaining. I like this car a lot and the Volvo, too. There's room for simpler and less expensive in the market. Cheers!

Such a shame they've abandoned the original Smart car concept - you could park two of the them in the space of a regular car.

@surturiel

9 ай бұрын

As a former fortwo owner (that loved the thing) it was too much of a compromise, not giving you back enough trade-off. Never made Mercedes any money, it was too heavy for its size to still be highway safe, and the fuel economy just wasn't there.

@roguebullet4220

9 ай бұрын

​Hey. Current fortwo eq owner here. I think they are perfect. Great on motorways, round town, parking etc & i can get a weeks shopping in it (without a passenger 😅). It is a shame they have moved away from the truly small design...

@garrycroft4215

9 ай бұрын

There will be a smaller model called the #2

@Split10uk

9 ай бұрын

@@garrycroft4215 Yeah right.....The #2 should have about the same measures as the #1 apart from height, which will be lower due to the coupe body style it adopts.

@NickFoster

9 ай бұрын

Yup. I had left-hand drive one back in the day and loved it. With the glass roof it felt really spacious but I could reach all the way across it at ticket barriers 😂

When battery tech finally catches up, which seems like it's coming sooner than later now, and a car like this can have double the range with the same size battery, a vehicle of this size will be the perfect sweet spot for me.

Great review! first time I've watched one of your videos, certainly not the last. Thank you

Thanks for the review! Agreed on the lack of disruption... For young people, it'd be cool to see some reviews of 2-5 year old electric cars in use today - not just new ones that youngsters can't afford anyway 😅

As usual - very good and entertainingly useful review. So SMART! 😀

Love the opinion! Smart has never been cheap, but this, as you say, kinda misses an opportunity. Missing our old Smart Roadster (2nd hand, naturally) since we had to trade. What an electric car THAT would make!

@riotofmyown

9 ай бұрын

There’s a guy that converted one on KZread. It took him a year, but a great idea/project.

I drove a Smart Roadster as my only car for 4 years, and that had a range of about 270 miles too. Small, efficient, fun. It had very few features (CD player, electric windows, air con and that was about it). An electric version of that would be fantastic.

I am so with you in your conclusion! And to me "Smart" (as a concept or an idea, not the car brand) is the very antithesis of "Luxury". If you are smart, you will be perfectly able make do with a minimum of resources and you are beyond the need for luxury just for the sake of luxury itself... I miss the "integral helmet"-look of the real Smart - and since there is mostly "nothing" in the front of this, there is no reason this could not have had a similar nose as the first one. Skip that two-box suv look allready! And yeah - car-names these days are beyond pointless: #1, 1, One, 01, 001 - oh, come on!

I always enjoy your car reviews . You manage to deliver all the tech and current EV updates with intelligence and humor. Thank you

@lemagnitio72

9 ай бұрын

Humour? Jack has the sense of humour of a 10 year old.

@anthonyworley2891

9 ай бұрын

That’s the point. We car nuts are like ten year old kids in a candy shop.

I love your comments about what it would take to be a Smart, proper disruptor.

Great review, great points raised.

Went to see one last weekend and the car put a big smile on my gf's face. Will take a closer look at both the #1 and #3.

3:05 great, now I'll never be able to unsee that. Thanks Jack!

Great review! I absolutely love this car. Wish it was coming State-side!

35K is not affordable for my 40hour/week Job... Am i missing something?

@samusaran7317

9 ай бұрын

Apartment too?

@andreiionescu205

9 ай бұрын

Just get a better job,joking,people with money can Say that a 100 k car îs cheap,its just from the context

@mluu510

9 ай бұрын

I work 40hr/week too. I can afford it. Being rich isn't about the hours. Work smarter, buddy

@ObiePaddles

9 ай бұрын

The word ‘relatively’

@muffty1337

9 ай бұрын

@@mluu510 you didn't get the memo.

I am 50+ years old and I love this fox, especially since it does not seems to slow the interface.

Jack is spot on with what a Smart could be. The battery technology is coming up fast in the rear view mirror so perhaps we will get the car we hope for.

12:42 screen ... I'm 77 and it appeals to me and my two daughters are equally delighted to see some "fun stuff" instead of the boring screens of most other cars. Thank you....

I have both a Smart ForTwo EQ and a Mercedes EQC400 - this is in no way a replacement for my Smart ForTwo, but it may be a useful downsizing option for my Mercedes EQC400… and with that in mind I think the Brabus sounds ideal 🙂 Sadly, what is the attraction to manufacturers in making smaller cheaper EV’s when there is less market resistance and so much more margin to be made from big expensive ones 😕

Hi Jack. Love your work 👍

Thanks for the video. We always had a Smart since they first came to the market around 1999. We are a two person household, so perfect for us. After the last one, a 2017 Smart cabrio Brabus, (we still drive) we wont buy a Smart anymore. Smarts stopped building the 2-door ICE cabrios, and the EV version has a, for us, unusable silly range. It is our only ride, and take it on longer road trips of 2000km back and forth. With a 100km EV range, the EV Smart cant replace an ICE car. The new #1 is not a cabrio anymore and has 4 doors. So, it was the last Smart we bought. Wewill wait for any other small 2-door (cabrio) EV. Some Chinese EV's are good, the 42kWh Fiat 500e Cabrio was perfect, but at close to €40.000. . . . ridiculous. Enough 4-door EV's to chose from for people with kids, . . . . about every bloody EV has 4-doors. Waste of material for many.

It must be Xmas! Jacks got his Xmas cardigan on! 🎉🥳🍾🎁🎈🎊👯‍♀️👯

Well MG won't be worried at that price😂

@EXSKIN

8 ай бұрын

X power 37'000ish fast smart 43'000ish you're right.

I think this is brilliant. It makes perfect sense that it is ~€40k, Mercedes quality, good range AND proper power. The fact is that the ultra efficient, low cost, Smart, you think they should have made, it simply did not and would not sell. This is aimed more at 500e, MG ZS, that have more than hands full of potential customers. And the price point is very appropriate and realistic considering where we are with new technologies, supply chain b.s., etc., etc. And “excessive power”!? What does that even mean? The Brabus variant looks incredible.

SMART was the first brand I really got into before Tesla and it was a great group of fans around the original car. I remember fondly a work mate letting me drive his around the company parking lot. I loved seeing them and was excited when they were going to make them fully electric. Let's just say the spirit of SMART isn't being represented here just the name, but for some I hope they love this car and support the brand. There's time and room for a SMART EV that harkens back to the original when they get economies of scale and become profitable. One hopes that fun, small, efficient EV's will be more and more available with time as we change over from ICE. I'm glad the brand still exists and hope they look back to what made them SMART and carry that forward into this EV future. Thanks for the coverage!

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

Well said.

@spacecadet1249

9 ай бұрын

you would think that making an EV (with only 20 moving parts) would be a whole lot cheaper than making a petrol car with 2000 moving parts.

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

@@spacecadet1249 it is in many cases, minus the hyper fast sun 4 second performance specific ones.. which are actually a fair price considering they obliterate most super cars for less $ and a whole lot less maintenance and cost to insure, maintain, fuel.. well, you get the point.

@ramblerandy2397

6 ай бұрын

There is the old true story of early years Tesla having Mercedes engineers come to look at their EV Roadster era technology. They gave them PowerPoint presentations and the Merc engineers were yawning and annoyed for having to make the trip. Then Musk asked them if they'd like to see a fully electric Smart. Yes they would, came the answer. Truth is, a few weeks before the Merc enginners were due, Tesla were virtually going out of business [one of several times back then], and needed investment. So one employee went to Mexico [where Smarts were sold], bought a car and drove it back. They spent the time converting it to electric with Roadster technology. It was so powerful it could do wheelies, and all the battery and tech fitted inside without showing. The Merc enginners totally loved it and recommended major investment that got Tesla through a really bad patch. So if Tesla could do it in 2009, perhaps Merc could do it in 2023, but leave out the wheelies? Oh, and take a little more time about it.

I wish they would remake the original SMART cars 2 for 2 and 4 for 4. with modern tech they would be EPIC!!!! Lighter,Smaller Further! Simplicity is better,less of bell and whistle. I like that it is rear wheel drive. THIS ISN"T A SMART CAR! MINI , 500e fighter but no another SUV/CUV. meh

@cannygrowabeard

9 ай бұрын

I don’t fully understand your comment - do you mean they should revive the Smart ForTwo and Smart ForFour as models - revived as EVs?

@Munkenba

9 ай бұрын

The current fortwo isn't radically different from the original one though is it? I feel like it's much better looking these days too

@camronrubin8599

9 ай бұрын

They would rather sell you a 35k car 🙄🙄

@Hellboy_2109

9 ай бұрын

Like last generation? You don’t see any on the road it’s clearly not very profitable anymore

@camronrubin8599

9 ай бұрын

@@Hellboy_2109 smaller EV= better EV

Genuinely one of my favourite looking evs I’ve seen. Reminds me of the Mini Paceman. Too bad it’ll never be in Canada

Couldn't care less about brands. It's a very good competitor to Niro, EX30, ID3 etc. I would choose this over any of them. Then again, I wouldn't buy a crossover. I would buy a sensible high quality electric estate - there isn't one. Well, Taycan sport turismo, but that isn't sensible.

imagine if they had given us an EV smart roadster, a small 2 seater, lightweight, rear wheel drive, maybe 100hp or so, and just let it be a fun street legal go kart

@wosamosman9814

8 ай бұрын

What kind of range would it have though 😅. I would wager 100 miles or less 😅

@Mobile_Dom

8 ай бұрын

given people made electric smart roadsters with old gen1 leaf batteries and random motors almost a decade ago, I highly doubt it@@wosamosman9814

@RWBHere

8 ай бұрын

That's right; 100 miles or less until its first accident... @@wosamosman9814

@iaintdonknow

8 ай бұрын

Honda E for example or the Mini Electric or the Mazda with only 120 mile range, nobody wants that!

@Mobile_Dom

8 ай бұрын

@@iaintdonknow i mean i want the honda e, just not with that battery, but i get what you mean

Good job, Jack, Impressive!!! I like it.

Lol - excellent. A very well written and presented piece.

I bought my brand new Smart 24 years ago. It was left-hand drive because they hadn't made any UK spec models at that time. Total price on the road £5,400. Loved it to bits. £36,000 is ridiculous. Where's the fun gone, Smart?

@AliWade1971

9 ай бұрын

Your Smart was a bargain. I had a LHD X reg in 2001, and it cost £11k (it was a Passion in True Blue with every extra 😀) - from Smart Birmingham

@spacecadet1249

9 ай бұрын

Do you think the new price really smarts?

@MaticTheProto

9 ай бұрын

The fun is there, try driving one

The lovely little bingy-bongy bit almost took me out. Jack, mate you’re the goat 🐐.

Great analysis

Jack is I think , following in the footsteps of Jonny Smith , the best motoring journalist out there. Very little of the usual testosterone nonsense but masses of enthusiasm, good sense , and natural talent. I have a bit of a man crush. Don’t loose him fully charged. He is one of your greatest assets.

Thank you.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Great balanced review Jack, nice looking car but 100% agree with you on too high HP and more importance of higher efficiency as a missed opportunity.

the giant panoramic glass is a no go for me , hot in the summer, cold in the winter

@kumbackquatsta

9 ай бұрын

not for your demographic anyways

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

⁠@@kumbackquatstahopefully not for anyone’s demographic outside of China. The might be a “cheap” baby “Mercedes”, but is an awful smart. China can keep this #1 (terrible name) as it’s priced far too high to wear the smart badge. If I wanted to actually own an affordable baby Mercedes, I’d just buy an a Mercedes EQA for the same price or an EQB for a tiny bit more.

@MaticTheProto

9 ай бұрын

Unlike the tesla this has a sunshade

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

@@MaticTheProto I have a retractable sun shade for my Tesla. My Smart coupe dies too. I guess you can say my smart cabrio’s roof *is* the retractable sun shade. There are days I wish my electric motorcycle had a sun shade 😅

This car NOT being like the old Smart vehicles is a plus. People HATED the Smart. They had a very niche fanbase. Now, more people might actually buy them. Audio by Beats? LOL. Oh, sure... a company known for brand recognition and using off the shelf parts is a real good selling point. LOL.

This is encouraging. Next year we'll have two remotely-reasonable choices in the form of this and the Volvo. But Jack's right -- too expensive, too fast too heavy. I'm way less interested in Mercedes interior than I am in Scion interior -- cheap and functional. Hey! Only one month until the Kia Ray EV finally comes out! We'll finally get to see small and practical done right. (You will be covering that on Fully Charged, right?)

Thanks for showing under the bonnet, many reviewers forget we are interested. One omission that can be a deal breaker please mention the battery chemistry & manufacturer, I want to park the car in my garage, without fearing loss of two cars, a house, and the family, in a spontaneous battery fire.

Well I love the info graphics so its probably pandering to me as I have owned 3 smart cars consecutively 😊

Good run through

One nice thing about this is when anyone at Smart says this should be called the "hashtag 1", Smart can immediately fire them for being idiots. Great way to clear the employee pool of that nonsense.

This is a perfect size SUV with plenty of luxury. ✅

Thanks

Laughed out loud multiple times, loved this review 😂😂

Just call it Number 1! The first electric Smart. (Also think of "pound 1" but pound's association with # is more for dialing touch-tone phones). Nice review as always, and as usual... looking wistfully at another cool car abroad not being brought to the US

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

.. but it’s not the first electric smart. Not even close. I’ve got two fully electric smarts in my garage that I adore - one coupe and one cabrio. This car from Geely/MB.. meh, not a fan. I don’t understand why they just didn’t sell it as an actual “bargain baby Mercedes”. It stands a bette chance of selling as an EQA than it does as a needlessly expensive “smart”. And the name #1 is just stupid. I’m officially calling this vehicle dumb.

@AliWade1971

9 ай бұрын

First electric Smart? I own a 2021 Smart ForTwo EQ that definitely doesn’t have an engine !

@marioseoul

9 ай бұрын

Well then, it's a terrible name. :-) Thanks to both for letting me know about another model I was unaware of

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

@@AliWade1971 exactly. My smart electric drive cabrio is a 2013 and my smart electric drive coupe is a 2014. The first electric smarts hit the streets back in 2007, ranked as the greenest car in 2014, and the first auto manufacturer to fully switch over to all electric in 2017. I am a bit jelly as I’d LOVE to own the 2021 smart electric, but sadly weren’t imported into NA. I love the styling so much, I’ve given serious consideration to pay to have one shipped to the US. I wish I could say the same about this Geely/MB mash up. It’s lost so much of what made smarts unique and desirable.

@AliWade1971

9 ай бұрын

@@evolv.e Thank you for adding details. I couldn’t remember exactly when the first Smart Electric was sold, so didn’t want to guess. Yes, the 2021 is fantastic, and my Racing Green edition is even more special. If you can afford to import one, then go for it. We were at the Mercedes/Smart dealership last week and borrowed a Brabus #1 for a few hours. Drives very well. They had 2 brand new ForTwo left. So sad to think there are no more.

I like your opinion on this!

12:25 Drift Golf Club = Horsley, the village where I grew up. I thought the roads were looking familiar… (The Drift was an unmade road with no golf club back then.) If that was carefully coreographed to coincide with Jack talking about the car's anti-drift system, then 11/10.

I thought it was a mini. It would be better if it had been. But then again a mini hasn't been a mini for quite a while?

Not a COTY. Get the base Fisker Ocean for £36.5K from a class up. If you can wait a year….. First RHD one arrived in UK today apparently. Shame they didn’t bring out a smaller Smart with smaller battery at a lower price as a city car. If you want an EV this size, join the other queue for its cousin the EX30.

4:00 411L cargo space for a compact hatchback/cross is not terrible, i mean it's similar to Ford Puma and 28L smaller than T-Roc.

A new version of the Smart Roadster would be fun

As a Merc ICE owner, I completely agree with Jack's description of Merc EV : D

Its a really nice looking car, and seems to be pretty premium, but here in Germany it is more expensive than the ID.4. Which has so much more space. And in general feels like you get much more car for your money. I know they have different target groups, but I would choose an ID.4 over a smart #1.

I think Smart was a way for Geely to hit a target market with a brand that didn't require a launch in Europe. If this does well I think you will get smaller lower margin cars for sure.

It looks like a Mini Countryman.

Great closing comments. Hopefully the manufacturers subscribe and watch.

Spot on

Totally agree Jack with your closing statement. Beautifully put together no question and nicely styled, but no Smart Car in our eyes!! They are literally handing over on a plate to the Chinese car manufactures to disrupt the industry.

@angela1984a

9 ай бұрын

Guess who owns 50% of "Smart"... Geely does...

@MaticTheProto

9 ай бұрын

@@angela1984athey also own all of volvo and lotus and guess what? They seem to be very good at their craft

@angela1984a

9 ай бұрын

@@MaticTheProto There's also zero human rights in China. And China has not condemned the Russian Dictator's Genocide in Ukraine. There's no way I'm buying a Chinese car.

@MaticTheProto

9 ай бұрын

@@angela1984a seeing what America has done in recent history buying American isn’t any more morally correct. Also you probably typed that on an Iphone, no?

@angela1984a

9 ай бұрын

@@MaticTheProto So buy a European car then. The US is currently a Democracy. China is NOT a Democracy. Typing on a Macbook. Apple is not a Chinese owned corporation.

Nice car, great review and erm… interesting cardigan 👍🏻

I wonder how the Volvo ex30 which is the same platform and “volvier/boxier” looking has 90l less boot space?

Kind of disagree on the storage. Keeping the boot small to keep the overall size of the vehicle down is a good move. Like you said you can fold the seats down to hold more stuff. And the fact that they gave you just a little bit of storage up front. It's better than my Chevy bolt where they give you none. I really like having a little bit of lockable storage that's not in the passenger compartment to store a little bit of emergency gear you'll need very rarely.

The price of the ForTwo was too high, which is why they didn't sell well. I played with the idea of buying one 5 years ago, but it was the same price as a Zoe!

@samusaran7317

9 ай бұрын

Thats wild considering the battery size difference.

IT'S NOT A SMART The gall of Daimler and Geely to not even reengineer the ForTwo microcar to be the competitive and popular icon it should be.

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

Couldn’t agree more. This car is a major disappointment to smart fans. Should have just been badged and sold as a MB EQA or some other EQ derivative. Especially at this price.

@kraenk12

9 ай бұрын

That’s like saying a Cayenn3 is not a Porsche. it’s just ignorant.

@evolv.e

9 ай бұрын

@@kraenk12 clearly you don’t own a smart. I agree with the OP. This is a car from a GEELY/MB partnership with the styling of a MB EQA, the functionality of a Geely, and none of what made smarts desirable to its buyers over two decades. When BMW acquired Mini Cooper, they had the intelligence to retain what people loved about the originals. When VW released the new Beetle and Microbus, they understood what made these vehicles iconic in the first place. Even Fiat retained much of the charm that the original 500 was known for. This “#1” is just a lazy exercise in slapping a badge n a car that looks like a Mercedes, but isn’t.

@martshearer498

9 ай бұрын

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if Mercedes wanted a smart forfour, they would have given smart the Bionic concept. Mercedes designers were never comfortable with the Swatch influence, which was half of what made smart -- smart. Will the #1 come in orange, green, yellow or blue? Will the interior fabrics feature swirls or bright colors? Mercedes killed smart by insisting it grow up. 😢

@jamesengland7461

9 ай бұрын

They could no longer sell the Smart profitably. It simply expired as a market force.

Could be a "number one" or a "pound one" if you like. "Hash" is so harsh, but I guess chasing relevance and popularity will do that to you. "Pound one" is what you do with the dual-motor version, I guess.

I Love the tiny fox on the infotainment

Usually when you go down in size, you go down in luxury. Nice to see Merc building a luxurious “compact” car. I like it!

@AlbertLamarque

9 ай бұрын

This is Geely building it. Mercedes has nothing to do with anything close to manufacturing.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: Its weight. The Tesla Model Y is about the same weight, but is 50 cm longer (and wider and taller). That same Tesla Model Y has a range than is 10 miles longer than this "tiny" car that is 2 segments smaller with a comparable sized battery.

@MrAdopado

9 ай бұрын

Lightest Model Y is 384kg or 847 lbs heavier. Clearly not "about the same weight"!

@advandermeer740

9 ай бұрын

@@MrAdopado The Smart #1 is 1820 kg, Model Y RWD 1890 kg

Problem aeems to be, that those that can affford to be early adopters have brought (mostly vastly more expensive) EV's, inline with the market S curve (10%) but it feels like it's not gained enough momentum or trust even. Over 80% of the UK car market is 2nd hand vehicles. Without the trust and confidence in the infrastructure, never mind the cost of public charging and expensive of EV's, rough times ahead? The likes of Volkswagon / Ford winding down production, whilst EV batteries seem to be getting bigger, thus exasperating the lithium costs, thus making it difficult to introduce affordable cars, which take years to filter into the 2nd hand market. Phew. All this talk about having to introduce battery health warranty and other such initiatives is quite telling

I am very intrigued by this new brand. Mercedes working on fit and finish is unparalleled. I agree, they need to target a more budget friendly price point to really make headway. But, sadly, it's irrelevant to me living in the US. I will most likely never get to own one of these. :/

Not to discount the entire review (because it’s a good video), but I think Jacks summary comments say all you need to know.

Quote of the day "much better than wheel yanking" 😆

Surely it is the Octothorp 1😃

As it hasn’t been mentioned clearly so far and some may not have noted the nuance, the ”#” a.k.a. “pound” or “hash” symbol, has a long standing history of meaning “number”. So it’s not “Smart Hashtag One”, it’s “Smart Number One”.

For what you are getting in terms of battery, charging, interior, towing and tech seems like a pretty reasonably priced car

I dint like the way those tablet displays seem to create a blind spot in front of the vehicle, but difficult to gauge from a video.

Smart needs to come back to Canada... we want these cars!!

I love my ForTwo electric. It has plenty of range for city driving purposes. That said America still does not have a great electric charger infrastructure so if you want to road trip you almost have to have a gasser (I have a Fiat 500 too). I don't know why they're calling this a Smart though. It isn't taking advantage of the design aesthetic and doesn't seem like it would appeal to current Smart owners who surely bought a Smart for its size and quirkiness. It's a cool little electric and I'm all for expanding electric car ownership so I hope this is a success.

@samusaran7317

9 ай бұрын

Thats a lie, its not 2015 anymore. You can road trip in most areas now unless youre in the boonies somewhere with little cell service.

@CraigMayhem

9 ай бұрын

@@samusaran7317 it isn't though. I live in the city of St. Louis and there is one station somewhat near me. One. There are only a handful of them in the entire city - where evs make the most sense. And across the state Ameren has limited power to the stations that ARE available meaning that if the station actually works you're out there for hours. Out of Spec Reviews did a whole video on it. Don't get me wrong - I WISH the ev charging infrastructure was better but it isn't. Not everyone lives in a large city or a progressive state. I could not own an ev if I hadn't run the 240v line myself. Most renters are screwed. Not to mention a vocal segment of the population railing against electric vehicles who aren't exactly helping the public perception of electric vehicles. I am hopeful for the future but it isn't here yet. The states in the middle of the country aren't 'the boonies'. Do some cursory research before calling someone a liar next time.

1:40 £35,950 for it's size is expensive. Can Fully Charged stop saying expensive small cars are 'affordable' when it's near Tesla money and nowhere near a Tesla in value.

@danielstefanovic2604

9 ай бұрын

yep when you can get a ex30 or mg4 for around 30 000

@Harrythehun

9 ай бұрын

They are depending on add revenue, so they and all the others can’t say or show the all negatives if they want get free press cars to review.

@FFVoyager

9 ай бұрын

Have you looked at the price of a VW Golf these days? Chose all the options and it's close to £40k - and that's not even the GTI!

@hououinkyouma1458

9 ай бұрын

yeah that's the price of a model 3

@CANC3ROUS

9 ай бұрын

He said "relatively affordable" 🤷🏽

Well done a very insightful review. First class.

wasn't expecting such a big battery in a tiny car!

revived Roadster would be fun!

Nice video as always Jack. One thing though - as much as its useful to know a 6'5" man can be comfortable driving it, it would also be useful to understand the experience of say a 5'4" woman too. It's often the case that the drivers cabin doesn't accommodate small women very well and I'm always keen to know how my wife would get on driving it.

@TWOKDOK1

8 ай бұрын

I'm not😀

#3 is even more interesting, and not much more expensive. I'm picking mine soon

Great review. Smart have missed a trick. Oh for a manufacturer that gives us - as you say - "just enough" and no more at an affordable price point.

wish this was available in the US!

I think your conclusion just described what Ford did wth their Maverick Hybrid! Just enough tech, features and comfort but with an amazing price.

Loved our ForFour EQ, would have bought another if the face lift had more range (my wife regularly got 80 miles, but I had more fun getting 50 miles 😁), so a Corsa-e replaced it. We won't be getting one of these; my wife thinks the Corsa is too big and don't get me wrong, the quality is great, but £36k? Really?

I so wish it were coming to the states

For sure - a low slung EQXX type would be far more intresting than yet another 'SUV'. 🙄 Make it an estate and it could be genuinely groundbreaking.

@MyMednas

9 ай бұрын

I remember estate cars, had one about 20 years ago. Like an SUV but less practical and not as nice to drive. Yep definitely remember them.

@FFVoyager

9 ай бұрын

@@MyMednas carries more than a SUV and is not going to fall over going round corners. Having a smaller frontal area than the SUV jokes it would be more efficient as an EV too.