Twenty-eight years after the original smart City-Coupé caused a stir at the Paris Motor Show, the Sino-Saxon brand has returned to its roots with the #2, making its world premiere at the same show. A massive sea change from the company’s recent habit of releasing ever–larger electric SUVs, this is a tiny city car that seats two, just like its forebear (which eventually became known as the fortwo).
Compared to the original, the electric-only #2 has grown in length by less than 250 mm – at 2,746 mm long, it sits entirely within the wheelbase of the #1, and is nearly 1.4 metres shorter than the already diminutive Proton eMas 5. Where the car has ballooned over the fortwo is its width, which has also been bumped up by 250 mm to 1,760 mm, ensuring it won’t be quite so easy to thread through narrow old city streets.
Still, the #2 promises to maintain the lineage’s trademark manoeuvrability, possessing a turning circle of just 6.95 metres kerb-to-kerb. And incredulously, it appears you can even spec this car with a 360-degree camera system, just in case you needed any more help parking.
Built on the bespoke Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), the #2 continues to be rear-wheel drive, with its single motor churning out 82 PS (62 kW) and 130 Nm of torque. Compared to the last electric two-seater, the EQ fortwo, the new car makes the same amount of power but, curiously, 30 Nm less – making it two tenths of a second slower to 100 km/h at 11.6 seconds.
The #2 makes up for it in terms of range. Actually, with a much larger 35.8 kWh LFP battery, it more than doubles the EQ fortwo’s figure, with a target of up to 290 km on the WLTP cycle. While DC fast charging capacity is only a measly 65 kW, the small battery means it can still be topped up from 10 to 80% in under 20 minutes. The car will optionally also support up to 11 kW of AC charging, cutting the charging time from five hours with a 7.4 kW charger to just three.
For such a tiny car, the #2 has an incredibly aggressive-looking front end, with sharp headlights and a huge grille with “dashes” for openings. The lamps feature illuminated triangles that bring to mind the smart logo – a design cue repeated in the cutesy round tails.
The fairly tall (1,555 mm) “floating roof” is visually separated from the rest of the body and can be specified in a two-tone colour scheme. In a departure from the pop-out door handles used across the rest of the lineup – presumably due to China’s looming ban on electronic door releases – the #2 uses conventional pull-type levers; the fact they aren’t better integrated into the design like past fortwo models is a bit of a missed opportunity in my book.
While the tridion safety cell isn’t a contrast-coloured visual highlight as before, it’s still present, now called the Tridion Cell Evo and providing a robust structure without adding to the car’s dimensions. But it’s at the back where the #2 shows off its true party piece – a split tailgate just like the original, behind which sits a surprisingly decent 305 litre boot. There’s also a rear wiper neatly integrated into the roof spoiler.
The whole look is finished off with snazzy-looking 15- and 16-inch wheel options. A limited-run Couture Edition model brings some of the outlandish style of the Concept #2 from earlier this year, adding Atelier White Matte paint, a bodykit, gold highlights and a monogrammed grille with “leather straps”.
Inside, the #2 is just as much of an homage to the original fortwo with its S-shaped dashboard. That’s despite the fact the two seats aren’t placed one ahead of the other to maximise shoulder room, instead being mounted conventionally side-by-side – it’s no wonder the new car is so much wider.
Rather cleverly, the seats are joined together to form a bench of sorts. With no central tunnel, the far-side occupant can simply slide over and use the nearside door to exit – perfect for when, say, the car is parked too close to a wall or another car. The centre “seat” houses a cupholder, some pop-out storage and an armrest that can be folded up to stop loose luggage from entering the cabin.
It must be said that the #2’s interior is far more modern than the fortwo ever was, with a 8.8-inch instrument display and a 10.1-inch freestanding infotainment touchscreen. Below the centre panel sits the window controls and a smattering of physical controls, although you’d still need to adjust the air con through the screen.
Elsewhere, you’ll find Mercedes-Benz-style turbine air vents (this car is still designed by Stuttgart after all), large round door grab handles and armrests, a Qi wireless charger, an optional panoramic glass roof and seven-speaker Sennheiser sound system, and even a powered driver’s seat. Neat touches include 1/4-inch mounts and a slot for attaching accessories, as well as a nifty strap on the passenger seat for securing shopping bags.
In Europe, the #2 comes as standard with smart Pilot Assist Level 2 semi-autonomous driving functionality, with blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert being optional. Prices start at €19,990 (RM91,200) in Germany, rising up to €25,690 (RM117,200) for the Couture Edition.
Could this car come to Malaysia? It’s a distinct possibility, given that the brand is distributed by Proton subsidiary Pro-Net. However, we’d venture a guess that the market for a relatively expensive two-seater is rather small here, and you can forget about any chance of such a niche car being assembled locally. Still, would you buy the #2 over something like the eMas 5? Let us know in the comments.
