From City Bug to Autobahn Bruiser - Story of Smart #5 Brabus
Image Credit: Smart.
I've just had a gander at something that's trying its darnedest to shed its rather unremarkable past. Smart. Yes - that Smart. The one that brought us the automotive equivalent of a particularly persistent gnat – the ForTwo. It seems they've been raiding the gym and possibly the local branch of NASA, because what they've cooked up now is… where do I even start?
I know, I know. The Smart has changed a lot over the last couple of years. Gone are the cute city rascals, replaced with all-electric SUV-wannabees. Since the Chinese took charge of the brand, Smart has been churning out some good-looking cars, one after another. The #5 is the third (why call it 5?) in the new lineup, and by mile, the most interesting. And now this Smart has some serious power to play with. I still can't believe I just put "Smart" and "serious power" into one sentence.
For me, the name "Smart" brings images of something you might find nestled between the shopping carts in a supermarket parking lot, not exactly tearing up the tarmac like a scalded cat. But feisty little Smart has decided that enough is enough. They've taken the concept of "small and perfectly formed" and seemingly injected it with a hefty dose of something rather potent. The result? The Smart #5 Brabus. And crikey, it's got some serious swagger.
Diddy little wheels that looked like they'd been borrowed from a particularly enthusiastic shopping trolley? Good as gone. This new beastie rolls on proper 21-inch monoblock alloys, the kind that actually looks like they belong on a motorcar, not something you wind up with a key. And to make sure everyone knows this isn't your nan's Smart, they've slapped on some rather conspicuous Brabus badges and a smattering of red accents, including some rather purposeful-looking brake calipers. It's all very… shouty. In a good way, mind you.
What about the juicy bits? The following numbers will make the petrolheads among us (yes, even this electric evangelist has a soft spot for a good old-fashioned combustion engine) sit up and take notice. This all-electric crossover – yes, a crossover, fancy that – packs a frankly ludicrous 637 horsepower. Six hundred and thirty-seven! All that power is channeled through an all-wheel-drive system, which means when you put your foot down, it doesn't just whimper and slowly gather pace. Oh no. It allegedly catapults itself from a standstill to 62 miles per hour in a blink-and-you-miss-it 3.8 seconds. For those playing along at home, that's quicker than a BMW M3. Let that sink in for a moment. A Smart beating a bona fide performance icon in a straight-line sprint. This is it - the world has officially gone mad.
Powering this silent but deadly machine is a substantial 100-kilowatt-hour battery pack. In the real world, electric range figures can often be taken with a rather large pinch of salt, but Smart claims a WLTP range of 336 miles (or 540 kilometers). If it even gets close to that in everyday driving, that's genuinely impressive. You could actually contemplate a road trip without the constant anxiety of range depletion, turning you into a nervous wreck.
Image Credit: Smart.
When the electrons eventually start to dwindle, this Smart has another trick up its sleeve. It boasts a 400-kilowatt DC fast-charging capability. What does that mean in plain English? You can supposedly juice the battery from a measly 10 percent to a respectable 80 percent in just 18 minutes. That's barely enough time to neck a lukewarm coffee and grumble about the weather.
When you step inside, you'll find that this isn't the utilitarian, slightly plasticky environment you might associate with Smarts of old. This Smart is all rather… posh. There's a 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster for all your vital stats and not one but two 13-inch displays dominating the dashboard. It's like they've raided the local electronics store and just kept going. The steering wheel is wrapped in Alcantara, and even the Brabus lettering on it lights up. Clearly, subtlety is so overrated.
The seats are swathed in microfiber and something called Dinamica, with some rather racy red contrast stitching. And because nobody likes a cold posterior, they've thoughtfully included heating and ventilation for the front occupants and even heated seats in the back - toasty luxury for all. Courtesy of a company that used to make glorified shopping carts.
Other niceties include a panoramic glass roof, which is always a winner for letting in some much-needed vitamin D (when the clouds deign to part, that is), a microfiber headliner, and sporty pedals for that extra touch of boy-racer chic. And because the standard car stereo probably sounded like a couple of tin cans tied together with string, Smart fitted a 20-speaker Sennheiser Signature audio system pumping out over 2,000 watts. That's probably enough to make your eardrums do the tango. There's even a 256-color ambient lighting system, presumably so you can coordinate the interior with your mood. Or your socks.
I always leave the pricing for last - keeping the suspense up and all, making your wallet twitch nervously. In Germany, where this Teutonic titan will be available to order later this month (around April 24th, mark your calendars), prices start at €60,900. Converting that into good old American dollars gives us a figure of around $66,850. That's a fair chunk of change, putting it squarely in the territory of some pretty serious machinery. Tesla Model 3 Performance comes in at $55,000 in the US, and it's nearly a second quicker to 60 mph.
Image Credit: Smart.
The Smart #5 Brabus is the biggest Smart ever, most powerful Smart ever, and surprisingly, the most luxurious. It's certainly a far cry from the city-dwelling runabouts that Smart made its name (or perhaps infamy) with. It's got the tech, it's got the performance, and it's even got a "Brabus mode" with simulated engine sounds. Oh yeah, and it is the most expensive Smart ever as well.
Will it be a sales sensation? Not in the US, that's for sure. The world of electric SUVs is getting increasingly crowded, and that price tag is enough to make even the most enthusiastic EV adopter raise an eyebrow. But the Smart #5 Brabus has certainly got people talking. It's a rather loud, slightly unhinged statement that says, "Yes, we used to make cars that were smaller than your washing machine, but now we can build something that'll leave an M3 in its electric dust." And for that alone, Smart, I salute you. Even if I still chuckle a little bit when I hear the name. Now - fix that price, and we can talk.
