New fortwo review

smartManiacs are very pleased to have been loaned a new 451 fortwo.

Read on to see the latest smart and what we think of the new model.

You could certainly be forgiven for not realising that the car is an all new model. Subtle differences in the styling, to the bonnet line, headlamps, rear quarterlights and door lines don't give many clues to the transformation. The new car is around 20cm longer, and feels much more roomy in the cabin, at 6'1" I had no problem with head or leg room.

The cabin looks more upmarket, there are still the options for the dash pods to be added to base models. The stereo is more integrated than the old car, although clearly labelled buttons are present, the volume control is a rather fiddly knob on the front of the unit. The overall build quality of the car is much improved.

In our tests the base model Pure returned around 55mpg, being a non-turbo version I felt that the little car had lost some of it's fun and soul, gearchange seems a little ponderous, and the tone from the 1.0 litre engine, although quieter, is not as pleasing as the 700cc engine. On the open road the new car feels more settled thanks to the longer and wider wheelbase, however it is still affected quite badly by crosswind and the slow gearbox makes it a little jerky round town with anything less than complete concentration.

The familiar seats have been replaced by a new and more supportive seat. I was very impressed with the comfort of these over long distances, as I found the old seat somewhat bench-like and unsupportive. The tailgate also houses a storage box ast standard, however there are optional uses for this, such as a picnic set.