Tests and Features

Some cars, like the smart, don’t meet the same criteria as most others. No one buys a smart to take their family to the cottage in winter! In fact, driving a smart is more of a lifestyle choice than a transportation choice. Creating an all-electric smart makes perfect sense considering …

When it first came to Canada in 2005, the smart fortwo sent shockwaves through the country. Everyone wanted to know where this pocket-sized car came from, whether it had an electric motor, where it was built, etc. Imagine the public’s reaction when they learned that it was powered by a …

Remember that Willy Nelson tune, On the Road Again? Until recently, I never thought I’d associate driving down the highway like “a band of gypsies” with the smallest car in the nation. Because, you know, smarts are known for being good cars—in the city. Mercedes-Benz (the smart’s manufacturer) has just …

Mercedes-Benz brought us out to Germany’s densely populated city of Cologne for a first introduction to the new smart fortwo. Why Cologne? Because this is where the small urban vehicle is very popular, as it’s perfectly suited to the city’s narrow streets and heavy traffic. Whereas smarts are still a …

In September 2015, the new generation of the smart fortwo coupe is launching in Canada as a 2016 model. Despite a bumper-to-bumper redesign, it retains its ultra-compact dimensions, its tiny 6.95 metre turning circle and its turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 89 horsepower and 100 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed manual …

In 2006, the second-generation smart fortwo was unveiled in a Stuttgart parking lot. Why? It was to prove that, despite its 20 additional centimetres, two smart fortwos could still be parked in a single parking spot. The third generation has just launched in Berlin, and it didn’t have anything to …

When the topic turns to electric cars, people are quick to surmise that a battery-powered vehicle can’t possibly be practical in winter. After all, cold temperatures make batteries less efficient and diminish operating range. That’s the theory, anyway. Personally, I had never had the opportunity to put the theory to …

Good things come in small packages, even very small packages. Made for agile maneuvering in crowded cities and squeezing into tight parking spaces, miniature cars are not for everyone. In fact, the decision to buy one often comes more from the heart than the head—because they’re just so much fun.

The smart has been with us for seven years already and, boy, have we had good times together. I remember driving this microcar even before it came to North America. Mercedes-Benz Canada, the company that owns smart, had imported a model and lent it to the press as a means …