Smart #1: The New Star Of Small Electric Family Cars?

Jack checks out the new Smart #1, the first car of a new era at Smart. Now owned 50/50 by Mercedes and Geely, it combines European branding and design with Chinese software and hardware. But is it any good? And if so, could this be an insight into how our cars get built in the future?

0:00 But wait
1:48 New smart look
3:16 Dream team
4:03 Price?
4:33 Walkaround
6:26 Battery & range
7:29 Better looking back
8:40 Slippery design
9:10 Premium interior
11:05 AI influence
12:20 Super spacious
13:05 Jack in the back?
13:36 Final thoughts

Visit our LIVE exhibitions in the UK, USA, Canada & Europe:
Become a YouTube member: use JOIN button above
Subscribe to Fully Charged & the Fully Charged PLUS channels

Subscribe for episode alerts and the Fully Charged newsletter:

#Smart1 #Geely #Mercedes #SmartCar

[mikeymike]

Love the intro, and I agree with you and Andy. We've got enough premium electric crossovers now, time for something different. (Hurry up with the small cars, saloons and estates already, I'm sick of '2025 concepts')

[melonmelon]

I resonance with Andy's frustrated walk away, there are so many of these crossover thingies 🤣

[cannygrowabeard]

Haha cameraman Andy is every one of us. I’m not calling this the Smart Hashtag One. It’s the Smart Number One, or ‘smartwiddle’ as it could also be called.

[P.Galore]

Every car needs a "Jack in the Back"

[Mireaze]

I hope they bring back the smart roadster as an EV, that would be so cool.
Smarts are meant to be small though, this isnt small

[joeldowell]

Never before have I been more disappointed that Smart departed the US market. I'd love if they'd come back, I would definitely consider purchasing one of these if they did so.

[jerryshang]

the platform Smart use is called SEA platform, same as my Zeekr 001. by using this platform you can expect a quite premium driving feeling, however the software is Geely's longtime weakness, so hope they support carplay...

[flossemd]

Jack doesnt know that the drag coeff (cw) is only for "form". You still have to multiply it by the area (seen from the front). So a SUV can have a much better cw than a compact car and still have a much higher wind resistance.

[gabrielfresa]

Honestly, I like that a whole lot better than most of the other crossovers we have here in the USA. It's a shame they won't sell it here.

[skylerlehmkuhl]

I really dislike that fox on the main screen. When you're driving a vehicle, the last thing you want is something constantly moving in your peripheral vision.

[cal_lywal]

Your figures on the video for length are incorrect - it’s actually 4.27m long so closer to a Kona / ID3.

[evilutionltd]

I have owned probably 15 smarts over the last 18 years and they have all had styling cues in common. This has no smart design language at all.
This is just a German designed car meant to please the Chinese market. It's basically a small Mercedes EQS SUV with the front central part of the bumper on upside down and a smart badge slapped on it. That back is almost identical.

As for their insistence on calling it the Hashtag 1, for goodness sake smart, why are you aiming your marketing at pre-teens? They can't drive or afford a 35K car.

It's not a bad looking car but it's not a smart. This isn't aimed at the existing owners who bought small cheap cars. It'll be bought by air-head blonde hairdressers/PA's who would buy a Mini Paceman or Fiat 500XL.

[andrewwebster]

I always said I’d never buy another Smart after the Smart for two I had 20 years ago that had all sorts of electrical and CPU problems plus the engine blowing up. Might change my mind now with their collaboration with Geely and it also looks quite premium. Just hope it don’t turn out more expensive than we think. I quite like the Ora Cat but that was launched costing more than I expected and doesn’t have the range I thought it would have

[oleww]

Really just looking for an affordable EV 🤷‍♂️ 35k is still too much for the average consumer. Let alone these days with prices going up. Great video thanks!

[amaljoe]

Can't blame Andy. SUV trend was itself annoying. Then there's premium electric crossover SUV

[lajosfidy]

Things you don't need in a city car:
1. SUV
2. 66 Kwh battery
3. 200 Kw motor
4. 35k price tag

[returner]

Very interested in seeing this in the flesh, and in some more exciting colours. Likely to be on my list as an eventually replacement for a much-loved BMW i3. Re the boot, there's actually quite a bit space under the floor, and the rear seats can slide forward (in addition to folding) about 13cm; should make it acceptable.

[m.]

Why are all cars getting so big. Surely we should be moving away from the idea of city cars in 2023 esp. crossovers. Car clubs and public transport are so much more use to me and a lot cheaper.

[mason]

I really don't like how car manufacturers have started referring to mid £35k cars as "affordable" and "economy", anything over £25k is a premium car, full stop.

[nathanwolf]

Let’s have the people carrier back. Smartly designed, ultra space efficient, low boot floors and great range.