Updated two and four-seat city cars are now electric-only, with styling and technology upgrades
Smart has become the first mass market manufacturer to go electric-only with the new EQ Fortwo and Forfour, revealed ahead of their Frankfurt motor show public debut next week.
The updated EQ models are said to allow the brand to “return to its origins”: sister firm Mercedes-Benz first envisaged an urban vehicle powered by a local emissions-free powertrain long before Smart was even formed.
After offering EV versions of its models in every generation since 2007, Smart announced in 2018 it would transition to a “fully electric urban mobility brand” as its leadership was overhauled, ditching the three-cylinder petrol options.
The exterior of the new EQ models, described as “radically simple” by Daimler design boss Gorden Wagener, is an evolution of the outgoing car’s look. The grille has been lowered and grows in size, albeit with much of the surface area blanked off as EVs require less air cooling.
For the first time, the Fortwo and Forfour have different front-end looks, with Smart giving the four-seater a more “dynamic” profile than the “familiar friendly face” of the Fortwo. New rear tail-lamp designs also feature, while full LED headlamps are optional, as are variety of colour combinations.
We’ve yet to see a shot of the interior, but Smart claims a revised centre console brings a new compartment in front of the drive selector to accommodate smartphones or two removable cupholders. More significantly, a new, simplified infotainment system offers better smartphone and wearable tech compatibility at the expense of some on-board functions, making greater use of a devices own apps and immediately introducing new apps or features when the customers downloads them or upgrades their phone. There’s also a redesigned phone app that displays the car’s charge level and allows pre-entry climate control to be programmed.
One thing hasn’t changed much, however, and that’s the urban-focused electric powertrain. Like the outgoing EV models, a rear-mounted motor makes peak outputs of 79bhp and 118lb ft of torque, allowing a 0-37mph time of 4.8sec (4.9 for the cabrio, and 5.2 for the Forfour) and a 0-62mph time of 11.6sec (11.9 for the cabrio, and 12.7 for the Forfour. The top speed is 81mph for all models.
It’s mated to a compact 17.6kWh battery allowing a quoted (NEDC) range of just under 100 miles: significantly less than most EV rivals. Smart claims this is still “several times” the average daily distance driven in Germany, however, and the small battery size and weight means less packaging and dynamic compromises.
New features such as radar-based kinetic recuperation, which allows the car to slow down automatically behind the vehicle ahead in the ideal way to charge the batteries, also help extend the range.
The other benefit of the small battery is charging times. Even a standard domestic socket can charge it in just over 3.5hrs, while an optional 22kW on-board charges can take the range from 10% to 80% in 40 minutes. There is once again no DC rapid charging capability, but Smart is cooperating with network partner Plugsurfing which claims to allow easy access to almost all public charging points via the app.
Prices for the new Smart range have yet to be announced, but given the lack of any powertrain upgrades don’t expect them to stray too far from the outgoing model’s base price.
Read more:
Geely takes 50% stake in Smart from Daimler
Smart Forfour Electric Drive review
Source: Autocar
