2016 smart fortwo cabrio revealed, debuts in Frankfurt

The 2016 smart fortwo cabrio has been revealed in full prior to its physical debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Described as “three cars in one”, the topless sibling to the 2015 smart fortwo will be available for bookings from mid-November 2015 before reaching showroom floors in February 2016.

“Clearly recognisable” as a smart product, the new fortwo cabrio retains the now-familiar honeycomb front grille, rhombic head and tail lights while adopting a narrower B-pillar compared to its fixed-roof twin. Also, the tridion safety cell has been said to feature a more “progressive” outlook to allow for a “an even sportier and more forward-focused” silhouette.

As expected, the biggest different is the fabric soft-top that retracts at the touch of a button to transform the car from coupe to convertible in 12 seconds. Said electrically-operated roof comes in three different colours – blue denim, red or black – with a heated glass rear screen.

Some of you might still be wondering why smart has decided to call it three cars rolled into one – after all, it’s either coupe or convertible, right? Well, removing the side roof bars turns the car into a full-blown convertible while keeping it on allows one to drive a car with a “large sliding canvas roof.”

Said roof bars can be stowed away inside a storage compartment behind the tailgate so one doesn’t have to scramble back home in case the weather turns nasty. The 2016 smart fortwo cabrio measures in at 2,690 mm long, 1,660 mm wide and stands at a height of 1,550 mm.

Under the skin, the smart fortwo cabrio is powered by a choice of two rear-mounted, three-cylinder petrol engines – a naturally-aspirated mill with 71 hp and 91 Nm of torque or a more powerful turbocharged unit with 90 hp and 135 Nm of twist. Both engines can be paired to either a five-speed manual or twinamic six-speed double-clutch transmission – drive goes to the rear wheels.

Performance figures for the normally-aspirated engine include a century sprint time of 14.9 seconds (15.5 for the twinamic) and a top speed of 151 km/h. The more powerful turbo’ed unit takes 10.8 seconds for the same sprint (11.7 with twinamic). Fuel consumption is rated at 4.3 and 4.2 l/100 km, respectively.

Inside, it’s as per smart fortwo coupe as well. Three trims are on offer – passion, prime and proxy – with customers being offered the choice to spec on additional toys and gadgets. The list includes smartphone integration with MirrorLink or an Urban style package (black wheel arch linings and lowering kit). A wind deflector is also offered as a cost option.

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