Page 3 of 6

What’s New: Outside

To call the Smart Fortwo a small car doesn’t really do it justice.  Even the term “microcar” doesn’t seem to adequately describe it. Riding on a 73.5-inch wheelbase, the Fortwo is a mere 106 inches long overall and just shy of 62 inches wide.  That makes it 40 inches shorter than the new Mini Cooper and a whopping six feet shorter than a Honda Civic coupe. To put those dimensions into perspective, you could park a pair of Fortwos in a typical parking space with plenty of room left over. 

The Fortwo is unique in other ways as well.  Styling is a love-it-or-hate-it affair, with the car’s large wrap-around steel safety cage exposed as a design element.  Dent-resistant plastic body panels help reduce the car’s weight and are designed so they’re relatively easy to swap out for panels of another color, or which there are six: Solid black, yellow, or white are standard, while three metallic hues (blue, red, and silver) are available as options.  The exposed safety cage comes standard in black or can be had in an optional silver metallic finish.

Inside

Given the Fortwo’s modest outside dimensions, you’ll likely be surprised with how roomy the two-place interior is.  Headroom and legroom are both generous, with measurements on par with those in the front seat of your average full-size sedan.  The car’s passenger seat is also offset six inches to the rear to maximize shoulder room.

Seats, dash, and door panels are all covered in a stylish fabric that dresses up what would be an otherwise painfully-plain passenger cabin.  The smoke-tinted transparent roof panel that’s standard in Passion models adds to the feeling of openness.  Behind the front seats is a cargo area with 7.8 cubic feet of room.  Load it to the roof and you can schlep up to 12 cubic feet of stuff.  That space, combined with the standard flat-folding passenger seat and wide-opening tailgate make the Fortwo a good deal more cargo-friendly.

Under the Hood

Power for all three Fortwo models comes from a rear-mounted 1.0-liter inline three-cylinder engine that puts out 70 horsepower and 68 lb.-ft. of torque.  That massive amount of power is sent to the rear wheels by a five-speed “auto-manual” transmission.  With only around 1,800 pounds to push around, this gives the Fortwo a power-to-weight ration comparable to the current generation of the Toyota Prius. One of the biggest selling points for the Fortwo is fuel economy, and its pint-sized powertrain helps the little car post good EPA fuel economy estimates of 33 city and 40 highway.  The engine produces relatively low emissions, though it still can’t match either the high fuel economy numbers or low tailpipe emissions of the best hybrids.  Braking chores are handled by front discs and rear drums.  Rack-and-pinion steering is standard, and power steering is available as an option.

Safety

While the results of U.S. crash tests have yet to be released, the Fortwo has received high marks in tough European testing.  The key to this little car’s ability to hold its own in a crash is the high-strength steel safety cage that surrounds the passenger compartment.  The design of this “Tridion safety cell” has been adapted to the American market with specially-reinforced areas meant to offer improved protection in collisions with the humongous SUVs and pickups common on U.S. roadways. 

Inside, dual-stage front airbags that match the force of their inflation to the severity of the crash are standard.  Sensors built into the passenger seat automatically turn that airbag off if they detect the presence of a child or small adult that may be injured by its deployment.  Standard side-impact airbags have also been modified on this U.S. version, with faster inflation times to give passengers optimal head and torso protection in collisions with larger vehicles.  A padded knee bolster under the dash offers additional protection for occupants’ lower extremities.

Rounding out the Fortwo’s list of standard safety features are antilock brakes with a “brake assist” feature that helps reduce stopping distances and electronic stability control that acts automatically to stop a skid before it starts.