Smart #5 review

One-time microcar maker goes after the Tesla Model Y with a tech-heavy family SUV packing up to 637bhp, writes Felix Page

- Felix Page

Let's get the obvious bits out of the way, then: 2,165mm, 1,720kg and 576bhp.

Those aren't the headline specs of the new Smart #5 but the differences in maximum length, weight and power between this new five-up family SUV and the diddy Fortwo city car that first bore the Smart badge in 1998.

With the third generation of that car-which could fit inside this latest model's wheelbase with nearly 400mm to spare now retired and the #5 on its way to dealerships to join the #1 and #3, Smart has completed its transition from a maker of frugal and fun-sized urban runarounds to a purveyor of premium electric SUVs, with a price bracket that spans from £32,000 (1,414,967 baht) to a mic-drop £50,000-plus at the top end. We're not in Hambach any more, Toto.

But in this era of Capri crossovers and luxury Lotuses, convention is clearly but a byword for stagnation, and Smartunder the joint stewardship of mother company Mercedes-Benz and Chinese step-parent Geely - is diversifying and expanding its line-up in a bid to carve itself a larger (and vastly more profitable) slice of the pie.

WHAT'S IT LIKE?

As the flagship for this new era of Smart, the #5 ushers in a bold new 4x4-inspired design language that points to its activity-focused 'lifestyle' proclivities.

The relationship with the smaller #1 and #3 is obvious in the smooth surfacing and primary design cues, but the larger car is marked out by its chunkier proportions and distinctive lighting signatures including a new four-oval motif that spans the width of the front and rear end.

At 4.7 metres long, the #5 is pitched right at the heart of Europe's fastest-growing market segment, with dimensions and specifications that line it up to go toe-to-toe with the Mercedes EQB, Mini Countryman EV and Kia EV6.