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Twingo, the clever box? Clever & smart? The latest generation of Renault's small car has a German twin brother. The cooperation between Mercedes-Benz and Renault brings out two siblings whose common parts strategy should nevertheless have its own taste in each group. So what are the differences now smart forfour and Renault Twingo? In the second part of the double test, we try to understand the smart forfour.
Test: smart forfour
Real smart for four?
Double test of Renault Twingo and smart forfour | Part 2
The little one with the Swiss father, born in France, with Swabian brothers as obstetricians. The smart has always been so multicultural. Back then, the first forfour, he was also a real Japanese. With roots at Mitsubishi. The new smart forfour shares with the Twingo not only the very French roots at Renault - thanks to the common parts strategy, no, they both tumble off the same line - but not in France and not in Hambach, but in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. In this respect, the question is probably allowed - what does that forfour to the smart? And does that make it better than the Twingo?
Nose character
You should recognize them by their noses. And even lighter at the rear. The smart forfour is adorned by the rear lights of the smart fortwo. That creates a little “brotherly unity” and creates something like “brand identity”. The paint on the forfour is also distributed in the same way as on the small “reduced to the max” two-door model: with a “Tridion cell” made visible. Thanks to the contrast varnish. While you can still differ a little in terms of appearance - the “one-and-a-half-box” design cannot be concealed and both simply share the same basic shape - it becomes painful again in the interior for smart drivers.
If you leaned far out of the window with the Mitsubishi forfour and turned a small front-engined car into a “smart”, this time it is the common parts strategy that you seem to have to go.
Those who know both cars will find the Renault elements. He wonders what the 10 year-old Twingo interior light has to do in the smart. Why the shift knob has to come from Dacia, the buttons for the assistance systems have to fall to the level of the left knee. If you like the typical operating weaknesses of cars from France, you will really appreciate the new forfour. For the smart driver with family, the four-door is still a foreign body.
Thirst is already there
Three-cylinder and turbo? Yes, but this time the heart also comes from French production. 90 hp with turbo, 71 hp with turbo. Our smart test car had the 135 Nm powerful turbo three-cylinder in the rear. Combined with a manual gearbox. The difference to the French Twingo brother a few weeks earlier? A new software for the engine. While the Twingo was cordoned off at 165 km / h, like a staggering sailor on shore leave, this process failed in the smart smoother and without any irritating “choking” of the engine.
Is that a smart benefit? A test with a Twingo in 2016 will show.
The forfour is now available with a dual clutch transmission. But the Twingo too. Again, no advantage for the smallest from the Daimler range.
The manual transmission is not a stupid choice for the smart. Sure - hardcore smart drivers miss the nod of the passenger's head - but “hand torn”, the tiny model is very sporty (aah, of course you have to put that into perspective!) move over country roads.
The thirst should be limited, if you look at the standards: 4.3 for the hand switch, says the default. We didn't get any value under 6.2. I think a nonsensical 11 liters as in other “tests” is feasible, when you're roaring through the city at full throttle in first gear ...
Yes, and how does the smart forfour drive? Like the Twingo. It couldn't be easier for journalists. And this is how the Twingo drives: [click]
smart forfour: It's not bad
No. We don't like the prehistoric H4 light on the front, the Twingo has it too, yes, but it's a French compact car. We also don't like the switches from France. We also do not like immature satnav and thirst.
All of this criticism doesn't make the smart any worse than the Twingo. But not better either.
The conclusion remains:
This smart is a twingo. Only more expensive.
A Twingo is not a bad car. On the contrary. After accepting the technical layout of the smart - the engine to the rear, the drive axle as well, of course - the Twingo is the BEST CITY CAR money can buy. And because it is now also available with a “double clutch transmission”, the Twingo is the clear winner in the comparison between the smart forfour and the twin with the rhombus. And that is not because of the price advantage of almost € 1.000, but simply because of the authenticity: It is the Twingo. The smart forfour doesn't.
All photos: smart press. A computer crash cost us our Smart44 photos :(
