Smart Forfour (04-06) - Review

Review by Ben Wall on 23 February 2007

Last Updated: 22 July 2009

The Forfour is the only model from Smart with more than two seats, making it a realistic choice as a small family car. The five-door hatch has a similarly youthful feel to the compact Fortwo helped by bold styling both inside and out. If you're after something that stands out then it's a good choice. There's decent space for those travelling in the back and it's cheap to run too with a range of economical engines. It was never a big seller and Smart dropped it after only two years on sale, so finding one can be a problem as it's not a common sight on the used market. The base-level models are quite sparse inside and the smaller engines can be hard work, but the cdi diesels offer better performance while there's also a high performance Brabus version.

3 out of 5

Other Smart reviews

3 out of 5

Summary

New price range:

£7,290 - £17,195

Used price range:

£2,119 - £6,290

View all used prices

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Neat styling, unique cabin design, performance Brabus version available, decent cdi diesel

Few around on the second hand market, sluggish automatic gearbox, some lacklustre engines

Driving & Performance

Performance

3.5 out of 5
"The entry-level engine is a 1.1-litre with a modest 64bhp. It's a three-cylinder engine so has an..."
Handling

3.5 out of 5
"The Forfour is easy to drive in town thanks to light steering and a precise gear shift. The optional..."

Comfort

Comfort

3 out of 5
"The interior is surprisingly roomy for such a small car and the Forfour can be specified with either..."
Practicality

2.5 out of 5
"This is the most practical Smart car and it shows in the rear seats. Along with the conventional..."
Equipment

3.5 out of 5
"Entry-level Pulse models have a CD stereo, remote central locking, front electric windows, an alarm,..."
Behind the wheel

3.5 out of 5
"Like other Smart models, the Forfour has a very unique cabin and higher specification models come..."

Costs

Running costs

3.5 out of 5
"Thanks to the light weight of the Forfour and a range of small, efficient engines, it's a frugal car..."
Green credentials

4 out of 5
"The Forfour is an efficient small car and all the engines are economical. The manual 1.5 cdi is..."

Safety & Reliability

Safety

3.5 out of 5
"The Forfour has four airbags as well as the structurally-impressive Tridion safety cell which helped..."
Reliability

3.5 out of 5
"Smart hasn't had an unblemished record for reliability but we've not heard of any major issues with..."

Buying & Selling

Buying new

4 out of 5
"Prices start at under eight grand for a car that promises to tick plenty of boxes for most buyers."
Buying used

2 out of 5
"If you're after a Forfour, then finding one could be a challenge. It was never a huge seller when..."
Selling

1.5 out of 5
"This is Smart's least recognised model, so you could struggle to sell to a buyer who is more..."