Roy Lewis road tests the Smart fortwo coupe Passion 800cc CDi. (From Hereford Times)

Roy Lewis road tests the Smart fortwo coupe Passion 800cc CDi.

8:00am Friday 11th June 2010 in

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AT-A-GLANCE Smart fortwo coupe Passion 800cc CDi.

Price: £10,190.

Top speed: 84mph.

0-62mph: 16.8 seconds.

Fuel: 83.1mpg (combined figure).

C02 emissions (g/lm): 89.

Verdict: Outstanding economy, quality build, distinctive, well equipped and best in town. Firm ride and only two seats. IF you can manage with two seats, a diesel-engine Smart fortwo that returns more than 80mpg could be the answer to your soaring motoring bills – and parking problems.

The chic-looking runabout comes with a crowd-pulling persona and an air of exclusivity that will make you feel good driving it.

This fashionable runabout belongs to the Daimler-Benz empire so you can expect first-rate build quality and reliability which are important considerations with today’s costly garage bills.

The Smart has come a long way since it was launched with lefthand- drive only. Those early models are slowly disappearing from the market and the better-looking righthand- drive cars with larger engines, more space and sophistication are becoming increasingly popular.

The 1litre petrol engine has different outputs and is the best for outand- out performance but for sheer economy and pulling power around town the 45bhp 800cc common rail turbo diesel is a great choice with its combined everyday figure of 83.1mpg.

And whether you are driving around town or on the open road, the diesel’s fuel consumption doesn’t seem to vary much. Around town it’s 84mpg and on the open road the official figure is 85.6mpg which is brilliant.

The low C02 emissions are equally impressive at 89g/km which means free road tax.

Although the Smart is a two-seater there is plenty of head, leg and shoulder room for large adults. The seats are plush, comfortable and supportive and the wide-opening doors make for easy access. The slight increase in length of the newer models has been worthwhile as it means extra storage space and a decent boot of 340 litres capacity which is bigger than some four-seat rivals.

Behind the wheel you will love the fun-looking fascia and cabin. The interior is classy-looking, well laid out and with all the controls nicely to hand. The impressive attention to detail is exactly what you might expect from the leading manufacturers.

The Smart makes most sense in busy built-up areas because it’s nippy, handles and rides well despite its firm suspension, and fits into the tiniest of parking slots.

The torquey diesel motor is a smooth operator for its size and willingly keeps up with the Joneses on the motorway. At first, the tall Smart makes you feel a little vulnerable to fast cornering, cross winds or mixing with heavy vehicles but there is no need to worry as the coupe remains stable and keeps to the chosen line.

But the ride comfort suffers at speed, there is some noise intrusion and the steering also becomes less communicative.

The fifth automatic gear ratio is also set rather high which may be good for economy but means you have to change down to fourth to maintain a constant high speed. A bonus is that the equipment list on each of the three trim levels is generous with some of the latest technology.

Safety features, too, are of a higher standard than you might think. In fact, the Smart achieved four stars in the adult safety European NCAP tests which is commendable for a tiddler.

Safety items include anti-lock brakes with electronic brake assist, an electronic stability programme with hill start assist, central locking with radio remote control and immobiliser.

The Passion specification is high with goodies such as an integrated audio and satellite navigation system with touch screen, iPod/USB connectivity, Bluetooth and radio/CD.

There is air-conditioning and an attractive set of 15in alloy wheels.