Smart Forfour Review

The Forfour tries to build on the city abilities of the Fortwo but with additional space, so if you spend most of your time in the city but need the extra versatility of being able to carry passengers in the back, then it makes sense over the Fortwo. However, this does mean it is more similar to most of its city car rivals, some of which are better-rounded cars with superior driving manners and more space.

The Forfour would make a good choice for a new driver as it offers an easy driving experience and a high level of standard safety equipment. It also would serve as a useful second car with low running costs but space for four people if required.

The cheaper 1.0-litre engine is adequate, but really the 0.9-litre turbocharged unit is the better option. It only has a small penalty in respect of fuel consumption and emissions but delivers a much superior driving experience, particularly out of town. The five-speed manual gearbox is sufficient, but the dual-clutch automatic is actually the better option as it is more fuel efficient and makes life much easier in town driving.

As for the trim level to go for, we would suggest skipping the too-basic Pure model and choosing either the Passion model which adds some key features like air conditioning and Bluetooth, or the Prime model if you want a more up-spec option.

The closest thing you can get to the Forfour is the Renault Twingo, its sister car that shares a body structure and mechanicals, although there are many visual differences. It’s likely to be cheaper to buy and has more boot space, but the cabin is not as attractive as the Smart’s.

The SEAT Mii and Skoda Citigo are Volkswagen Group spin-offs of the Volkswagen Up, and bring the solid engineering and efficiency you usually get, just with a smaller price tag than the Volkswagen version. Smart-looking and good to drive, both the Mii and Citigo are attractive options.

The Hyundai i10 is also a strong contender, and although the cheapest model is some way from the cheapest Citroen C1, it brings a quality feel and good specification.

The Smart is sold as something approaching a premium product, and while it’s not Mercedes-level fancy, it does have a feel that is a little above a typical city car.

There are some nice touches dotted around the cabin and it feels mostly of good quality. Even if you go for a basic version in Passion trim, there’s enough good stuff here to raise a smile. There are a mixture of materials and finishes, like gloss black details contrasting with the fabric covering on the dashboard - small things that do make a difference. It’s also worth seeking out a car that’s had a bit of colour injected into it - even on the basic Passion model you could add a coloured trim pack and this helps to boost the appeal of the interior.

It’s not all good news unfortunately, as some penny-pinching has taken place in terms of the quality of some of materials. That’s true for every other car in this sector, but this also reflects that the Forfour isn’t a totally premium car. Smart’s relationship with Renault is also evident (the Smart Forfour and Renault Twingo are sister cars) with the occasional item of Renault switchgear dotted around the cabin.

The standard infotainment system on the FourFour depends on how old the car is as well as the trim level, so it pays to look closely. For the earliest 2014 cars, the basic provision is two-speaker FM/AM radio that also includes Bluetooth, so you can stream audio and make telephone calls. It’ll do, but with just two speakers it’s not really equipped for modern motoring.

From 2016 onwards this system included a phone cradle to make it easier to hook up your smartphone, and also introduced the Smart Media System, standard on Passion models but also available as a standalone option or as part of the Premium package. This adds a 7.0-inch touchscreen, navigation depending on the model, Android Auto and DAB, and is a significant upgrade. Unfortunately it isn’t compatible with Apple CarPlay, so you’ll have to make do with just the Bluetooth connection if you have an apple device. Later cars also add a USB connection, so you can charge and stream from your phone at the same time.

When buying a used Forfour check the standard specification carefully as well as any options fitted so you can get the best infotainment provision -  a Smart dealer can help you with this if you want to check on a particular car.

The Forfour has its engine in the rear partly as a cost-saving measure (so it can share hardware with the Fortwo) but also because it saves space in the rest of the car. By packaging the engine and transmission closely together in the rear and driving the rear wheels, it means the front wheels are free to steer alone and also leaves more space in the cabin.

You have to say it’s worked too. Not many cars manage to be so small on the outside but feel so spacious on the inside, and while it’s never going to feel like a car from the class above, it does feel like you’re getting a little bit extra from the car. Whether you sit up front or in the rear, there is a good deal of legroom available even for taller passengers, while the headroom is also impressive, making the most of the tall body shape. 

It’s a shame that the front seats, in particular the driver’s seat, are set so high, as this can leave taller drivers feeling wedged under the dashboard despite the actual legroom on offer.

Even though there’s already an engine back there you’ll find 185 litres of luggage space with the rear seats in place, which is a little less than many of its rivals and somehow three litres fewer than the identical Twingo. 

You have the option to tilt the rear-seat backrest to 90 degrees to boost the space available to 219 litres, but that makes them largely unusable. However you can fold the rear seats to give you 975 litres of space in total, and even fold the front passenger seat forward to swallow loads of up to 2.3m in length. Anyone hoping for a second ‘boot’ up front will be disappointed, the space is taken up with a crash structure and can’t be filled with your stuff.

Storage in the cabin is good too, with a stack of storage areas and some clever touches, like the removable bag instead of a glovebox and space under the rear seats, with 51 litres of space in total.

The basic engine option in the Forfour is the 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit, which provides a modest 71PS and 91Nm of torque, taking drive to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox only. 

71PS might not sound like much but it is pretty much the default standard output for low-price city cars, and is less of an issue in cars of this size because they are usually very light too. The 1.0-litre Forfour isn’t what you could call quick though, lacking the urge to better 95mph and requiring significant use of the gears and lots of revs to make reasonable progress. It’s better in town where it doesn’t have to work as hard.

The better option is definitely the more powerful 999cc engine, which might be smaller in capacity but has a turbo to fill in the gap. With 90PS but a far more generous 135Nm of torque, the 0.9-litre unit is more capable at handling out-of-town driving, while the extra torque makes it quicker away from the traffic lights too. You won’t even pay much extra in terms of fuel consumption either, with official figures between the two engines, on models where both options are available, the difference is no more than a couple of miles per gallon, and there’s something to be said for having to work the less powerful engine harder for more of the time too.

The standard five-speed gearbox fitted to most versions is decent enough, but not particularly pleasurable to use. The shift action is a bit vague and doesn’t really feel like it is connected to the rest of the car. The optional dual-clutch automatic is a superior choice, being more efficient than the manual thanks to an extra ratio and is less work in traffic too.

Don’t expect an oasis of calm inside the Forfour because the engine is way out at the back of the car. It’s still a three cylinder unit with a bit to say for itself, although the Forfour does benefit from extra sound deadening compared to the Renault Twingo, so it performs better in this area.

In terms of noise as well as performance, the 0.9-litre turbocharged engine is the better of the two options. The turbocharger helps to quell some of the noise, as well offering better torque with less engine revs. In contrast, the 1.0-litre engine needs to be worked harder for more of the time, particularly if you are trying to reach higher speeds.

Although both options settle down at a cruise, city driving rarely gives you much chance to sit at a steady speed and let the engine settle, so expect to be turning up the volume on the infotainment system often.

Other elements of the car also contribute to the overall noise levels. At lower speeds the Forfour is acceptably quiet, but road noise begins to creep in at modest speeds and wind noise is also painfully apparent too often, which harms its usability outside of the city. 

Euro NCAP tested the Smart Forfour when it was first launched in 2014, and it scored a strong four-star result overall. It scored 78% for adult protection and 77% for child protection, and no doubt helped by the rear engine configuration it achieved 65% for pedestrian mitigation. Euro NCAP also awarded the Forfour 56% for safety assist.

As standard, all Forfour models are fitted with ESC, front, side and curtain airbags as well as seat-belt pre-tensioners in the front seats only. A speed limiter is also fitted to all models, which is a useful safety feature even if it requires the driver to resist the temptation to turn it off, and hill start assist is also standard across the range.

Where the Forfour falls down a little is it lacks some of the more sophisticated active safety systems, neither fitted as standard or available as an option. Automatic emergency braking and traffic sign recognition are not available on any trim level, with the sole safety upgrade being lane keeping assist as a cost option.

All versions of the Forfour are fitted with a tyre inflation kit as standard, while a space saver or full-size spare is not an option, which for some buyers may be something of a sticking point. The main issue is that there is nowhere for the extra wheel to go, as the space under the boot floor is taken by the engine.

If you can find one, a basic Pure Forfour with the 1.0-litre engine falls into insurance group 1, which can’t really be beaten. Where trim levels are available with both engine options, the gap between the 1.0-litre and the turbocharged 0.9-litre is approximately six groups - 2 to 3 for the bigger engine and between 8 and 9 for the turbo engine. It’s a matter of what your premium usually looks like as to whether that is worth the extra money, as you might make a saving on fuel that is completely wiped out by the higher insurance costs.

The Forfour is yet another car that flirts around the magic 100g/km CO2 threshold depending on the model and the date of first registration, so it’s worth doing your homework before choosing a model and checking the classifieds. As an example, the Passion model with either engine is VED-free if it was registered before 1st April 2016, but jumps to £150 after.

One outlier here is the Brabus model, which has a higher CO2 rating on account of its more powerful engine. It will cost £20 per year before April 2016 and £150 after that date.

The Pure model is the bottom rung of the range, and because the Forfour was sold as a more upmarket offering there are relatively few examples of this trim level on the market. It doesn’t have much in the way of standard equipment either, so unless you’re desperate for the cheapest model possible look for something higher up the range.

We would suggest choosing one of the mid-range trims such as Passion or Prime, as they add desirable extras such as climate control and parking sensors. It’s also worth considering one of the special editions, as they usually add lots of coloured interior detailing that costs extra on a standard car. Steer clear of models that come with sports suspension however, as they have even stiffer settings that make the ride quality quite a bit worse.