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For 2013, Daimler is updating the Smart ForTwo and for the first time offering a choice of a gasoline or electric powertrain in either coupe or convertible models.
The gas version is a minor update of the one we tested in 2008, complete with that car's jerky single-clutch automated manual transmission. The regular version did not perform well in our tests. For that reason alone, with electric version is worth a closer look if you have your heart set on a Smart. However, we drove an earlier version the Smart electric drive (back then known as "ED") in 2010 and found it surprisingly slow and noisy for an electric car. This version has some updates.
Its closest competitor will be the Mitsubishi i, which has the advantage of having four seats. The electric Smart will use a 73-hp electric motor driven by a 17.6-kWh lithium battery. This gives the electric Smart a claimed range of 100 miles.
We've found such range claims need to be discounted by about 25 percent for the real world, but that should still take it farther than the I, which claims only a range of 80 miles.
Smart claims the electric will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 13 seconds, about what we found with the earlier gas version, and reach a top speed of 83 mph.
Both versions go on sale next month. We look forward to seeing if the ForTwo has made measurable, daresay "smart", improvements.
See our guide to fuel economy for advice on saving gasoline, and learn about future technologies in our in our guide to alternative fuels.
April 4th, 2012
Filed under: Coupe, Geneva Motor Show, Smart, Electric
If given the choice, we'd grab the keys to an all-electric
Smart ForTwo way before its gasoline-powered sibling, if for no other reason than it would mean we wouldn't have to put up with that horrid automated manual transmission. But such faint praise isn't really fair to the
Brabus Electric Drive. After all, it's got 80 horsepower on tap, which is plenty for the little urban runabout, and its 100 pound-feet of torque ought to be available from zero rpm.
Brabus has also seen fit to lower the Smart ED 10 millimeters closer to the pavement, which, along with the 16-inch front and 17-inch rear monoblock wheels, should improve the way it handles. Less convincing an upgrade is the onboard sound generator... though perhaps one strategically pulled fuse might make short work of that oversight.
Feel free to peruse the press release
below, but not before checking out our high-res image gallery of live photos from the
2012 Geneva Motor Show.
Continue reading Smart ForTwo Brabus Electric Drive is a black and green upgrade
Smart ForTwo Brabus Electric Drive is a black and green upgrade originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 17:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 7th, 2012
Tags:
brabus,
brabus fortwo ed,
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Electric,
Fortwo,
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Geneva,
geneva 2012,
Geneva Motor Show,
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Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Hatchback, Smart, Design/Style, Electric
Daimler's
Smart minicar division will unveil both a battery-electric version of the Smart Brabus special-edition line and a Smart Brabus electric bike at the
Geneva Motor Show this year.
The Smart Brabus electric drive Fortwo will be available in 12 countries by the end of the year. Parent company
Daimler notes the model will include touches such as 17-inch alloy wheels, an "electric green" interior. The diminutive runabout will deliver about 80 horsepower, though the German automaker hasn't specified a single-charge range.
Meanwhile, Smart's Brabus ebike will have an electric motor that will deliver 500 watts of power, enough for a top speed of 25 miles per hour. It will also be available at Smart dealers by the end of the year. Smart isn't disclosing pricing on either the Brabus ForTwo EV or the new ebike but you can see both in our gallery.
Last month, Smart said it would start selling a
special-edition version called the Sharpred in Europe starting this May. Smart will offer the red and black model in 71- and 84-horsepower versions in both hardtop and convertible configurations, and will make 1,800 Sharpreds.
Daimler last year sold about 102,000 Smart vehicles globally in 2011. While that number marked a 4.6 percent increase over 2010, Smart vehicles accounted for just 7.5 percent of all Daimler cars sold in 2011. Check out the complete press release
after the break.
Continue reading Smart unveiling Brabus-edition Fortwo EV, e-bike in Geneva
Smart unveiling Brabus-edition Fortwo EV, e-bike in Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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March 5th, 2012
Tags:
2012 smart fortwo electric drive,
bike,
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electric vehicle,
europe,
Fortwo,
Geneva,
Geneva Motor Show,
Hatchback,
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Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Geneva Motor Show, Etc., Technology, Videos, Hatchback, Smart
Last year, Rinspeed
introduced its Dock+Go concept at the
Geneva Motor Show, a
Smart ForTwo Electric Drive with a wagon attachment whose wheels could recharge the battery. The Swiss tuner thought the idea so good that this year, instead of conjuring something just as wacky, they went even wackier: the new Dock+Go holds steady on the "go" but adds an extra dock in the form of what Rinspeed calls a wheeled backpack.
The modular system allows for the two attachments to be used at once, creating a four-axle ForTwo. The last backpack, though, is a "Variohybrid" that drives the wheels of the intermediary backpack and so charges the batteries it contains. The point is to provide the space and the range you need, but only when you need it.
Inside, it's as if the
Smart had absorbed every vehicle used by every one of
The Avengers. There are space-age threads and surfaces, Swiss clocks, electroluminescent lighting, flatscreen technology and a Takata-Petri steering wheel. And that isn't even the appetizer. You can peep it from numerous angles in the well stocked gallery, or
click through to the jump for five videos and a press release that is three times the length of the car.
Continue reading Rinspeed Dock+Go concept returns with another tag-along ahead of Geneva debut [w/videos]
Rinspeed Dock+Go concept returns with another tag-along ahead of Geneva debut [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 23rd, 2012
Tags:
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If you're this new driver, approximately 4:44. In her defense, the spot is ENORMOUS, it must be difficult deciding exactly where, and at what angle, to park that tiny car. (*video contains grown-up language. Headphones or mute*)...
February 3rd, 2012
Filed under: Budget, Europe, Hatchback, Smart, Design/Style
Smart has put the
ForTwo under the knife in an attempt to give the maligned A-segment vehicle a few more years of life. The ForTwo now wears a smarter-looking revised fascia with a bolder Smart emblem, more expansive grille and redesigned lower valance. The front clip is paired with more defined rockers and a similarly restyled rear valance. Throw in a few more wheel options and the package helps freshen the vehicle quite a bit. Unfortunately, engineers left the engine bay alone. That means buyers will still be met with the same abysmal engine lineup and automated manual transmission found in the current vehicle.
Smart plans to continue to offer five option packages, including
Brabus and Brabus Xclusive. The refreshed ForTwo will land in dealers in the UK in April, with U.S. sales commencing shortly thereafter as a 2013 model.
Word has it the next-generation ForTwo won't see the light of day for another two years at least. Will the 2013 nip/tuck draw enough buyers into show rooms to keep Smart afloat until then? We imagine it won't hurt, but the company is facing increased competition from big players like
Scion and
Chevrolet, and its sales numbers are terrible to begin with. Vehicles like the the more efficient
iQ and the
Spark probably won't help the ForTwo's chances. Hit the jump for the full press release.
Continue reading Squint Really Hard: Smart ForTwo gets modest update
Squint Really Hard: Smart ForTwo gets modest update originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 1st, 2012
