Here we have the first 'proper' variant spun off the third-generation Smart Fortwo and Forfour models, in the form of the Smart Cabrio. Based on the shorter Smart, this thing is due its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA) next month.
Exterior
When you're starting with the diminutive, Tridion-celled form of the Fortwo, there's not a lot of room for manoeuvre on the roof design front. Therefore, despite Smart touting it as 'three cars in one', the roof still folds down and perches pram-style above the shoulder line of the Fortwo, behind the passenger compartment. Smart calls the roof the 'tritop' and the three derivations are a fully closed car, opening the roof on the horizontal plane only (as if it were a fabric sunroof) and then folding it all the way back to its final resting position.
Additional design details are a B-pillar that's narrower than on the hardtop Fortwo, a pair of removable roof bars that can be stored in a special compartment in the boot and a choice of three exterior colours for the fabric tritop: red, black or blue denim - yes, a 'jeans' look. Whichever colour you go for, the headlining within will be grey and the removable bars are finished in the same hue as that chosen for the Tridion cell.
Interior
While the seats and dashboard are the same as those found in the regular Fortwo's cabin, you can fully open up the seating area in just 12 seconds - even while driving at the Smart's top speed. Buttons on the newly-designed ignition key allow you to drop the roof from outside the car as well. Smart says the 20mm-thick tritop is four per cent larger than that seen on the preceding Cabrio, at 1.8m2. It features a rubber layer of insulation sandwiched between the fabric, and the rear screen it incorporates is made of glass and heated. A wind deflector is an optional extra.
Occupants should feel safe in the Smart Cabrio, as torsional rigidity is up 15 per cent on its predecessor. Further additional strengthening under the chassis, in the form of two bulkheads front and rear, and via a tube of high strength hot-formed steel in the A-pillars means the Smart passes mandatory crash-testing and has even aced Mercedes' 'roof-drop' trial, in which a body falls from 50cm at a slight angle onto one of the two A-pillars. The Smart Cabrio also features standard and optional safety assistance systems, like Crosswind Assist, Hill Start Assist, Forward Collision Warning and Lane Keeping Assist.
Mechanicals
The same pair of three-cylinder petrol engines are carried over from the Fortwo and Forfour models for the Cabrio. That means a 1.0-litre normally aspirated lump with 71hp and 91Nm, or a 0.9-litre turbo unit with 90hp and 135Nm. Either comes with the five-speed manual as standard or the new Twinamic dual-clutch transmission as an option; don't worry, we've driven the latter and it's absolutely fine, nothing like as bad as the old Smart automated gearboxes. The same trim lines of Passion, Prime and Proxy are retained from the rest of the range, as well.
So, peak power of 71hp comes at 6,000rpm for the 1.0, while the 0.9 turbo developed its 90hp at either 5,500rpm in the manual or 6,200rpm for the Twinamic. Maximum torque for the 71hp and 90hp cars comes at 2,850- or 2,500rpm respectively, with fuel consumption rated at 4.3 litres/100km (65.7mpg) for all models bar the Twinamic 90hp, which improves to 4.2 litres/100km (67.3mpg). CO2 emissions are therefore 99g/km on both 71hp cars and the 90hp manual, and 97g/km for the 90hp Twinamic. The 0-100km/h times are range from 10.8- (90hp manual) to 15.5 seconds (71hp Twinamic), while top speeds are 151km/h for the 1.0 and 155km/h for the 0.9, irrespective of gearbox.
Anything else?
After the premiere at Frankfurt IAA, the Smart will be available for ordering from mid-November... in markets where Smarts are actually available. As yet, there's no presence from the brand in Ireland, although the UK gets right-hand drive cars. So over to Dr Annette Winkler, head of Smart, who tantalises potential Irish customers with this phrase: "Our new Smart Cabrio really exudes joie de vivre in the city - which is what our brand stands for. I am sure that we will delight our present 220,000 Cabrio customers and win lots of new fans with this successful lifestyle icon." Here's hoping it comes to our shores, then.