Smart Fortwo Passion, Should You Risk Owning One | Drive & Review 

Having owned 4 ( two four twos and two roadsters ) there is no risk. Great cars perfect for cities

I’m in Rome right now and this style of car is everywhere. So convenient on those tight roads with limited parking. Makes perfect sense in a big city.

I have a 2009 Cabrio that is my daily commuter driver in and out of DC. I absolutely love my Smart! It is the perfect city car for parking, tight streets and darting around in traffic. On the Highway, the car holds its own, but at 70hp, there is not much reserve for acceleration up above 65 or 70; so you have to plan your lane changes and passings a bit more. High winds will push the car around a bit; but you get used to dealing with that quickly…. The comment about potholes, or even recessed manhole covers is 100% spot on! You learn very quickly to pay attention to the pavement ahead. Even a small depression in the pavement will loosen your fillings! Regarding parts? I have not had any problems. Certain Mercedes dealers still support parts and servicing of Smarts. There is decent availability of parts also online from domestic US sources. Keep in mind though, that if you need to get an OEM part (even an engine part that is from Mitsubishi), it will have a Mercedes part number with a Mercedes parts price to go along with it. The only warning I would give to anyone who is thinking about getting a 451 Smart (2007 to 2014 I think) is that the automated manual transmission mission is the car’s weakest point. It is very complicated with three computers in the car all needing to talk to each other and managing a shifting actuator attached to the gear box. Pretty much all 451 Smarts have had or will have some kind of transmission/gearbox problem at some point in its life. The reason for the automated manual transmission in 450 and 451 Smarts was space. There is not enough room in engine compartment for a traditional automatic, and there is not enough room in the cabin to have a clutch, shifting linkage, and a tunnel going down the middle of car to house the linkage and cables. That all said, if the transmission has been sorted or even if you have to have it sorted, Smarts are an absolute blast to drive! I literally paid for my Smart twice, once to buy it and once again in repairs to get my transmission sorted; and I have zero regrets! This little car is the most fun car I have ever had! It has so much personality! I have a Model 3 as well, and even though that car is a technology wonder that is an amazing machine; it also has the personality of a Berlin Post Office. Whereas the smart has the personality of a Lab and Jack Russell mix! In the end, if you have the right mindset; understand and accept what you will be getting into owning a Smart and know that guys in “Brodozers” will absolutely flip their lids when you pass them, then you will love having a Smart!

The wife and I live in England and this week we will be on our second 451 Smart Car and we love them, I do agree about the pothole situation, but apart from that these cars are brilliant. In England, we have motorways with a top speed of 70 miles an hour, and our car keeps up with the traffic without any problem and over here we are getting up to 55 miles to the gallon. the one I bought was a 2008 model with 93000 miles on the clock, the newer one is a 2013 with 25000 so I feel very happy that this car will be good for the rest of my driving life, I am 78. As for taking corners, these cars hold the road like glue, they are so good I never feel worried when driving. we hit a right hander at two in the morning, pitch black apart from the driving lights, and I really thought we would tip over, but we hit the right hander and the car stayed on the road . I have driven in snow and again no problems, you cannot spin the wheels as there is only one driving wheel and that is on the left hand side. I would highly recommend this car for one or two people, there is enough boot space for a week's shopping or a couple of overnight bags for a holiday. My wife needs a walker, and I bought her a shopper type walker, this fits in the boot perfectly.

I have owned a 2016 SMART Fortwo Prime since 11/19 and I love it. It’s so easy and fun to drive it’s ridiculous. Parking and U-turns are a breeze, even laughable. I can park my car and two motorcycles on one side of my two-car garage. And it’s not just a ‘city car.’ Cross-country trips are no problem. It’s just like a normal car, only better. They just left off the front and the back.😅 I’ve owned mostly BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but I like the SMART a LOT better. Risk? There is no risk, don’t be silly.😜

Recently took mine a 450 to Europe from the UK. Went to Netherlands, Belgium, France doing over 2200 miles. No hiccups only issue was losing oil.

That is not how you open the hood. There are two little catches in the grill that you slide, then the hood drops down

Thank you for this video! Im 44 years old and still have a permit, Im considering having the Smart car as a beginner.

the way he open that frunk said it all...

I own a 2009 Smart ForTwo Pure and have had it for about 14 years. I find that manually shifting is far better than auto. When getting n a Freeway, start in third gear and speed up to 55 to 60MPH. The RPMs will be high, but you'll have extra torque. At around 55 to 60 MPH, I'll shift to forth gear to reach 65 or 70 MPH. At that point, shift to the fifth gear. By the way, Smart Madness is a good source for parts and add-ons for the Smart Car.

Just got my 2009 Smart Fortwo passion and I absolutely love it. It’s the perfect car for me and my wife. Gets excellent MPG and overall cheap costs across the board. Car is excellent to maintain yourself you don’t even need to jack it up for routine maintenance. If you take care of it it’ll take care of you. Plenty of space in the car and easily fits me and my wife comfortable. Im 5’10 but wider since I’ve worked out most of my life and my wife is 5’9 we have plenty of space. I recommend it to anyone. Even just to have it when you need it as a 3rd or 4th vehicle. Doesn’t cost anything to insure. Enjoy!

Great video and I absolutely love these little cars despite what people say as they are probably one of the safest cars out there despite their size!! Kudos to you for this video and for covering this SMART little marvel!! :)-

Thank you, my daughter and I have been looking to purchase one as a second car cheaper to run , and your talk around good and bad has been very helpful. The only thing to do now is find one that suits lucky we’re in the uk and a wide choice.

Solid episode, I knew nothing about these SMART cars except the obvious. The cigarette 🚬 lighter is Dope.🤘🏼 Thanks AG and Auto Afflicted

have one since 2009 as my commuter...never had an issue with it.

Im on my 3rd Smart ForTwo Cabriolet! Awesome Cars !! While its not my main car I use it for local use and on Beautiful days drop the top!! So Much Fun!

I've always been interested in owning a smart car since their initial release. I actually lived in Germany when the Smartcar was first made available for public sale and long before it was available in the US and I though it was a very interesting oddity of a car, especially being associated to the Swatch brand in partnership with Mercedes Benz. Still though, I never did get around to owning one since I'm more of a BMW fan, but now that I'm much older and I don't really need a fast car or a car to fit a bunch of friends, I'm seriously considering buying one in the next few months just to get around town. I think its compactness and fuel economy would be very welcome benefits for that purpose. Thanks for this video, I found it very informative!

I own two Smart cars and drive one of them up and down the East coast twice a year from Massachusetts to Florida and back. We have a good service garage in Florida that keeps both of them running well.

Using a standard transmission with an actuator is most likey for packaging purpose.

130bhp is easily achieved on the 1.0 turbo. I can confirm that acceleration is pretty awesome. Potholes, yes, not fun at all ! I absolutely love mine.

smart car saved my life! I was broadsidedin the drivers front door! He was moving 55-60mph. It totaled both cars! So tell me, if you were broadsided in your drivers door, in the same situation.... would you survive? Yes, I bought another one!

They make a turbo kit for these and the Brabus model in Europe got the turbo. Worked on one for a customer. It just fit on the 2 post lift and wasn’t bad to work on.

There are two switches on either end of the front grill. Push them inward until they are 90 degrees. This unlatches the hood, and you can easily lift it off from the front edge. Trying to peal it off from the top like you did will just muck up the fit and the channels on the front side panels. SMART stands for Swatch Mercedes Art. I have a 2008 Passion. 42/48 MPG. Cruises at 75mph easily. I can fit my hub tent, cooler, 2 sleeping bags, tackle box, and fishing poles. If it's just me, I can flip the passenger seat down (do it from the driver's seat much easier) and add my flat-bottomed kayak as well. There is no risk to owning a SMART car. They aren't for everyone, but then what car is? Thanks for explaining how the gear box works. Fascinating, never knew that. I usually just manually shift. Thanks for posting.

We have two of this , super happy ☀️😍

I absolutely love the interior on that one. I have an 09 Brabus. And the interior is black and gray.

I know the video is an year old but I just saw it for the first time. Great job! Regarding the gearbox comment (11:45) - they used a manual with robotic shifters for efficiency and weight savings. Manuals are lighter and a clutch is more efficient than torque converter. Less powertrain losses means lower fuel consumption and this in the end is a super-compact economy car. Honestly, I would much prefer a pure manual compared to this. In terms of how it feels - for me this automated manual has all the drawbacks of an automatic combined with those of a manual. Shifts aren't as smooth as an auto and leaving it to pick gears on its own means quite often on hills it will downshift later than I would in a manual. Luckily since the 2nd generation they do offer a manual option (though it's a 5-speed) in Europe, not sure about the US.

I ❤ this car. In a city like Berlin is the best 🎉🎉

Parts are slowly becoming an issue in N. America (Canada).I have two and I am a mechanic. Bought one for 500 with 50,000 miles and a blown motor (overheat). Rebuild was smooth and it runs great. Had to underspec one of the exhaust vales by 2 thou and it ticks a tiny bit out the exhaust (sounds like a lifter, but it's not). My suggestion is don't buy one if you don't twist a wrench at all. They come in at the wrecker once in a while, but I assume lots of larger American cities probably have a ton of them at the wreckers.

Well I certainly liked mine, Passion level. Wife hated so bought BMW but really had no problems. I live in central Indiana. You still see them around quite a bit so must be fairly durable.

I have a 2010 Smart Pure and so far have driven it through summers and winters without any problems. It will be 6 years driving it and absolutely love it. I definitely would have not purchased when we had 2 kiddos. But now my kids are grown I completely recommend owning one 🙂 The question I have from people is….it doesn’t look safe. My reply is….it is.

Nice review. Thanks for the effort. There are auto repair places which specialize in these, so the parts issue could vary depending on location and how much work you do yourself.

I love my SMART ForTwo!

I like how he doesn't even mention the 9mm handgun laying in the "cute little glove box" at 7:00

I have a 451 cabrio. Its terrifying going over 65mph i think its due to being a softtop however for the rest of the time its perfect esp for in london. Its a 2009 mhd on 52k

Yep, in Europe the smarts are very often parked the ass-in way. 🚘

learn to use the paddle shifters and It drives like a completely different car

Just got one of these a couple days ago. I'm 6'4" and I fit with room to spare and wife love it, drive this to save gas because the dodge challenger isn't practical for daily

Smart also made a fourfour version but I don’t know whether or not it was marketed in the states.

How many autos got above a 4 on the safety crash test in 2008 . . . There were 5 that achieved it. And one of them was a Smart Before i signed the paperwork at the bank I looked it up. And then I smiled as i watched the wire transfer go through. The dealer in Maryland was standing in his bank and verbally confirmed he had it. He called me an hour later and sent me a picture of it being loaded on the transport 💕

Had one from new for 10 years brilliant car only ever replaced exhaust. Quick car can go anywhere. it's like mario kart in the real world. Just remember when you go shopping your frozen stuff will defrost. You can put the roof down or up on the cabriolet at 70mph on the motorway .

Informational.

I have a pink one with twin turbo and the only one with towbar in Europe 👍👍👍

My daughter owned one for a few years and it was a great little car. Quick, fun to drive and you could park it anywhere. Unfortunately, nobody in the Portland area would work on a Smart except the Mercedes dealer and they didn't really want to. When the head gasket developed a leak, the Mercedes service manager recommended she get rid of the car while it was still running and not try to fix it. If you bought a black and silver fourtwo from CAR MAX a few years ago and the head gasket immediately blew, you have my sincere apology.

Oh and noooooobody noticed the nice tool in the glove compartment??😂😂😂 damn 😂

Those Adidas sneakers are dope

Wow you have very cool adidas shoes😁👍❤

Because all the plastic panels can be swapped out, officially Smarts only come in two colours. Black or silver. The colour of the Tridion cell structure

Nice😊

The 1990 Geo Metro 1L 3 cylinder manual transmission got 45mpg-50mpg

You can't park everywhere in Europe, but the streets are slightly more narrow and you don't get parking tickets if the city don't know how to handle the situation, mostly they don't care if you don't disturp the traffic or walkway.

I have a smart diesel car 800cc auto. Not road tax.55 mpg Love it 😅

I don’t know in witch part of the US you live it so unusual to meet one. Here in Canada, you’ll find more and more of that deluxe go-kart. By the way I’m suppose to try one tomorrow, the convertible model. Me and my 6’2’’ hope that I will not look like a Bozo !!!!

Really goes well hey .thought glad never through off on it..yeah commodore mountain hwy free drives....wonder if it's good runner for5 too 6 hours.And the return on you know on weathered returning.. Good really good for social media drives .cool hey Thank you back .🙂😜🤓👧💭💬💝🖤💛❤

Does anyone know of a smart car mechanic in Southern California?

I’m sure it’s already been posted, but the Smart name is Swatch Mercedes ART car.

Swatch, Mercedes, art, = Smart That's how they got the name.

So we just gonna skip the fact that there was a gun in the glove box 😂

80 mph he said, i don't feel like I'm going anywhere?!?!

I have one and it does 65mpg. You get into the fount compartment by not pulling it from the top but by the levels in the grill of the car, mine does 90mph +. Also if you are in manual and you come to a stop sigh it automatically puts into 1st gear also there is a button on the side of the gear stick witch turns it from auto to manual. You say its no good for you because it has only 2 seats A Corvette has only to seats so that no good for you to.

The slow gear change is to help with economy apparently

9:28 If you park on the side and other cars are parked next to you, you run the risk of not being able to get in or out of the car. The door will not open.

love the speedo goes up to 100 which I doubt you'll ever see; Smart car 100 MPH challenge!

I personally love my Smart Car.

Watching you open the bonnet was painful! Why did you not just pull the release handles at the front edge?!

cute? no not really....The only cute thing about this car is the 2 tone red and black interior...I don't like that it needs premium gas.... the reason I would buy is to save money on gas, but if I have to pay for premium then I rather get a little Honda Civic

it's just sad that americans don't get the typical Europe version first thing they have much more sub models and limited edition cars plus the turbo engine and a steptronic lever which is much more fun in my opinion I have a 14 fortwo pulse with 135 hp and it's so fast and fun

What grade of gas do use in them?

In April of 2024 here in the states these (2013-2018) are going for 10k - 16k. This video says 1 yr ago. Where are you that they are priced at 1500 - 3k?

I live in Central London with an average speed of less than 10 mph, there is not a more suitable car.

What on earth are you doing prying up the front bonnet/hood to get to washer reservoir etc?? There is a catch each side of the front grille that you open and then the front lifts up and the whole thing lifts off. If you keep yanking it up like that, you will break it!!

Risk? What is that supposed to mean? I can understand that if you were talking about a Land Rover, Range Rover or Mini Cooper.

completely irrelevant but this man looks like Sips :D

This ANIMAL peals the hood back without unclipping the front.🥴😂 😂 😂.. hahaahah WTF

Smarty pants!

Dude not the way to open hood 😢

Most of your friends probably wouldn’t want to be seen in a Smart Car so only having seating for two shouldn’t be a problem lol

Dear lord, the way you opened that hood… didn’t you think if it requires force you’re doing something wrong?? There is a proper way to open it all the way, you have two latches in the front grille. Jess… read the owners manual

Why you keep looking to the left? What going on over the left side?🤣

16:19 $1,500 gets you into Smart car? Where? On what Planet?

nice glock

And -ink inside

Or u could just sit in driver seat and put the other seat down easily 😆

BETTER IF IT WAS A EV.....LIKE MINE

Jesus Christ man… if you’re gonna do a review on a car do some more research than the concept write up!! Ripping the service cover off like that is NOT how you do it and will absolutely snap or cause paint damage in colder climates … Safety cage?? No Tridion Safety Cell Mentioning the engine it’s a three cylinder Mitsubishi chain driven unit. Mercedes product built in a Renault factory … not all models have a glove box You can park in Europe where ever you want?? Clearly not been to Europe lately Engine has a lovely sound I agree. Gearbox is an automated manual using an actuator Not the most smooth of gearbox. You’ve been very generous there. This is and was designed as a city car. When people compare them for other things drives me mad. You don’t take a stretch limo off-roading. These aren’t meant for highways or motorways. They will do it.. but it’s not what it’s designed for Agree on the A pillar is a blind spot demon. The key to a long lasting Smart 451 is regular maintenance… make sure you find a specialist as I’ve had loads of questions when Smart ow era have been charged extortionate fees for simple fixes. They are reliable. They are fun. They are a city car so don’t expect to do regular 3 hour drives.

This smart looks huuge

Nice

It's a motorcycle car 😂

Should of called it the Dumb For One.

You make me laugh watching a yank driving a toy car it juat doesnt look right us english grew up watch us cop series everyone drove huge 6 litre cars not wee toy cars

If you take it back to Mercedes they can do a transmission update on your software and it runs better