Smart Fortwo Cabriolet (07 on) - Review

As you'd expect of a car that's little more than 2.5 metres long, the Fortwo is pretty compact inside, but it makes good use of the available space. There's plenty of elbow room and a surprising amount of legroom, even for taller drivers. The seats offer decent support while good noise insulation means it's comfortable on longer trips and an improvement on the previous car. The fabric roof slides electrically and can be opened at any speed - ideal if you get caught out in a sudden downpour. Having it part-way open acts as a sunroof - perfect for warm spring days. Air conditioning is only an option on Pure and Pulse models, but is highly recommended as the small cabin can get warm quickly.

The fabric roof is fully automatic and can be left open at any position - unlike the previous Fortwo cabriolet it doesn't need to be 'locked' in its final position at the rear either. There's also rear heated glass window as oppose to the PVC one on the older model and visibility out of the back is as good as in the coupe. Roof up or down, the cabriolet can carry the same amount of luggage as the coupe and with 220 litres there's reasonable room for a small car designed for urban drivers. For instance there's almost twice the luggage room you'd find in a MINI Convertible with the roof down. If you load it up to the roof, you can squeeze in 340 litres of kit, although the short boot length means you won't be able to carry any large objects. The twin section tailgate folds down like a pick-up and is a handy area to put things on. The tailgate itself also provides useful extra storage for odds and ends. For more load carrying ability, the backrest of the passenger seat can be folded down flat. Inside there are a couple of storage areas, but new buyers will have to pay extra for a glovebox.

Inside both the driver and passenger have more space than ever and there's a definite step-up in the quality of materials and interior build quality. The driving position is highly adjustable and suitable for most body shapes, and there's decent head room. Forward visibility is good, though the rear view can be restricted by the Fortwo's thick rear pillars. It's mostly user-friendly inside with big, clear instruments plus simple buttons and switches. The fabric covered dash top and doors help give it an upmarket feel too, although there are a few hard plastics on show.