Apologies for this one disappearing briefly. Used some music which wasn't as free to use as I thought it was...

Tyre kit fits where the passengers toes are, lift the carpet and there's a panel

I leased a Twingo in 2015 for 3 years and absolutely loved it. I actually miss it loads and would love it back. Turning circle is absolutely amazing. I had the 900cc 90hp version in Dynamique trim in flame red. I would certainly recommend the TCE version over the 1.0 version. Wherever you are Lulu, I hope your owner is treating you well

My late wife had the first generation for many years, a 1.1 Passion. What a fun car that was - full of character, and no trouble at all. No grin factor, more a HUGE smile. Happy in town, or on the motorway. That engine was a gem. She sold on for a Mini Convertible having a mid life crisis - never to be sold, and hence still in my hands.

I love this little jewel. Its so unique having an engine in back. Its the car that drives to a different beat.

I’ve got the 0.9 litre turbo Edition One with the orange interior - puts a smile on my face every time I get in and so much fun to drive! It replaced my old Roadster - which was ridiculous amounts of fun. Still miss it, but the FourFour feels similar in spirit 🙂

I had a 453 Fortwo cabrio with 1l and the 6 speed dual clutch auto. Loved it and my sister now has it and she loves it.

Rented and drove one of the Twingo versions on a business trip around France. Picked up in Lyon, over to the Alps, on to the Massif then to Paris. Brilliant, especially in Paris. Could park it in the hotel car park where no one else would fit.

Nice review. I don’t often think about what a “future classic” might be - but the ForFour and Twingo may very well fall into this category.

I have a 2006 Smart Forfour with rare (in NZ) manual gearbox. Most had the robotised manual/auto which was less than ideal. I really like the car and it does regular 100 km commuting trips with ease. It was a blend of Mitsubishi and Benz. Great handling, feels very strong and rigid. I see very few on the road nowadays.

"That lives there now." OMG - I howled!

Thought they might have storage under the bonnet! I used to enjoy loading my shopping into my Skoda Estelle and getting strange looks from passers-by!

Ian - my lovely old pooch used to prefer to travel in the front passenger footwell of my old '68 VW camper in the summer when the ambient temperature in the back was too much. I think the wind chill on the front kept it relatively cool down there! Love the content, all the best👍

Had a Brabus cabriolet one of these for a few years and it was a riot. The turning circle was incredible and the dual-clutch gearbox made it feel like a mini F1 car on changes.

Looked at the ForFour a while back but it was a little too sensible for what we wanted. So we bagged a Smart ForTwo with the manual box and turbo a few years back. It’s a silly thing for sure but always puts a smile on my face and for us that’s the point. Massive turbo lag but when it decides to play its chuckles all round. Just get used to the quirks and have some fun. Tax exempt and easily mid to high 60’s MPG and cheap insurance too and that split folding tailgate 😂 Love it and many thanks for the review.

I drove the first version of the four four and I've never had a car put such a huge smile on my face as it did the sound was like it wanted to be a race car when u put ur foot down to 60mph

My KA+ does not have a spare but has the inflation kit. Liked the Smart chunky little thing. Enjoyed the vid.

The magic sound of three cylinders! Now I know what this is all about with the front lid. I always thought these two locks are to remove the grill for some reason... Thanks for the road test (I will keep my C1 as long as possible 😄). Bye and see you soon - Martin

When I worked at Bristol Street motors Ford about 8 years ago it was in the process of transitioning from a Renault dealership so we still did some work on Renaults and had the pleasure of working on these wee little fellas, To do anything on the engine it had to be removed so we had to use these purpose built stands that you sat the engine on and bolted it on, Removed a couple of engine mount bolts then sent the ramp up to remove the engine it took literally minutes to do.

Interesting car to see I really like quirky cars so you have piqued my interest 🙌

I remember a spin in my boss's 3-pot Aygo, like driving half a V6. I also remember mullets...

Great little car. Had no idea they were rear engine. I want one. Cute looks too...

I did a bit of research on these and Twingos before I eventually bought my Hyundai i10 a couole of years ago. The rear engine layout really appealed to me.

Slightly prefer the Twingo exterior styling but both underrated city cars. The rear engine setup was what VW originally wanted to do with the Up before realising development would cost too much. V good interior space on the Twingo/FourFour for the size of car (shorter than the earlier Twingo too, which makes a nice change) and more interior room than a Mini. You can also replace a battery in that front aperture too, speaking from experience and slightly grazed knuckles!

We swapped out our turbo ForTwo for the EQ. although we had easily got used to the auto with it’s interesting attitude to gear changing the EQ is the car I think the Smart was originally intended to be ( we had our first LHD one last century! ) . They are an incredible package. I’ve often wondered about the ForFour. Thanks for this. I’m now thinking about possibly getting one!

Be glad you tested it on a nice day. In the wet the design of the the plastic tailgate panel drops approximately a teacup of water on your head as you open it.

The original Twingos were the only ones worth having. Front engined and really spacious inside. I see a lot of these still on the road today in Belgium.

I really like that steering wheel. Looks quite sporty.

A most enjoyable video with an interesting vehicle indeed well done 👍👍👍

I had one of them on loan for a few weeks, while my Badger damaged car was in the body shop. I actually liked it.

Loved the idea, went for a c3 instead. Also funky and a better all round package for a city car thats a bit different and strangely, quite loveable.

In a world of all cars essentially being the same I really like smarts. They do things a little differently. I used to have a roadster which was fantastic and I've driven a for 2 which was pretty nice too.

88bhp for the turbo...sounds tempting. As much as a healthy 2.0hdi Citroen then ..

My stepmum had one but hers was the sporty version. I drove it once, nice little car

Power Less is More! Love a 3 Cylinder Engine, a great and honest little review as always.

Love this glass roof! Never seen it before, myself.

I expect to see "Hold on Diego" tee-shirts in the HN Store shortly :-)

Wife has a 2018 Twingo iconic, peppermint with the graphics and enormous sunroof, it's the 900 turbo, goes like stink and can park anywhere. My daily is a 2007 series 1 Twingo, one of the last, leather, all the goodies, tout ouverant panoramic en verre. It's sitting on 180,000 miles now, still 50 mpg, still a smile on my face, bought it new from Renault Colin, Montrouge, Paris.

Looking forward to you driving this car in 15 years time :D

I’m extremely happy to see you test this car, maybe the earlier Smart 4 door would have been more of a hubnut car, they are incredibly cheap and if you find a good one they are great.

Ahhh your back! Ive been sulking 😂

Have owned an Edition One from new (2015), orange and grey with orange dash material and seat inserts, lifts the interior. Also lowered 10mm and has bigger wheels, because sporty :) Has ferried our kids from birth to 8 years old. Been through the associated car park and school run wars so bearing various battle scars. Have been on 3 driving holidays to south of Ireland (we're up North), still going strong (touch wood), has had 2 replacement front springs and drained its battery a couple of times (stop/start+aircon on full blast+radio=battery drain). Just hit 60K miles and will be buying another soon, hopefully the turbo (Brabus version!)

I've just got myself a smart Roadster project car ...they certainly have there quirks !!!!

I have a MK3 Renault twingo which is the same base car and I love it

Hi Ian. Don’t know if you’ve come across the KZfaq channel from High Peak Autos. This week it features a Berlingo.

Had one as a hire car in Spain a few years ago it was the auto and even had flappy paddle gear change! It really did't carry any speed up hills and a few times I had irate Spaniards flashing/waving at me to speed up as if that was an option...

I have a Twingo of similar age (tho 0.9 turbo with DCT) , which I've has since new and has been brilliant. The SD slot between the seats is for the SD card that holds map data if you have the optional satnav. Obviously not a great piece of design, as is vulnerable to being removed (and lost) by curious small passengers

5:23 missed opportunity for a dad joke... Great video :)

Enjoyed that !

The older renault sport twingo 133 was a car I always like the look of, obviously a very different car and platform

Have you watched the latest High Peak Autos video, it's right up your street as they say.

I had the 0.9t edition #1 for three years. £130 per month, no deposit and £0 tax. I wish I hadn’t given it back at times as it was a really good little car. I still keep an eye on Auto Trader in case it comes on sale again 🙂

I've always thought that these looked like an updated BMC Mini. I must admit that I find them intriguing, which isn't something you can say about a lot (possibly most) cars made after 2010.

If you can drive along that stretch of the A4232 and cocnclude that road noise isnt too bad, then it's doing very well indeed!

Drove/hired one of these for our honeymoon in Lake Garda. I really liked it. Super manoeuvrable. Couldn't believe how small the turning circle was. Very easy to park. Really came in useful when I drove through Torbole, Riva, Garda and Sirmione. Interior was comfortable, well packaged and the air con came in very useful in 32 degree celsius heat in Sirmione. Was susceptible to cross winds on the motorway at 140km/h which I didn't like and it was slow although not annoyingly so. Wife is learning to drive. Thought about getting her one.

My brother still has his mk1 4 4. Bought new I think, or nearly new and he likes it. Windscreens are apparently a bugger to obtain and fit, and some servicing can be expensive, but I don't think he's going part with it!

3:15 Now that's some James May fun 😀

Joseph Ganz developed front suspension steering for those 130 to 170 Heckmotor Mercedes models.

Hubnut on tour......Barrybados, sun, sea and slot machines😀

I had a Twingo 0.9 TCE Dynamique S in orange with stripes. That's the one with the turbo 🙂. It was as close as you could get to the GT without actually being one (insurance.) It was also an ex-press car with only 250 miles and I'm pretty sure the engine had been mapped accordingly. On the test drive I had the biggest grin you could imagine. "Weeeee! I'm Mr Toad!" It was really hard to negotiate a proper deal as the car had already convinced me it was a puppy that only wanted to have fun. It was significantly better than the Fiat Panda 4x4 Cross that I replaced it with (See your road test a couple of years go.)

I'm surprised how little space there is for rear seat passengers given how much longer it looks than my C1. I'd always looked at these on the street and thought they'd be a nice step up, but perhaps not. Granted, it has some niceties the C1 doesn't, but I can't imagine the running costs are as low as the C1 (my main reason for having a C1). Having recently seen some MK1 Twingos up close at FOTU, I have to agree with others who prefer that car over either of the later Twingos.

I think you should include something about servicing, repairanbility and spares

I loved my 0.9Tce in my Dacia Sandero, I have since gone back to my first love, a Fiat Panda 😉

The original smart was initiated by Swatch and was intended to be electric with the motor and battery rear mounted, hence the eventual rear engine layout. The two seat packaging favoured this layout and the original smarts didn't have an amazing turning circle considering the size of the car. This was improved on the modern smarts but was never originally intended as a feature.

@3:37 You forgot to mention the Brabus version with over 100 bhp almost identical to the Renault Twingo GT version but more expensive.

Quite like the previous Mitsubishi based Smart ForFour with its bright colourways. Why on earth have EPAS when the heavy engine is in the back?

I only drove the original Smart. The steering was so vague I didn't dare drive it faster than 50km/h and that gearbox, oh my goodness that gearbox. I can imagine it being a lot better with a manual but I'm sceptical :D.

Love it. Now, what are your views on the Smart Roadster?

Having had a Renault 10 and tried everything to make it practical, including fitting a towbar and building a trailer because the luggage areas on them are hopeless, I know exactly what you mean about how rear engine Renaults were mechanically dominated on the rear axle. I've never paid much attention to smart cars, but this review does rather demonstrate that the rear engine format can be made practical. What you find with the manual 5 speed gearbox, I wonder if it could be fitted into a rear engine Renault

On these the alternator loves to go out and I changed it once and it is a pain in the butt. You have to loosen the rear axle and the engine.....

After owning two original smarts in 1999 (UK spec LHD) and 2003 (RHD), in March 2017 and needing to carry passengers we bought a forfour 0.9turbo manual. It was a hoot to drive at first, but the lumps of turbo power became tiresome and the the steering was far too quick, a slight of the wheel resulted in very tight turns which made manouvering more difficult. By February 2018 it had suffered turbo failure, handbrake issues and numerous other niggly faults. The dealer was terrible, they decided four bolts were enough for the engine cover, left oil stains and scratched the leather on the rear seat. I believe MB had lost all interest in the brand so didn't care. We saw sense and swapped it for a Yaris, which 5 years on hasn't missed a beat!

2:10 "And there we go"....lol so British!

In June 2019 you posted a video - "Bromley Pageant of Motoring 2019 Walkaround" and I posted a comment at the time about how saddened I was, when you said that Mercedes was ruining the Smart brand with it's later models and clearly didn't like them. You replied: "Chances of me approving any latest version are pretty slim to be fair!" So there was a chance after all !!

MK1 Citybug has the edge for passenger space, luggage not so much. A comparison with the Mk2 Aygo platform maybe as that is a fairer and more similar specification ❤

I suspect the Twingo GT is ideal … I drove a Smart in Italy and the power was adequate, but could do with a little more for the motorway.

Did you notice a little vague steering during driving straight in the middle position of the steering wheel. Just about 2cm. It feels a little like "swimming" when turning the steering just a little from left to right. Mercedes dealer told me that is normal. Thx for the video

I think most small engined cars have improved torque so that they can use tall gearing. My Sandero stepway is a cvt automatic and at 70 mph, it sits at 2,100 rpm. even at 80 its still low reving. really tall gearing. 0 to 60 is slow but its makes for a very relaxed motorway cruiser. just bung on the cruise control and clock up the miles

there's still one or two of the regular ones floating around here. it wasn't just the size that put people off (storage and passenger room) but the jaw droppingly LOW Mileage. 32 (ca. 38 UK, I think) out of the US-spec ones was ridiculously thirsty; I think we were all expecting motorbike mileage.. btw, those Colts you guys mention? I believe they brought them back after the Lancer and Evo turned out to be too bare-bones, slapping the Mirage name back on. seeing either of the little boogers floating around US 3 lanes even in our area just raises eyebrows, especially if it's one of those Mauve colored ones :P

Just bought a clk200 kompressor on a 57 platefor ulez and it new compared to my sadly outgoing e39 523. Even though it 16 years old

We had one of these as a hire car in Italy a few years ago and I didn't rate it myself. Yes the turning circle was impressive but we found the boot got hot so not good for food shopping, the front seat backs I found too big which made rear visibility worse and the fuel economy for a modern car was poor. I drove it to try and maximize economy but it was low 40s so the 2cv is way better without trying. Didn't get on with the info screens either, had to scroll through too many screens to bring up basic stuff.

I like a bit of luxury in a small package; I'm amazed we didn't hear Miss HubNut snigger when you said that Ian! 😊

the tyre inflator is kept under the passenger footwell

I'd like to see you try the mk1. A much more iconic design.

Used one for a couple of weeks and would agree the steering was a delight but everything else particularly the lack of rear space a true disappointment.

Speaking of the Smart Forfour/Colt a friend of mine Dan Harris who owns Dynodaze did a bhp test of a 1.1 Colt and it had 86bhp , the weird thing is manufacturers specs say its only meant to have 76bhp ? I own the same car so now i know why it feels so quick lol cant imagine a Smart car with same engine but turbocharged that would be crazy

That interior is screaming Renault of that age. The textures on the plastics around the gear lever/doors where its not patterned, the switchgear, shapes of the steering wheel, seats, levers and so on - all looks like a Renault with a slight facelift. Weather thats good or bad is up for debate.

I must admit, when you were showing the general layout of the engine and front underbonnet etc , all I could think was " why ?"

Having rewatched this video, it's made me really miss my Lulu my Twingo, I realised want her back. She is a flame red 900tce dynamique, registered 22nd April 2015. Reg no NL15GPX. I would love to get her back, anyone knows how to do this?

I actually like these ...though never had one ...perhaps it's time

Mechanics must get a really aching back working on that engine 😢

I have Twingo GT, but so little content about it online, but for ForFour there is even less.

Another excellent video although shame that the rear windows pop out rather than wind down. That would wind me up! I’d prefer the first generation.

I did look at buying one of the original Smarts but a lot of adverts I saw said things like "New engine fitted", which made me suspicious of the reliability.

I think the engine is actually a Renault engine borrowed from them as it is shared with the similar Twingo. Previous to this was a Mitsubishi engine, from another collaboration, used in the for two. Previous to that was the Mercedes designed Suprex engines as used in the original smarts and the roadster.

Are those wipers upside down as changed to RHD but still the same arms. The original Smart was very popular with estate agents liveried up to transport them to viewings. The dog should be in a harness for its and your safety.

There was a earlier 4 seat model…shared with the Mitsubishi. Wasn’t popular. As Hub Nut said, this new replacement was eagerly anticipated. Like a mini but not a mini. Not sure why they went with rear engine tho. And it’s supposed to seat 4 people…but it can’t, unless they are children.

We had a 'aport' white with black alloy wheels. Great little city car but just about OK on the motorway.

Its actually the Nissan-Renault HR engine, mercedes helped develop the 0.9L turbo variant. The yellow oil filler cap/dipstick combo is a giveaway

This is very cool. I’m not sure if this is sold in the states.

ooh arr shipmates nice Carr