2008 Smart ForTwo preview

4 Feb, 2008 9 Comments

Mercedes-Benz, proud owner of Smart, has announced the specifications and pricing of the all-new 2008 Smart ForTwo, which lands in Mercedes dealerships later this month.

Replacing the current ForTwo, the model which put Smart on the map, is not an easy job. But not only does the new one look better (and has more features), but you can buy one starting from the same low price of $19,990.

Apart from the design changes, the all-new ForTwo gains two additional airbags, gearshift paddles on the steering-wheel, dashboard-mounted clock and rev counter and an automatic door lock function.

The ForTwo, which is named according to the number of passengers it can carry, is now a little longer too (19.5 centimetres to be exact) with an additional 70 litres of luggage space (220 litres in total).

The car will be available in four variants, with a combination of coupe and cabrio shapes powered by either a naturally aspirated 999cc in-line three-cylinder (52 kW 92Nm) or a turbocharged version of the same engine (62kW 120Nm). Top speed for all variants is 145km/h.

If you think the $20,000 starting price is a little high for a car so small, just remember, this is essentially a small Mercedes with safety and city-practicality in mind.

Technology is also on the agenda, for example, while some new cars are still getting away with ancient four-speed auto transmissions, the 1.0-litre ForTwo comes standard with a sequential five-speed transmission.

The ForTwo also receives its share of safety features with ESP (with hill start assist), ABS (with EBD), Hydraulic brake assist, driver and passenger front airbags and head/thorax side airbags all standard across the range.

The coupe variants come with a panoramic roof with sunblind while the cabriolets receive a completely automatic folding roof with glass rear window. Leather upholstery, heated seats, electric power steering and an uprated sound system are all available as options.

CarAdvice will be behind the wheel of the Smart ForTwo in the very near future, so check back for more soon.

Model	Engine	*Price (RRP)**
fortwo coupé	52 kW	$19,990
fortwo coupé	62 kW	$21,990
fortwo cabrio	52 kW	$22,990
fortwo cabrio	62 kW	$24,990

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9 Responses to “2008 Smart ForTwo preview”

No Name Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 1:34 am
WWhy on the earth would anyone buy these unless of course you live in a city and drive less than 2k’s a day. pointless expensive rubbish, it would mean something if it was a hybrid
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Simon Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 1:37 am
They make perfect sense if you live in the city or in the surrounding suburbs and all you want to do is drive to and from work/gym/uni etc.

I actually think they are decent and practical cars, but they are generally bullied by other cars on the road, especially 4WDs driven by obese women.
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Anthony Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 7:13 am
American Zillionaire and race team owner Roger Penske has secured the US head license for Smart Car in the US. He had over 150 applications from dealers that wanted a Smart Franchise. He signedup over 78 of them, in a heartbeat.

Roger Penske does not lose a dime when it comes to business, especially when we are talking cars.

The best part is, he has convinced a whole bunch of counclis to allow drivers of the Smart ForTwo to park perpendicular to the curb. That means, for you mathematical dummies, they can drive nose in between two parked cars and take that parking spot.

Perfect sense to me.
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Reckless1 Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 8:20 am
True Anthony, but can you imagine trying to convince any of our councils to allow 90 degree parking just for the Smart? They’d only consider it if they could get some revenue out of it somehow……

There could be a downside to parking the Smart between two F250s such that they could no longer get out of their quarter acre parking spot - I visualise a Smart impaled on the bullhorns at the front…

Penske also owns half of VM Motori, which makes the V6 diesel being prepared for extensive GM use and also the 2.0 litre used in the Captive. He is no dumb bunny :)
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Anthony Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 10:50 am
well said Reckless
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280zx Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Soo true Anthony ive seen the Penske file lol….
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Casey Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Has any one seen the Hyabusa (1300cc Suzuki) powered Smart Car on YouTube? That’s the only Smart I’d own ;)
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Reckless1 Says:
February 4th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Not the first car with a motorcycle engine - check out the Australian Lightburn Zeta. Now that was a car - not :)
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Duck Says:
February 5th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
How long is the car?
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