Smart Roadster Review | Lotus On a Budget? 

I’ve had a smart roadster coupe in Australia for about a year now, I love it ,hard to get parts over here , my soft top roof needs to be replaced, but I still love it, it hugs the road which is really important to me , it’s not a racing car, take off is a little slow , but for me I ride a motorcycle usually so I don’t want speed I want style, i turns heads , and so rare to see one

Don't keep your foot on the gas when car is changing gear ,If you let off the accelerator between gear changes it shifts quicker .

I saw one of these on a family trip to Italy in 2007 and I’ve wanted one ever since. I’ll be able to import one to the states in 2027.

Had a Smart Roadster myself.......very fun car to drive!

This is top of my list to get when I have somewhere to put another car. I have always prefered the roadster styling but as you, thought the baking tray boot in the back was all you got and wondered if I needed the coupe to have any use for the car. So at least now I know I could nip to the shops or have a weekend away in the roadster.

There are times I miss my Brabus Roadster Coupé but then like your ex..you remember why you parted! Yes it was great fun, loved the engine sounds and it felt much faster then you were actually going. You get used to the gearbox, up changes were swifter then down changes but it was ponderous if you left it in auto.. especially at roundabouts if you coasted to the stop lines waiting for the gap and wanted to boot it. Downside is they are expensive to maintain when things go wrong, which is frequently. Mine blew the SAM and ECU boxes, which were horrendously expensive to replace by Mercedes. Went through a clutch at around 50k, new clutch actuator etc. It would randomly go into limp mode, cutting engine power which is scarry on a main road! Often threw up the engine management warning triangle light whereby you wince at what's gone wrong this time.

A quirky fun little car, built more with the Frogeye Sprite in mind than an Elise. I’d hoped for a refreshing take on the Roadie as there’s little like it outside of Japan these days...but it was just the same old gearbox and storage stuff the grandads of car reviews have done to death and not a look with a modern perspective or as the second weekend car to use just for kicks it is ideal for. Thanks taking the time to make it though :)

Just purchased my second one, i always regretted selling my first and wanted another. Its crazy good on fuel and yes it has some ‘quirks’ but... the fun and enjoyment of driving it far out weight any of these. It needs either a full auto or full manual gearbox, was wondering if a normal smart gearbox could be swapped out from a doner car and a few other bits to help fix the issues. Have seen alot of engine swaps on these which really tempt me. Id advise lots of people to get one.

I had one, a stunning Jack black brabus coupé remapped to about 120bhp. The paddle shifters make an enormous difference to the gear change as does the remap. I also had the stupidly expensive V6 steering wheel fitted which is arguably one of the best modifications you can do to these cars. It was pretty quick, surprisingly comfortable and handled well but it attracted a lot of unwanted attention. The brabus monoblocks are notoriously fragile and expensive and you end up scanning the road ahead like the friggin terminator looking for potholes. They are pretty complex little cars and not that cheap to run in my experience and some parts are becoming hard to get. They also require looking after by a specialist who knows what they are doing as every single thing seems to involve rigging it up to Merc star diagnostics. Interestingly, I ran it alongside a mk1 Eunos roadster S-limited and after a year of debate I finally decided to sell the brabus. Despite being older and slower, as a weekend car the Eunos is much better to drive, the gearbox is in a different league and it costs next to nothing to run. I'm glad I owned one but not sure I'd have another.

just imagine if it came in manual, it probably wouldve been a very successful car, and i for one would buy it in an instant

Have the coupe for over 6 years now. I can't say anything bad about the gearbox. Yes, it's slower than DSG, however it is very predictable and easy to get used to. It's a much better choice than shiftin those gears yourself. Also for me it is much better than a 4EAT of the subaru, which, albeit quicker, is totally unpredictable and has no idea about engine's capability, so is a nightmere to drive. All in all I love the roadster. The žnly disappointing part is poor reliability of the car.

I have a 2007 roadster and the gear change is very fast,as fast if not faster than a manual.

Nice review and amazing small car I really like small cars;)

Good review.Well done .

Simple solution - change the clutch and the friction plate (there are modified versions of the W451 Brabus version) and get a remap to 115-120 bhp. Shifts are slower than a DSG but quicker than manual. Cost is around £/€ 350-400 for the clutch and same for the software tuning, and you get a different car.

It’s a great car to own but it is compromised, the interior quality is nasty. They are leaky, steam up. Tiresome to daily in the winter in the UK. Can be very expensive to repair and maintain be warned. Not many places can work on them. The gearbox takes ages to select the gear exactly as he said and can feel dangerous when you need to pull away quickly at roundabouts etc. there is often a pause. If you are into detailing they can drive you mad too, there is so much plastic on them, it looks shit unless you continually dress the plastics with product. There is an independent Smart garage in the midlands who kinda had my pants down. Instead of telling me I had gone too cheap and to get another one, they let me start spending on it, the bills came thick and fast. You get to a point where you are too invested to stop. So be careful is my advice.

And it gets absolutely amazing fuel economy, especially for the price, that's what amazed me the most, you really can't get anything that gets 3L/100km for cheaper then this, and that the most fuel efficient car you can get for $6000 is a sports car.

Schönes Auto und schönes Video darüber, danke! Ich hab auch so einen (siehe Titelbild) und bin sehr glücklich damit, schon seit 19 Jahren. Wenn ich es recht verstanden habe, beschreibst du das Problem auf eine Kreuzung zu zu fahren. Man geht vom Gas, das Getriebe schaltet hoch z. B. 3 -4. Dann möchte man abbiegen und gibt wieder Gas, Schaltung rechnet und schaltet von 4-3. Aber es passiert noch nichts, man gibt also mehr Gas, die Schaltung reagiert und schaltet von 3-2. Jetzt steht man langsam mitten in der Kreuzung aber die Kupplung ist noch nicht frei, Panik macht sich breit, man steht voll auf dem Gas! JETZT! Die Kupplung greift und der smart schießt davon... Lösung: wenn ich weiß, ich will gleich nach dem Bremsen vor der Kreuzung wieder schnell weiterfahren, schalte ich vorher von Hand in den benötigten 2. Gang. Dann muß ich nicht die ganze Hin- und herschalterei abwarten! Ich kann dann bequem aus der Kurve rausbeschleunigen und alles ist gut und sicher!

I've long been tempted to get one of these

On my second one. First was Brabus - leaked like a sieve - this one 80bhp Sport, better suspension, put an Elise rain-hat on it every night. It's LHD bought B'ham, shipped to Ibiza 14 years ago to where I had a holiday home now just home. Remapped twice, now about 120bhp incl brabus exhaust. Shift speed upped marginally with remap, which is particularly noticeable in high revs in gears 3-4-5. Waterlogged SAM unit replaced once - THIS IS THE BIG ISSUE KEEP THE CAR COVERED. Spikeline(?) wheels on the one shown here also quite fragile. I have rare Brabus ones which I think are called monoblock, very strong, not as pretty as standard Brabus which are like toffee. Also have rear disc kit, recommended for serious blasting. Had M3, 911, Boxster and 2 x Elises, last one a 220bhp, all finer cars in so many ways, none was as much fun as this and it's a site more comfy and far better screwed together than a Lotus. Driven it back to Scotland twice, to my favourite mechanic, Smart Scotland. Gear shift: you don't have an issue in town once you are used to it, as he says you must use it in manual with paddles. On a B road blast, you learn to pull the paddle early, and it's soooo torqey. Fit boot rack - admittedly naff - becomes very practical. Now super cheap as well as super green, just buy one and save it from the scrappy and learn left foot braking. Simply a joy.

Had one for two years from new, great drivers car, hugged the road, was quite nippy, but had the problem of masses of rain water leaks, from door mirrors, door speakers, front bulkhead, soft top roof and boot. Also and more worrying was the problem of noises from the steering rack, at slow speed and rough roads, this was solved by a new steering rack under warranty, as Smart said rack design was an unfix-able interference fit problem, and was a common problem on the roadster. Overall: A lovely car ruined by damp, and so I sold it on. Pity!...Now got a 453 Fortwo Cabrio (petrol engine) and it is bone dry, as it is to a far better build quality :D

I really want one of these but the automatic gearbox really ruins it for me. That and every time I see one for sale it seems to have tons of electrical faults...

Such a shame it didnt come with a stick. They totally dropped the ball with it. It had so much potential to be amazing

Im American, and to me those roads of yours are insanely narrow. I dont know how people dont side swipe each other all the time. I dont see room for two cars. Especially big cars.

this car looks very nice and it's very cheap

She is strange one but... I like it

I understand there are 60 and 80hp versions. Is there a way to identify which one is 80hp by external appearance?

i wonder if you could mess with the firmware to make the gearbox faster

I am 150 kg I will fit in there ?

the stereo phone is not after market

Can the gear box changed because i can't drive that one

Im planning to get one in a coupla months but being 220lbs of muscle, im not sure i can fit in one anymore. Its been my fav from the time it came out😔. Im only 5'10 which i doubt is a problem but the width may be

Sorry, not a good review of Lotus Elise on a Budget. You missed the 2 most BASIC important points, which you should learn from. 1) Dead steering, Not Direct: Roadster steering is dead and vague, caused by worm drive and power steerting, so no-direct feedback. The steering won't even centre itself quickly, although this can be correct in 15 min, by removing the worm drive and unplug the power steering. 2) Single Wishbone Suspension Front and Rear: This means the tire (especially rear) is not level with the road on faster turns, and digs in. Evident if taking a roundabout/turn at higher speed. Agreed, its seating position is good, can see front wheel arches to place the car in the turn and gearbox crap.

how tall are you? Im thinking of buying one but i dont think i can fit. I am 6 feet 3 inches btw

You need to learn to drive it I had one for 7years

Very poorly researched. This video should be taken down

Chickens and hens was not keen to coment

The car drives even better if the driver is under 150 kilograms😁

You can put pizza in the bot

one of the best looking cars ever made, too bad it doesnt have a manual

Dreadful beard. And what's with the skull n crossbones? Chickens are cool, though.

Not with a 10.7 0 to 60 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉