Smart Forfour (04-06) - Review

Review by Ben Wall on
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

3.5 out of 5

Safety

The Forfour has four airbags as well as the structurally-impressive Tridion safety cell which helped it to achieve a good four star (out of five) rating in official Euro NCAP tests. ESP stability control, which prevents the car form losing control in a skid, is standard on all models along with remote central locking and an immobiliser.

NCAP Test

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Provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.

Visit Euro NCAP for more info

  • Adult Occupant Rating

    4 out of 5
  • Child Protection Rating

    2 out of 5
  • Pedestrian Test Rating

    1 out of 5
3.5 out of 5

Reliability

Smart hasn't had an unblemished record for reliability but we've not heard of any major issues with the Forfour.

Car check problem points

Body

No problems reported.

Engine/Gearbox

No problems reported.

Other

A recall in 2005 for an issue with the rear seat locking springs.