Smart Fortwo Coupe (07 on) - Review

The firm ride means the Fortwo isn't great at soaking up potholes or rough roads, whether in town or on the motorway. However, there's decent noise insulation and the engines are quiet when cruising, it's just a shame that the sluggish gearchange means the Smart can pitch and dive between shifts. Thankfully there is plenty of space for both the driver and passenger and despite the short overall length, legroom is plentiful. The seats offer good support too. Air conditioning is optional on Pure and Pulse, but standard on Passion and Brabus models.

This Fortwo has a larger boot than the previous model and with 220 litres there's reasonable room for a small car designed for urban drivers - for instance it's more generous than the luggage space in a MINI and almost on par with a Ford Ka. 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.

The interior of the Fortwo is very stylish thanks to features such as the fabric covered dash and doors, funky column stalks and - on Pulse models and above - the pod-style dials on the centre of the dash top. The CD stereo is simple to use with clear buttons and the large speedo is easy to read. Quality is generally good, although there are some scratchy plastics on show, more noticeable on the entry-level models. Visibility is impressive though - helped by the car's compact dimensions and large windscreen.