Watch out for the Smart car

The Smart Roadster has the design, inherent power and all the accoutrements of the sports car.

IT'S not often that the manufacturer of cheap plastic watches can cause a fuss in the world of motoring, but that's exactly what the Swatch company did in the not too dim past when they boldly proposed to build their own cars.

Indeed it was only 1989 when Nicholas Hayek, the Lebanese industrialist behind Swatch, came up with the Smart concept, which was basically the automotive equivalent of his watches cheap and cheerful.

Smart was initially a joint effort between Hayek and Mercedes, although the Lebanese businessman's interest ultimately waned to that of a minority shareholder and Smart is now officially "a brand of Daimler Chrysler."

The first Smart city car was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 1998 ten years after the idea was first mooted and while it did not meet initial sales targets, it slowly but surely gained ground in the public consciousness and, finally, last year it was launched in Ireland.

By now, of course, Smart has expanded greatly and while we have had two versions of the original Smart city car in coupé and cabrio formats (now known incidentally as the "fortwo," as against the "forfour" which we will be seeing shortly), we now also have a Roadster and a Roadster coupé and it was in the Roadster that we had our first experience of Smart motoring in Ireland.

A visually appealing machine which is not unlike the Lotus Elise or its Opel offspring, the Speedster, in appearance, the Smart Roadster is a diminutive two-seater redolent of the light, low cost sportscars of the late 1950's and 60's.

With its small, rear mounted, three cylinder turbocharged engine, the Smart Roadster definitely goes like a sportscar should and with its low centre of gravity, fat tyres, it certainly handles like one too.

But, lest I give the impression that this machine is a throw-back to days when door handles regularly came away in your hand and windows vanish irretrievably into the door, nothing could be further from the truth.

The quirky good looks continue to the interior and while the plastics used are of industrial aesthetic, there is excellent use of space in what is a fairly cramped space. The quirky dials are easily assimilated and all the switchgear is easy to hand.

The overall layout of the dash is clever without being silly.

The steering, however, is perhaps one of the car's few flaws. An electric system, the power steering is vague and has far too many turns lock-to-lock and it does not really fit the bill as part of a pin sharp sportscar. It does not demonstrate the sort of feedback one would expect from a sportscar and in the context of what is otherwise a well thought out and well built machine, this seems a glaring error.

But then, the semi-automatic sequential gearbox is a little gimpy too and I found that in full automatic mode it was far from smooth and the changes were far too jerky. Indeed, even when you were using the F1-style steering wheel-mounted paddles, it was not a particularly fluid system and, quite frankly left a lot to be desired.

On the plus front however, the diminutive three cylinder engine is a real little gem. Only 698cc in cubic capacity, the unit is turbocharged and, truly, this single fact adds greatly to the soul of the Smart.

The twittering of the turbo wastegate every time you come off the loud pedal is a really endearing feature and gives the car a sort of macho feel akin to that of a fully prepared rally car and it is something which, although it may sound trivial, is actually an inherent and engaging characteristic.

Power is fed to the rear wheels and thus power oversteer is easily induced and that also adds to the attraction. However, the slovenly nature of the power steering detracts from the overall feel.

Top speed is a muscular 112 mph and, believe you me, when your ass is as close to the ground, as it is in the Smart, that is plenty. Output is 80 bhp and the 0-62 mph dash is a handy 10.9 seconds. The really good news, though, is that the Smart is a very frugal machine and 55 mpg is not out of the question in mixed driving.

Although this was originally intended to be a cheap option in the sporting field, at nearly €27K there's little cheap about this.

Nevertheless its uniqueness and its simple joie de vivre will ensure that it has a small but enthusiastic fan club. This Smart is indeed a well-built and fun machine which fulfils its intended role with aplomb and panache.

It's not perfect, mind you, but a damn good effort nonetheless.