The Smart #1 is a new, mid-sized pure electric SUV family from Smart, the quirky, urban-oriented arm of Mercedes-Benz. Remember Smart? It actually never went away, but it has only sold the dinky, urban electric ForTwo for the last few years while it reinvented itself.
And here’s the reinvention. Sitting on a 4,027mm wheelbase, and measuring 4,270mm long, 1,822mm wide and 1,636mm high, the Smart #1 is a touch bigger than the Volkswagen ID.3. Not the small city car experience that you might have expected from Smart, but given that the mid-sized family crossover is such a big-selling market, you can’t blame Smart for going where the money is to reignite the brand.
Smart and Geely
The #1 is a joint venture between Mercedes and its Chinese partner, Geely, and sits on a Geely-sourced platform dubbed the Sustainable Experience Platform (SEA). The architecture is designed specifically for electric cars and will undoubtedly also underpin various forthcoming Smarts. All of those future models will also be electric vehicles, since Smart has officially relaunched itself as an electric-only brand.
Smart calls the #1 an SUV, but in the metal it has much more the look and feel of a chunky hatchback, so think of it as an electric crossover. Even Smart admits that the #1 has no off-roading ambitions, but they do hope that the high, SUV-ish roof line and slightly raised ride height will translate to the urban practicality and style swagger that buyers want in a family SUV/hatchback.
That style is all helped along by standard flush door handles, a floating ‘Halo Roof’ design that lends itself perfectly to contrasting roof colours, while the rear lights take inspiration from the Mercedes electric EQ models, but feature a ‘CyberSparks’ LED light display that the company says is a first in the industry.
New Smart #1 Interior
The #1’s interior is also very striking, with clean, rounded lines to the dash and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that features an AI ‘helper’ in the form of a fox, not to mention 3D graphics and an interface inspired by gaming. We haven’t yet experienced the fully functioning system in the Smart, but the graphics and interface do look refreshingly different to the norm and it will have all the connectivity features buyers expect.
A simple digital dial display sits behind the steering wheel, and a large head-up display will also feature on higher-spec versions.
There’s lots of interior space in the Smart #1, too, with a roomy rear bench that slides and splits in a 60/40 divide. The boot has useful underfloor storage, and there’s a ‘frunk’ as well – a small storage cubby under the bonnet of the car that’s ideal for stowing charging cables.
New Smart #1 Range and Charging
The rear-wheel drive Smart #1 gets a usable 66kWh battery capacity, which feeds a 268bhp electric motor, and delivers between 260 and 273 miles of range according to official WLTP regulations. That’s a touch further than a 58kWh VW ID.3 will go (259 miles), but not quite as far as the 64kWh Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia e-Niro (300 miles).
It’s the mid- and top-range Smart #1 models that will achieve the 273-mile range, as they get heat pumps as standard – a feature that helps to improve cold-weather range in EVs.
Charging the Smart #1 is done via CCS and Type 2 sockets that are located where you’d expect a fuel flap to be, on the rear wing of the car. Plug into a powerful enough rapid charger and the Smart #1 will rapid charge at up to 200kW, which makes this one of the fastest charging family EVs and will deliver a 10-80% battery top up in 30 minutes.
A 100-mile top up should take some 10-15 minutes, but remember that you need to plug into an ultra-rapid charger rated at 200kW or more to get those maximum charging speeds from the Smart #1. You’re more likely to find a 150kW charging station on the UK road network, but the good news is that these will only add a couple of minutes to those estimated charge times.
Plug into a 7kW home wallbox and you’ll have a full charge in under 11 hours.
New Smart #1 Prices and Trims
Prices are yet to be confirmed, but buyers can register their interest via Smart’s website. We’d expect prices for the entry-level level Pro+ version of the #1 to start from around £37,000, while high-spec Premium and Launch Edition models will likely to be around £40,000 or more.
Even the Smart #1 Pro+ gets a panoramic roof, that 12.3-inch touchscreen system we’ve already mentioned, full LED headlights, adaptive cruise, blind spot assist, 19-inch wheels and more. Premium adds a heat pump, changeable ambient lighting and various style and interior trim upgrades, while Launch Edition brings Beats audio, bespoke white and gold paint finishes, white interior finish and automatic parking system. Every Smart #1 gets over-the-air (OTA) updates, with Smart saying that 75% of the car’s features will be subject to OTA upgrades.
The Smart #1 Launch Edition will arrive first, with deliveries expected in mid 2023, but only 100 of these limited models are coming to the UK so expect the standard Premium and Pro+ models to arrive soon after.