Smart Forfour (used review)

The Smart Fortwo made a name for itself as the tiny cheeky city car with two seats. What anyone outside of Europe wouldn’t know is that the Forfour is a cheeky four-seat small hatchback for everyone else. The Forfour came with a ton of engine options. Petrol engines started with a 1.1-liter three-cylinder with a choice of 64hp or 75hp. Next up is a 1.3-liter three-cylinder pumping out 94hp, and two 1.5-liter four-cylinders. Non-turbo output is 109hp, and turbo form produces 177hp. Diesel engines are both 1.5 CDI, producing either 68hp or 95hp. The pick of the range depends on your driving habits, but we will tell you how each of them drove. 1.1-liter (64hp or 75hp) is best left for city duties. The 75hp form felt a bit livelier, but you’ll have to really work the gears to make progress. Running costs are extremely cheap for both and prove why we strongly recommend city use only with this engine. 1.3-liter (94hp) is one of the three engines we’d choose with the Forfour. You’ll enjoy flexible performance for both city and motorway driving. Running costs are still respectable, and this engine has very good reliability ratings. 1.5-liter (109hp or 177hp), we reckon the non-turbo form is the way to go if you are looking for reliability and low running costs. The turbo form, or Brabus, is exhilarating to drive and makes the Forfour feel like a hot hatch. However, these forms are much harder to find and may suffer from more wear and tear due to their performance nature. If you can get your hands on a version that was well serviced, we highly recommend it. 1.5-liter CDI (68hp or 95hp): we’d avoid the entry CDI engine as it is just too slow for motorway driving. You’ll have to really work the gears to get a decent turn of pace. The more powerful form is much easier to live with and doesn’t sacrifice running costs. We strongly recommend making sure the turbo is in good shape before purchasing, as the bill can be quite pricey. Driving the Smart Forfour is very easy due to its dinky dimensions. It may not be as tiny as the Fortwo, but it is still easy to live with. Some versions of the Forfour can be had with an adaptive drive chassis. It helps sort out the Forfour's ride comfort on long journeys. Otherwise, the Forfour will be quite bouncy and unsettled without it. Steering feedback is good and does the job well. Brabus forms have a more punishing ride quality, but the trade-off is that they are a hoot to drive on twisty-narrow roads. Stay away from the semi-auto gearbox. It’s too jerky and slow to upshift and downshift. You’ll literally have to drive it as if it were a manual gearbox. Lifting your foot slightly off the gas pedal between shifts will smooth out the delays. However, a proper manual gearbox is widely available and the only way to go in our eyes. The Forfour has a functional interior in the form of a “lounge concept”. The front seats can fold down and give the rear space a sort of “lounge” experience. We reckon this is only worth it if you opt for the panoramic glass roof and plan to use your Forfour for this experience on the daily. The standard four-seat configuration will work just fine. The rear seats do offer sliding and reclining abilities, but keep in mind that it will rob you of precious boot space. The forms we’ve driven all had a navigation system fitted optionally as well as the panoramic glass roof. The only forms without the glass roof were the pure trim level. This came fitted with 75hp and a 5-speed manual gearbox. The Forfour was quite an expensive proposition when it was first launched. However, if you can get your hands on one. We reckon finding one with a glass roof and navigation system will be well worth the effort. Many city cars of this class didn’t offer a glass roof at all. The Forfour didn’t do anything special when it was on sale. It had stand-out styling and low running costs. The Smart Roadsters and Fortwo were unique. The Forfour was more conventional with the quirky charm that only those who know anything about Smart would understand, and that’s why we loved it so much. It will forever be a gem of a hatchback in a sea of boring. Likes: Brabus tuned verison had real hot-hatch turn of pace. Available glass roof and other features helped it stand out. Low running costs from all engines. Dislikes: Entry-level trim levels were a bit stingy on kit. The base 1.1 petrol and 1.5 CDI are way too sluggish for their own good.