Smart Crossblade (02-03) - Review

Review by Dan Harrison on
This mad roofless, door-less smart is not for the faint hearted. It's totally open to the elements and only comes in left-hand-drive. Unsurprisingly only a handful were sold to a few brave (although windswept and rain-lashed) Brits. This is a fantastic car if you live somewhere with year round good weather and you need something to whizz you to the beach but you'd have to be a motorcyclist to try running one as your only car in the UK. However no other car turns heads as much as a Crossblade in February.
2 out of 5

Other Smart reviews

2 out of 5

Summary

New price range:

£15,985

Used price range:

£3,378 - £4,665

View all used prices

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Like nothing else on the road; great fun

No doors, no windscreen, no roof...

This mad roofless, door-less smart is not for the faint hearted. It's totally open to the elements and only comes in left-hand-drive. Unsurprisingly only a handful were sold to a few brave (although windswept and rain-lashed) Brits. This is a fantastic car if you live somewhere with year round good weather and you need something to whizz you to the beach but you'd have to be a motorcyclist to try running one as your only car in the UK. However no other car turns heads as much as a Crossblade in February.

Driving & Performance

  • Performance

    3 out of 5

    "The jerky sequential transmission needs to be worked hard to give reasonable acceleration. The 70bhp..."

  • Handling

    4 out of 5

    "Goggles are a necessity, not a fashion statement for the Crossblade. Be prepared for a mouthful of..."

Comfort

  • Comfort

    1 out of 5

    "This car provides zero protection from the elements. Only on the warmest days does it feel..."

  • Practicality

    0.5 out of 5

    "There are drawers under the seats for a little bit of storage space and a tonneau which keeps the..."

  • Equipment

    2 out of 5

    "It comes with waterproof seats and dash and an integrated tonneau to keep the snow off. It also has..."

  • Behind the wheel

    3 out of 5

    "You can either vault the side bar to get in (in Dukes of Hazzard style) or lift the door bar up, if..."

Costs

  • Running costs

    4 out of 5

    "Gives around 49 mpg. Because of what it is, insurance is quite steep: group 8, as opposed to group 4..."

  • Green credentials

    0 out of 5

Safety & Reliability

  • Safety

    2.5 out of 5

    "There are twin airbags, stability control and a strong structure gives impressive crash..."

  • Reliability

    4 out of 5

    "Reliability should be excellent, very few problems have been reported with the Smart products."

Buying & Selling

  • Buying new

    0 out of 5

  • Buying used

    1 out of 5

    "This is a plaything, so only buy one if you don't plan on it being your only car. Used prices are..."

  • Selling

    0.5 out of 5

    "Extremely limited appeal. It may be best to try to sell it through the smart owners' club."

Owners' reviews