Smart Fortwo Coupe (07 on) - Review

Thanks to its characteristic shape and diminutive size, the Smart Fortwo is instantly recognisable. This is the second generation model, but the styling is a gentle evolution of the first with the more angular headlights the most notable change. As before, it's great fun to drive in town and very nippy away from the lights, while it's still possible to park in nose first into parallel spaces thanks to an overall length of little more than 2.5 metres. It's certainly more comfortable than before with a better quality interior, but the ride is still very hard and the automatic-only gearbox has very laboured shifts, which quickly becomes frustrating on open roads. On the plus side, it's a very cheap car to run with low road tax and a range of economical engines. There's even a diesel version which is free to tax and can average an incredible 86mpg.