smart cabrio BRABUS Review
Published: 30th December 2003
smart cabrio BRABUS
Comfort and Refinement
The two seater smart's cabin is deceptively spacious with more than adequate head and leg room. The cabio BRABUS is equipped with standard leather sports heated seats (2 heat settings) which were firm but supportive and had integral head restraints. The BRABUS sports leather steering wheel with steering wheel gearshift and BRABUS gearshift knob were very tactile.
The TRITOP folding cloth sunroof allows you to open the roof and enjoy soft-top motoring and if the sun becomes too much just close the roof and switch on the standard air-conditioning (with light and maximum power functions and exterior temperature indictor with frost warning) to cool down.
An innovative standard feature is automatic headlight switch-off, the headlamps are now switched on/off when the ignition is switched on/off, this also applies when starting the engine and reduces the load on the vehicle power supply.
Further standard features include: 'theatre dimming' of the interior lighting and a lane-changer function for the indicators briefly flicking the indicator stalk makes the selected direction indicator flash three times.
The smart has a high seating position and large doors which makes it particularly easy to get in and out the car which would be ideal for people with mobility problems.
Central locking and an immobiliser with radio remote control is standard throughout the smart range, as are electric windows, heated rear window, heat-reflecting windows, intermittent rear windscreen wiper and 12-volt power socket.
The split rear tailgate has an interior release switch and can also be remotely operated allowing access without opening the rest of the car and the bottom section of the tailgate flips down to allow easy access. The boot is also larger than you might imagine.
How It Looks - Exterior
The exterior styling of the smart is both modern and refreshing, it is cute to look at and never fails to amuse other road users and pedestrians alike. The BRABUS smart range is available in two colours Jack Black and River Silver metallic and the body panels are made of high-quality plastic which means they are flexible, resist minor knocks, don't rust and should look good for a long time.
The exclusive BRABUS styling features include: TRITOP convertible roof, BRABUS exhaust with heat shield and dual pipe exit, BRABUS design cover for the petrol cap, BRABUS front spoiler, side skirts and radiator grille with a wider opening for maximum cooling performance.
The smart cabrio BRABUS is equipped with front fog lights as standard which offer good light distribution and are particularly powerful without dazzling you or other drivers. Disappointingly there is only one reversing light and one rear fog light but this could be down to design constraints.
The sporty 16" BRABUS monoblock VI alloy wheels with polished aluminium double-six-spoke design enhance the looks of the smart cabrio BRABUS and remind others that it is no ordinary smart.
