Review: Is Smart #1 different enough to justify its premium hashtag?

Truth to tell, I was braving the elements to save myself from worrying all night about what I would do if I had to go somewhere down the country in an emergency. Welcome to life in electric Ireland.

The fact of the matter is I would have had to borrow a car. I suspect many battery electric vehicle (BEV) owners know exactly what I’m talking about, and why there’s such reluctance among potential buyers to opt for all-electric transport.

The rain had cleared by the time – three hours later – we strolled back the 800 metres to unplug and drive home. To my delight, there were 427km in the battery bank.

By public-charging standards, that was excellent, and due partly to the Premium-spec extra range and faster charging. It gave me great confidence.

However, not everyone has a charger as close to base. If they had, would more people buy a BEV? It would certainly improve the public’s flagging confidence.

The #1 is the first of a new breed of Smart cars they want to be called premium. Another, the #3, which is a slightly larger electric SUV coupe, will be unveiled here on Tuesday.

These cars are roomier and sturdier looking than the smaller Smart four-seaters and two-seaters from an era now going. The Smart brand is jointly owned by Mercedes and Chinese brand Geely.

Instead of highlighting the virtues of small cars in dense urban areas, they’re going bigger and electric, as they’ve done with the compact SUV on test.

Prices start at €37,479 and rivals include the Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro, MG4, VW ID.3, Peugeot e-2008 and Opel Mokka-e.

The thing is that whatever attraction there was in the ForTwo and ForFour smaller cars, it won’t carry over to the larger newcomers. They’re in with the big fish now, and it’s a tough place to be.

There are plusses and cons for this 4.2-metre-long, 1.8-metre-wide and 1.6-metre-tall vehicle.

The first plus was a feel of real substance to it. It took a little while to get used to the front look, but I’m OK with it now. I’m less enamoured with the rear. Visually all right, but the boot is far too small at 323 litres. There’s a frunk (front trunk), but it’s minuscule.

Inside is cheerful, but not cheap, though some of the lower plastics could be of better quality. Most fabrics felt good to the touch.

A cute-fox image struts around the large central screen, where all the interactive action takes place. I presume it’s designed to make it fun to be on board. It is – and it isn’t.

The graphics tend to fade into the light backdrop. It’s counter-intuitive in some areas. I wasn’t overly impressed with the AI-based voice control. It steadfastly tried to phone Patrick instead of Paddy, and the lack of big, everyday-use active buttons only added to the distraction.

Worse still were the steering-wheel buttons, designed so you can press commands without taking your eyes off the road.

The tiny controls are couched on two pads, but you have to squint to see them and, even at that, not all their functions are clear. I’m sure it’s something you’d get used to if you were driving every day.

That’s the majority of criticism out of the way.

I was absolutely delighted with the seating position. There’s plenty of flexibility on the steering wheel, and the driver’s seat provided a great vantage point. For a car of its size, there’s huge visibility. The seats are quite comfortable, and two adults are comfortably accommodated in the back.

The powerful motor – at 272hp it’s fair to call it that – meant there was a crisp edge to the drive, which worked well with a comfortable suspension.

The 19-inch alloys give the car a strong look, but large as they were, they didn’t cause much by way of road noise in the cabin. Good insulation helped.

I could see myself tipping around town happily in this, but I would ask the question: is it sufficiently different from the rivals?

Yes, there are high levels of spec from the entry level, and the Premium version I had was quite plush with more evidence of Mercedes’ touches throughout the cabin – the gear shift levers are straight from the German giant’s parts locker.

All in all, the car came over as a substantial piece of work, but less spectacular than I would have expected.

It’s clever, good to drive, has a nice cabin ambience and touches of genuine quality and appeal.

Would I buy it? I’m not so sure, but I would chalk up big plusses on its range being so accurate and the relatively quick at charging.

Factfile

​Smart #1 Pricing starts from €37,479. Car tested costs €48,332. Rear-wheel-drive. Single motor, 272hp. 62kWh battery, 440km range. Road tax €120.

Standard spec: 12.8ins central display, 9.2ins instrument cluster, 19ins alloys, front collision mitigation, electric front seats, auto park assist, faux leather seats, panoramic halo roof, flush door handles, pilot assist.

Extra: 10ins head up display, upgraded 22kW AC charging.