Smart used to be an automaker with a niche: small city cars. But after an initial electric variation on that theme, the EQ fortwo, the company has headed off in a more general (and sizeable) direction. The Smart #3 takes an even bigger step towards the mainstream. I took it for a test drive.
Smart #3 Styling
From some angles the #3 doesn’t look that different to the #1, Smart’s first salvo of its new electric onslaught. The front is almost indistinguishable. But the #3 is longer and the rear more sloped, further accentuated by how the window line swoops towards the back. This makes it look sleeker and less abrupt at the rear than the #1, despite being only 13cm extra in length.
The Smart #3 is therefore in a similar class to the popular Nissan Leaf, Volkswagen ID.3, and MG4, albeit a little taller due to the SUV/crossover styling. The new Mini Aceman or Countryman will probably be on your radar as possible alternatives, too. It’s a popular category with lots of competition, including from vehicles produced by the same parent company.
While the new Smarts are still produced in partnership with Mercedes, they are based on drivetrains from Geely, which also owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Zeekr, Lynk & Co and other brands. The Mercedes connection is obvious as you climb inside, because the car has a strong sense of build quality. The doors are reassuringly “thunky” and the interior trim, while decidedly futuristic, presents itself in a mature and stylish way. However, Geely also makes the Volvo EX30 and EX40, the Lynk & Co 02, as well as the ZEEKR X. So the company appears to be competing heavily with itself for your EV purchase.
There are four basic versions of the #3. The entry-level option is the Pro, which comes with a 49kwh battery, while the Pro+ and Premium (which I test drove) have a 66kwh battery. This means the Pro offers 202 miles of WLTP range, the Pro+ 270 miles, and the Premium 283 miles, thanks to its heat pump. All three supposedly have the same 272hp motor driving the rear wheels, and these three versions all accelerate to 60mph in 5.8 seconds, which is fast enough for most families.
But if you want more, like the #1 there is also a dual-motor BRABUS, which has 428hp and can hit 60mph in just 3.7 seconds. However, you lose a fair bit of range as a result, with the WLTP rating dropping to 258 miles. An Anniversary Edition is also available, which is intended to celebrate 25 years of the Smart brand. This mirrors the specification of the Premium but with some exclusive visual elements.
All versions of the #3 have a panoramic sunroof, and all have 19in wheels except the BRABUS, which goes for 20in rims, but otherwise has a similar specification to the Premium in terms of equipment. Rain-sensing wipers are standard, as are electrically adjustable, heated door mirrors, and electrically adjusted and heated front seats with driver seat memory. There are LED front and taillights, but the Premium adds puddle lights that project the Smart logo, plus a matrix system for the headlights. The Premium also has a PM2.5 sensor and air quality system.
Safety systems are comprehensive across the range, too, with a 360-degree camera as standard, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. However, the Premium version has 12 sensors whereas the others have eight. There are also lots more exterior paint and interior color choices with the Premium edition – all of which are free of charge.
Smart #3 Inside
The front seats are comfy and look stylish. With full electric adjustment it’s easy to get them into the perfect position for your height. The upholstery is made of man-made leather seats for Pro and Pro+, or a combination of this with real leather for the Premium. Overall, the interior styling and trim carries on the sense of quality from the exterior. Some of the ambient lighting can be a bit distracting at night, however, as it reflects onto windows.
All the usual interior practicalities are available, such as a pair of reasonably sized cupholders and a wireless phone charging pad, plus a slot for another non-charging phone, although I found that it wasn’t long enough for an iPhone Pro Max.
Although the #3 has a slopy back, this doesn’t mean a compromise on headroom in the rear. In fact, a six-foot back seat passenger behind a similarly sized adult in the front will have perfectly adequate head and leg room. The sense of space is further accentuated by the large panoramic sunroof. Rear-seat passengers also have their own air vents and USB ports.
Whereas the #1 is a little behind the competition in luggage capacity, the #3 is more in line with the hatchback market norm. The basic space is 370 liters, but if you drop the rear seats forward this expands to a similarly adequate 1,160 liters. While there is only a 60/40 split for the rear seats, you can open a hole in the middle if you need to carry a longer item alongside two rear passengers. The #3 can tow up to 1,600kg, too. The tailgate is powered with all versions, but the Premium adds gesture control. There’s a small frunk as well.
All instrumentation is digital, with a 9.2in display behind the steering wheel offering useful information. The Premium version adds a bright and clear 10in Head-Up Display, so you won’t need to look at the dashboard that often, as it provides all the necessary speed, speed limit, navigation and safety information you need for most driving situations.
The Smart #1 took a playful approach to its infotainment, with a fox avatar inhabiting its screen. The 12.8in panel on the #3 is guarded by a cheetah. But it’s okay, it doesn’t bite, and you can safely ignore it most of the time. There are, unfortunately, very few physical buttons so you must use the infotainment screen for almost everything to do with climate control. The discrete touch buttons for window demisting are quite large and easy to see, but you don’t get any haptic feedback to know you’ve pressed them.
Once you get to know where things are on the Smart infotainment system, it’s pleasant enough to use, with colorful, readably large text and plenty of options. However, as I noted when I tested the #1, there are too many different menu methods, rather than one system in common with everything. You get used to it, but this makes the process of learning the interface take longer than it should.
Smart #3 Driving
The Smart #3 is mostly a rear-wheel drive car, with just the BRABUS being dual-motor. This contributes to surprisingly decent driving dynamics. The steering is precise and the handling dependable, enabling rapid A-road travel. Despite the size and weight, cornering is reassuringly flat at speed. The adaptive cruise control is also easy to use – just touch a button on the steering wheel to engage. It will maintain speed, brake automatically, and also help with steering so you can simply rest your hands on the wheel ready to take over, if necessary, but otherwise relax.
Ride quality is also of a high standard, coping well with the tragic state of London roads. The cabin is generally quiet even at motorway speeds. While the #3 is still small enough to feel at home on narrow city streets, it’s also composed on the highway. Hard acceleration on a slightly greasy road can create a slight jump, because this car is powerful enough to lose traction, but the car’s safety systems jump in ably to keep things travelling in the right direction. Overall, this is a comfortable, easy to drive and reasonably quick car.
In almost every respect, then, the Smart #3 is a very competent vehicle. However, its range falls a little behind the competition. During my test period, I achieved 3.4 miles per kWh on average across a mix of city, A-road and motorway driving. That would mean the #3 Premium I was testing would have a real-world range of 223 miles, although it should be underlined that the weather when I had this car was frequently just above freezing, which will have impacted power consumption. On more predominantly motorway driving, the #3 achieved 3.01 miles per kWh, which would equate to 199 miles of range.
These figures are as expected – 70-80% of WLTP. The Pro’s smaller battery is partnered with 130kW DC rapid charging, while you get 150kW DC rapid charging with all other models. This means that all cars take about half an hour to replenish from 10 to 80% capacity. That’s going to be perfectly adequate for long-distance journeys. You’ll need to recharge the models with a 66kWh battery about every two hours on a motorway, which is worse than some cars but not unusable. In other words, the #3 Pro is likely to be best suited to city journeys and a daily commute (assuming you have readily available charging), while the Pro+ and above will be more capable for longer journeys outside the city. The Premium version also includes 22kW AC charging, while the Pro and Pro+ just offer 7.4kW.
Smart #3 Pricing
Fortunately, although Smart is a part-Mercedes brand, the #3 is not hideously expensive. The Pro starts at £32,950 ($42,000), the Pro+ at £36,950 ($47,000), and the Premium £39,950 ($51,000), thereby just remaining below the new UK Expensive Car Supplement tax threshold. None of the paint choices adds to the price and there are no other options, so these won’t tip you over the limit. However, the Anniversary Edition is £40,950 ($52,000) while the BRABUS costs a princely £45,450 ($58,000), which will receive the more expensive annual taxation level.
Overall, #3 prices compare well with the Kia EV3 and Volkswagen ID.3, for example, although the MG4 is quite a bit cheaper. The Smart #3 is a quality vehicle, however, and the equipment level is high even with the base Pro model (the Pro+ is essentially the same but with a bigger battery). While it won’t go quite as far on a single charge as some competitors, the Smart #3 beats most of them in design, making it a solid choice for a small family EV.
