Two quarters have passed since November 2023 which saw Smart #1 officially launched for the Malaysian market. Smart #1 brings a difference in terms of design, performance, and average reader comments are about the price and storage space. Of course not, at the price offered, it is more expensive than an electric vehicle in the Hatchback family and this may be the reason someone cancels the Smart #1 order.
And two weeks before the launch of Smart #3, I had the opportunity to test this vehicle at the Proton Test Circuit Shah Alam in terms of performance, and was given some time to review the exterior and interior of this vehicle which is now present better, in line with its name #3 which is more than #1.
Exterior & Interior Design
Smart #3 is offered in three variations for the Malaysian market, namely Smart #3 Pro, Premium and Brabus. From the exterior, it is quite easy to distinguish these three variations through the design of the finish and also the design of the tire rims which are different from each other. I like the rim design on the Smart #3 Pro as well as the Brabus, as it reveals the brake calipers, while the Premium version is seen using an almost completely covered rim design. Even special to the Smart #3 Brabus, it also has a rim with the word Brabus engraved directly on it.
In terms of physical design, this Smart #3 comes in a form that can be said to be a Coupe, or Fastback, which provides a higher aerodynamic value resulting from a larger, longer, and wider design compared to the Smart #1. Even with a touch of Mercedes Benz design, it shows a futuristic car, and it can be said 'Mercedes quality at a little mercy'.
For the Brabus version, it clearly shows almost all the labels in almost every part below the eye level, but is clearly distinguished by the presence of a red finish both externally such as the red roof, and internally in terms of head cushions with the Brabus logo, colored seat belts red, and aluminum tread pads. For this test drive session, PRO-NET has provided an orange Brabus, and it looks unique and fierce considering that it is not a color that is always seen on the street.
In the interior, some things have been improved such as 3 ventilation holes in the middle and the layout of the smartphone with wireless charging is now flatter, and not tilted like the Smart #1. All other equipment is not very different compared to the previous model.
Next, one thing that makes potential Smart buyers happy is the presence of a larger storage space for this Smart #3. In the previous review of Smart #1, I mentioned that the storage factor that Smart #1 can bear is not large, and is only suitable for small families, or urban use only. But for this Smart #3, they have increased the storage space capacity to 373 liters, and at that size, it may not be as big as other EV coupe cars in its class but it is still commendable.
Acceleration & Driving Performance
One of the benefits of the large body is the battery capacity that can be increased. Smart #3 Pro has the smallest battery capacity among the three, which is 49 kWh with a travel distance of 325km WLTP, while the Premium version has a battery of 66 kWh with a travel distance of 455km WLTP. The Brabus version will use the same battery, but with a range of 415km WLTP because it has two motors.
This travel distance is actually not too far to compare with Smart #1 which has a travel distance of 400KM WLTP for the Brabus variant, while 440KM WLTP for the Premium variant. It should also be noted that Smart's distance calculations are somewhat conservative, and from my experience and driving patterns, they usually give better mileage than predicted.
Interestingly, although the Smart #3 is larger, the Brabus version is able to accelerate from 0-100km/h in as fast as 3.7 seconds. The Pro and Premium versions can accelerate from 0-100 km.h as fast as 5.8 seconds. All Smart #3s have a speed limit of 180 km/h and also support AC 22kW and DC 150kW charging. And a slightly different thing is that there are three options for setting the regenerative brake, namely Low, Medium and High, but I have not been able to try it for a long time and for now I can no longer see the real difference in distance and regenerative braking.
During the test drive session at the Proton Shah Alam Test Circuit, several driving tests were performed such as sharp turns, forming the number 8, acceleration from 0-100km/h as well as the stability of this car even on the slope of the circuit with an angle of up to 45 degrees. It can be said that this car is very responsive and gives a good response, even when taking sharp turns at high speeds. I even managed to speed down a 45 degree slope at a speed of 130km/h stably, and without any tremors resulting from the centrifugal pressure exerted.
One thing I noticed is that for the Brabus model there are 4 sound options, different from the previous two sound options. These sounds will be played according to how hard you press the throttle, providing variety while driving and giving an indication of your speed. The two new sounds are Interstellar and Explore, but in my opinion, these two sounds are more or less, and not much different from each other.
In the same partnership during the test drive, PRO-NET also explained their plans for their charging application where they will add 2 more charging providers to the Hello Smart application. This at the same time puts the value of Smart ownership is not limited to performance alone, even to the lifestyle of electric vehicles to make it easier for owners to find and see the status of the EV charger directly from the screen.
PRO-NET at the Malaysia AutoShow 2024 event has already announced pre-orders for Smart #3 are now open, but no official price has been announced for now. You can pre-book through the Hello Smart App, or come to the event in person to do a test drive before booking this electric car.