Smart fortwo Cabriolet

The fortwo cabriolet is a fun little open top city car but it has struggled to get a lot of good reviews. It costs peanuts to run, has a quality feel and is easy to drive but compared to the hardtop version it’s expensive to buy, plus it’s noisy and a bit uncomfortable.

Interior

Even though it’s probably the smallest convertible you can buy there’s actually plenty of room for two six-footers. The 220L boot is spacious for a car of this type and the interior is well laid out with big buttons and dials. Overall quality is good but the heater controls are slightly flimsy.

Driving

Getting comfortable behind the wheel will be a challenge for some people as you can’t adjust the seat height or the steering wheel rake and reach. All the controls are nice and light, even the standard steering without power assistance though you can get power steering as an optional extra.

The ride isn’t great though, as the car has stiff suspension to balance the tall body. Refinement isn’t impressive either, especially if you choose the 3 cylinder petrol which is noisy and tiring on the motorway. There’s also wind and tyre noise too so this car is best suited to the cities.

Engines

You can get the 1.0 petrol with three power outputs; 70, 83 or 101bhp. There’s also a 54bhp 0.8 CDI diesel engine which is extremely frugal. All engines aren’t the most refined and come with a semi-automatic gearbox which experts found jerky when changing up unless you’re smooth with the accelerator.

Value for money

All cars come equipped with air-conditioning, alloy wheels, Bluetooth, electric windows, front airbags, stability control and steering wheel-mounted gearshift paddles. The cheapest cars are inexpensive to buy and to run which make them better value than the expensive Brabus model.

Worth noting

Not a lot of people will like the semi-automatic gearbox as it’s not the most responsive and up changes can be jerky. It’s also the most common fault in recent reliability records. The roof is fiddly to take down and put up.

Conclusion

If you want a fun little two seater convertible that can take you around the city and is cheap to run then the Smart is for you as long as you don’t use the motorway.