smart city-coupe passion review
Published: 24th August 2003
city-coupe passio
Ease of Use
The smart is particularly suited to town driving and due to its length it can be parked in spaces where other drivers would only dream of fitting. It is has excellent visibility all round and you certainly don’t need parking sensors.
The cabin is ergonomically laid out and all the controls are easy to use. The door mirrors although perfect to look at are fractionally too small for good visibility and electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors are an option. Neither of the windows are one shot up/down and both windows should be operable by the driver, at the moment you have to reach across if you want to lower the passenger window.
To make it easier to pull off on a hill the smart city-coupe has Hill Start Assist (HSA). After releasing the brake pedal when stationary HSA will keep the smart braked for 0.7 seconds leaving you enough time to move your foot from the brake to the accelerator pedal without it rolling forwards or backwards. This did prove cumbersome when reversing out of a relatively steep driveway but generally is a welcome improvement.
Safety and Security
The following safety & security equipment is standard on the smart city-coupe. TRIDION safety cell, safety seats with integral seat belt, crash elements at front and rear, crash sensor (auto switch on of hazard warning lights/interior lighting), front fog lights, emergency interior switch for central locking, safety steering column, self-tensioning safety belts with belt-force limiter, indicators with lane changer function, hazard triangle, secure load cover, full size driver and passenger airbags, immobiliser, ESP (electronic stability programme) includes HSA (hill start assist), HBA (hydraulic brake assist), ABS (anti-lock braking system) including EBD (electronic brake-force distribution) and CBC (cornering brake control).
