smart city-coupe passion review
Published: 24th August 2003
city-coupe passion
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 body panels are exchangeable and if you feel like a change just go to your nearest smart Centre and they can be swapped for different coloured ones. The body panels are made of high-quality plastic this means they are flexible, resist minor knocks, don't rust and should look good for a long time.
The smart city-coupe passion 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 city-coupe passion also features bi colour tail lights.
The optional 'Strikeline' wide alloy wheels enhanced the looks of the smart and offered more dynamic progress on the road.
How It Looks - Interior
The interior styling of the smart is superb and the attention to detail amusing. The air vents look like Darleks and both the clock and rev counter appear like periscopes popping up from the dashboard.
The cabin is spacious and well made whilst the switchgear is both chunky and tactile. The materials used are of a very high standard and the carpet should prove durable in the long term. The optional heated leather seats were luxurious and well crafted. The instrument cluster is set off by a black background which is exclusive to the passion model.
The smart city-coupe passion has plenty of storage space including: storage nets in each door and on the right-hand side of the luggage compartment which has a load cover. There is also a storage tray in the centre console and a swivel out ashtray. Behind the seats there is a reasonable amount of space and the passenger seat folds down to allow you to carry loads larger than you would imagine.
The ignition is situated between the two seats next to the handbrake and is easy to use although it is amazing how many times you still try to put the key into the side of the steering column.
