2018 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Cabriolet

If there is a natural habitat for most of today’s electric cars, it is the city. Their comparatively short driving range doesn’t matter as much in town, and their high efficiency at lower speeds plays out as an advantage. So it’s only logical that the quintessential city car, the Smart Fortwo, is offered with an electric powertrain. The latest addition is the cabriolet version. Its fabric top can be pulled back and lowered at the touch of a button; for even more open-air feeling, the roof bars can be removed and stored in the surprisingly spacious trunk.

At $28,750 before any possible incentives, the cabrio isn’t cheap, but the Smart never has been. Still, the Electric Drive’s price represents a big jump over the outgoing, gasoline-powered cabriolet, which stickered for $19,650, at least before Smart decided to drop its gas-powered models from the U.S. market.

VIEW 76 PHOTOS

Anyway, this car is about being first away from the stoplight (to everyone else’s surprise), enjoying and taking in the city, snatching the last parking spot in front of the café, and looking stylish—or nerdy, depending on one’s perspective. The Fortwo executes all of this perfectly. The new model looks beefier than the outgoing one, and there are myriad individualization options: The range of colors is vast, and the Tridion safety cell—a part of the unibody that’s made visible through the sheetmetal—can be painted to match the rest of the car or in a contrasting color.

The mid-mounted, 80-hp electric motor produces a substantial 118 lb-ft of torque and punts the colorful gumdrop to 60 mph in 11.7 seconds, says Smart. That sounds slow, but the Smart is especially quick off the line. Top speed is governed at 81 mph; it could go faster, but higher speeds would severely cut into the range.

No car parks more easily than a Smart—and not just because of its diminutive 106.1-inch length. The turning circle is a remarkable 22.8 feet. The target was to beat the Scion iQ; Smart had been embarrassed by the fact that the iQ had a smaller turning circle than the last-gen Fortwo. The iQ has since been taken off the market (as has the Scion brand), but Smart buyers still benefit from the competitive spirit that went into engineering the new model.

VIEW 76 PHOTOS

The electrically assisted power steering offers very little feedback from the road surface, and its strong self-centering action reminds us of old Citroëns. Of course, a city car needn’t be a racer, but we think that a little tweaking could improve the feel quite a bit. At least the suspension is quite comfortable, although with such a tiny wheelbase, it seems to hop over any bumps taken with excessive zeal. The brakes (front discs/rear drums) also feel rather artificial.

Smart says that the Fortwo can go 70 to 80 miles before it needs to be recharged. It must spend three hours connected to a 240-volt outlet for a full charge; the alternative is 16.5 hours at a 120-volt household plug.

 

Is Electric-Only a Smart Move?

While it’s evident that this tiny convertible is a great city car, what’s less clear is whether it works as a full replacement for the gasoline-powered Smart. Sold alongside the now defunct gas models, the electric Smarts accounted for only 19 percent of the brand’s total U.S. sales from 2014 through 2016. Management hopes to convert a high proportion of the other 81 percent, plus bring in lots of new customers.

VIEW 76 PHOTOS

One customer who won’t come along is Wayne Wilson. The 44-year-old consultant from Brooklyn is a repeat Smart customer. He was one of the first to get the current model, which fits his needs perfectly: Zipping around Brooklyn’s Park Slope and Prospect Heights neighborhoods, he can find parking virtually anywhere. He also likes to take his Smart beyond the city limits in the summer.

With the electric model, range would become a concern—and the Smart’s unique advantage will disappear. “I bought a Smart to be able to park anywhere and at any time, but electric plugs are next to nonexistent in my neighborhoods,” says Wilson. And, he adds: “I am not buying a car for the future that will be coming some day. I am buying it for now.”

VIEW 76 PHOTOS

Says Wilson: “Every time I park in that impossible spot that everyone else has to drive past, I love my car. But I simply don’t see myself getting another one if it means going electric.”

Even Smart’s fashionable urban audience demands a certain level of practicality. In many areas, the Electric Drive cabriolet might not meet that threshold, even if it is a good EV.