Smart Coupe Brabus

S

Swami

Member
OK I am getting itchy feet in my Z4, been looking high and low and I am struggling to find anything for similar money that is of similar age and has the combination of the Z's economy / performance.

So that led a part of me to ask if anything out there would be a lot cheaper, perhaps significantly slower but still an event to drive. I looked at Minis but people's reported real-life mpg would make it a pointless swap. It has made me realise the achievement that is the engine in the 3.0i!

I can only come up with one car that ticks these boxes, it is mid-engined, rear wheel drive, very efficient (early 50's mpg combined), and given away by the title of this thread! Enticing me is the thought that it would save me £1k a year between the insurance / fuel / tax. I don't earn much but I do own my car outright, so the savings plus a few £k security in the bank to earn me 0.00001% interest is a bonus.

I personally think they look good, but then I am the type of person who gets red leather interior only to find it is called pimp red on this forum!

Does anyone have any experience of them? Any opinion welcome, is there any respect for this car out there or would a driver be instantly labelled hairdresser?

Cheers!
 
no experience but i definately think they look good, high insurance though for what is a small engine car
 
I know a few people that've had Smarts... but if you do any serious motorway driving with them, which means driving at the max performance of that little engine, you'll break the engine sooner than you think. Do a bit of googling on this and you'll get scared of for sure...
 
NO........ probably the ugliest car I think I've ever seen. Swami - your not a hairdresser by any chance? :oops:
 
Alan- I prefer to call myself a Follicle Architect :wink:

This is the type of thing I am considering :

http://pictures.autotrader.ie/servlet/media?id=5442166&width=400&height=300

If that's the ugliest car ever then I definitely have bad taste! I think it's a looker, I'm sure there's a subtle nod to old roadsters in the bug-eyed shape.

JH - thanks for the comments on reliability on motorways I will look at that.

Insurance is steep to say it's a 0.7 litre! Group 14 apparently, maybe that's because it's rear wheel drive or because it has a soft top with no alarm...
 
Swami said:
Alan- I prefer to call myself a Follicle Architect :wink:
This is the type of thing I am considering :
http://pictures.autotrader.ie/servlet/media?id=5442166&width=400&height=300
If that's the ugliest car ever then I definitely have bad taste! I think it's a looker, I'm sure there's a subtle nod to old roadsters in the bug-eyed shape.
JH - thanks for the comments on reliability on motorways I will look at that.
Insurance is steep to say it's a 0.7 litre! Group 14 apparently, maybe that's because it's rear wheel drive or because it has a soft top with no alarm...
Click to expand...

Swami - all in jest. Probably a good fun drive, good luck with you search for a new motor. :thumbsdown:
 
I like 'em...

I did a bit of research into buying one quite a few years ago but backed out in the end. Heard quite a few stories about roof leaks being a common issue. Also, I can't remember if this version still has the aweful semi-auto gearbox: apparently the gearbox is terribly slow at responding to gearchanges. Oh, and apparently it's near impossible to get the backend out as grip from those incredibly wide tyres can't be overcome by the limited power lol.
 
Thanks Alan, I just cleaned the old girl up and took photos in the sun and I can't help but fall in love all over again!

It would take something special to tear me away.

I'm not actually a hairdresser by the way, I would probably need a bumper sticker for that effect if I did take that plunge!
 
Swami, I test drove the smart roadster brabus a couple of years ago.

Performance leaves a lot to be desired and the gear changes from the flappy paddles are horrendous. You change up and the gear changes about a second later with an almighty thud, very harsh on the back.

The turbo is always working, even when you are not pushing in order to get the little engine to move. Because of this it has been known to fail, and when that happens, the engine alone is not enough to power the car at any kind of speed.

I steered well clear of it and bought a nice little smart forfour 1.5 passion (before my z4)

My brother has just bought the Forfour Brabus, I have driven this and it is a great car, fantastic performance too. The 1.5 turbo engine is great, and it has a nice chunky steering wheel. :driving:

HTH :roll:
 
chrismann85 said:
Swami, I test drove the smart roadster brabus a couple of years ago.

Performance leaves a lot to be desired and the gear changes from the flappy paddles are horrendous. You change up and the gear changes about a second later with an almighty thud, very harsh on the back.

The turbo is always working, even when you are not pushing in order to get the little engine to move. Because of this it has been known to fail, and when that happens, the engine alone is not enough to power the car at any kind of speed.
Click to expand...

Exactly what Chris said.

The other thing being you will feel very "small" on the road. This is the old Dears she had a few years ago.....

6-3.jpg
4-4.jpg
8-1.jpg
7-1.jpg
5-4.jpg

Looks good, goes reasonably well if you like the go kart feel and is very economical. Only gripe being its more of a toy than a car! :)
 
Forgot to add, also sounded like Darth Vader was sat on your left shoulder 24/7! Great noise tho imo!
 
DannyBoy- :wub: at that! Exactly the right colour in my eyes!

I wouldn't mind it feeling like a toy i don't think, that makes it sound fun but I have heard a lot about the gearbox...

Will have to drive one and research the potential engine frailties, will definitely be listening out for Darth!!!
 
There was at one point talk of Gordon Murray having bought up the rights to this and would be reproducing it but with a manual gearbox, but nothing ever seemed to come from it. It fitted in with his philosphy of low weight, economical and fun. Shame really as it's only the gearbox that puts me off these...
 
Will do Chris, I had a look at them after you mentioned it- you were right about the chunky steering wheel!

I want to see one in the metal as they look like they could be a bit bland but I'll reserve judgment til I've soaked one up properly. My only other doubt was their economy, if I am going slower than the current beast I want it to save me significant money. The other side of that coin though is it must be lightning fast with a 0-60 of 6.9!
 
chrismann85 said:
Swami, while you're test driving that, take a run at the forfour brabus too. You won't be sorry :thumbsup:
Click to expand...


i considered this but went for a suzuki swift instead
 
A chap at work has one, looks great and is pretty quick with decent handling.. however; the gearchange is woeful. I took it for a spin and was loving it from the moment I turned the key to the point where I realised it wouldn't change gear any quicker! God knows how you'd confidently overtake anything..

I am quite tempted to get one as a project though, would make a great EV conversion!

Ian
 
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