Smart's #2 Is Looking Solid
The Smart ForTwo's successor, the electric-only Smart #2 (a crappy name that Smart insists is pronounced 'hashtag two'), has officially entered the preproduction road testing stage of its development. The Mercedes-Benz and Geely co-owned brand first revealed the #2 in concept form earlier this year, but now camouflaged prototypes versions of the teeny tiny two-door city car are actually hitting the streets for "rigorous pre-production testing and validation" to ensure it "delivers unmatched urban agility, driving stability, elevated NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) refinement, and uncompromising safety."
Smart says it will show the world its #2 at the Paris Motor Show in October, so to the tens of Smart fans out there, you only have to wait a few more months! This prototype with its creative Smart-logo camouflage wrap is likely the best look we'll get at the new model until its official reveal, and we're happy to report it looks like Smart's #2 is going to be solid.
It looks pretty true to the design concept
From the few photos that Smart released, the #2 stays pretty true to the concept unveiled in April, with similarly shaped headlights and taillights that evoke the Smart logo, but the concept's luxury fashion-inspired patterned "grille" doesn't seem to have made the cut. Unfortunately there are only three photos, so we can't accurately discern many other features.
Smart says it's testing the #2 for wind and road noise, powertrain NVH, thermal NVH, squeaks and rattles, and sound quality optimization in preparation for the tough life of a city car, subjecting the prototypes to curb strikes and potholes. It's also evaluating tire compounds over different road surfaces to find the best balance between low rolling resistance for maximum range as well as noise reduction.
When the second-generation Smart ForTwo came to the U.S., critics bemoaned the choppy ride, tippy handling, gutless engine, and dimwitted automated transmission. The short-lived third-generation ForTwo was an improvement over its predecessor, but it still had some idiosyncrasies. Hopefully the #2 will continue the trend of improved refinement, but there are no plans to bring it to the U.S. at the moment.