The German-designed cars, now built in China, are fun and funky, yet still manage to carry a strong Mercedes-Benz flavour.

The new smart is quick off the line, fun and funky, yet still manages to carry a very strong Mercedes-Benz flavour.

smart is back on the Australian market after nearly a decade, and it’s with a very different offering.

The original was a tiny two-seater, designed in Germany, built in France and powered by a minuscule petrol engine. Now it is a fully electric five-seater SUV, built in China.

The history is convoluted. What became smart was conceived by the Swatch watch people, which brought in VW as a partner. In 1994 it switched to being a joint venture between Swatch and Mercedes-Benz. The German luxury giant had taken full control of the project by the time the first car was launched in 1998.

In keeping, perhaps, with the industry maxim of “small cars equal small profits”, smart was never a financial success and in 2019 Mercedes-Benz formed a joint venture with Geely to make all smart cars for the world out of China. The first of these bigger, all-electric vehicles appeared in 2022 and arrived in Australia in late 2024.

smart cars are still German-designed but incorporate a lot of Geely tech, including the “skateboard” electric platform, which is shared with the Volvo EX30 and some other Geely Group vehicles.

Curiously, neither Mercedes-Benz Australia nor Geely is responsible for relaunching the brand here. They have left it to Hong Kong-headquartered LSH, the biggest Benz dealer group in Australia.

Having driven it, I can see why LSH was so keen. It’s quick off the line – extremely so in the premium Brabus form we drove – and it’s fun and it’s funky, yet still manages to carry a very strong Mercedes-Benz flavour. And since MB went to its fixed-price agency model with its Australian dealerships, I suspect LSH sees much better margins here.

There’s a head-up display and instrument cluster in front of the driver as well as a central screen.

That’s providing of course it can get the full price in an EV market seemingly awash with smallish SUVs, with many makers overtly or covertly discounting, and with yet more new players on the way (including Geely, the eponymous brand of the parent company).

There are now two smart body-styles: the more upright #1 and the “fastback” #3. Levels of trim include Pro+, Premium and Brabus, priced between $57,900 and $70,900 plus on-road costs.

It’s the high-performance #3 Brabus that commands that top price. While the lesser models have a single motor driving the rear axle, the Brabus has a second motor up front, giving all-wheel drive and a total of 315 kW and 543 Nm. These are pretty crazy numbers for a small SUV, and the Brabus will hit 100 km/h in about 3.7 seconds if you engage launch control (in Brabus speak, it’s called Rocket Mode).

To put that acceleration in context, even the fastest HSV-modified Holden Commodore – with a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 and a roar that would wake the dead – couldn’t break four seconds. Yet the smart and a few other relatively affordable EVs can do so in silence and with relative ease.

How do you say the new model names? I’m assured it is “Hashtag One” and “Hashtag Three”. And what’s Brabus? It’s a private German company that has for decades produced aftermarket performance upgrades for various Mercs.

In recent years, it has been brought into the tent as an official partner for special editions. The smart Brabus is produced on the conventional production line, but with more comfort and convenience equipment than the base car, a different drivetrain and, of course, distinctive Brabus badging and sportier trim.

All smart variants on this market so far have a 66 kWh battery pack. This is good for a range of up to 455 kilometres in lesser models, but a more modest 415 in the faster Brabus. These are official WLTP figures, so you’ll likely get about 10 per cent less around the city and maybe 20 per cent less on the highway.

Fortunately, charging speeds are pretty good. The smart can handle a 22 kW AC charger if you have three-phase power at home, or 150 kW DC public charging.

The firmness of this Smart’s ride is in keeping with its sporty character, and is never uncomfortable.

Overall length is 4.4 metres – a far cry from the original at just 2.5 metres. The clean exterior lines cloak a cabin that is very roomy, and finished with high-quality materials. The rear seat legroom is extremely good and even the headroom impresses, despite the #3’s lower roof. We had five big adults in it for one relatively short trip, and no one complained. The interior is also packed with useful storage areas. The rear boot isn’t huge, though, unless you lower the rear seats, and the under-bonnet “frunk” is good for no more than the power cables.

The minimalism to be seen in many EVs is visually pleasing but often frustrating in use. Here there’s a head-up display and instrument cluster in front of the driver as well as a central screen. Your eyes rarely need to leave the road. A few more physical buttons would be handy, though.

The big screen is filled entirely with phone mirroring, but it is fairly easy to access other functions. The cartoon character-filled graphics on the in-built interface are either playful or childish, depending on your tastes. As with many new cars, it is hard to stop all the warning beeps and buzzes, and the software is not without its quirks.

The firmness of this Smart’s ride is in keeping with its sporty character, and is never uncomfortable. The car corners flat and fast, but – as with many EVs – the experience isn’t super-engaging. But boy it punches out of corners, and a start or two in Rocket Mode does bring out a smile.

You can choose from a series of “engine” sounds ranging from natural (i.e. next to nothing) through to internal combustion-y and on to the full spaceship experience.

One surprise: the cost of servicing. It averages $466 per year, which sounds high considering how little maintenance EVs should need.

smart #3 Brabus

• Price $70,900 (excluding on-road costs)
• Engine Two electric motors with 66 kWh battery pack
• Max power/torque 315 kW/543 Nm
• Consumption 17.6 kWh/100 km (WLTP combined test cycle)
• Range 415 km (WLTP)

Tony Davis
Motoring writer
Tony Davis writes on lifestyle specialising in cars

If you’re interested in purchasing, please email us at smartparts@lshauto.com.au