Fridae

Every car manufacturer is racing to churn out a credible green driving product to the pretty much empty showrooms these days. Sure, Hummer can insert a tiny AA battery into its H3 with a children mincing V8 engine and still call it a hybrid. In a city gem like the Smart Fortwo, would a hybrid version be necessary?

Concerns would be centralized around the additional weight of batteries and drivetrain modifications ruining the light kerbweight of 800kg. An inspection at the spec sheets did reveal that the Smart Fortwo mhd coupe is not laiden down with a chubby battery. So why call this the mhd, short for Micro Hybrid Drive?

Smart's stop-start technology, termed 'micro hybrid' by the company, turns off the engine as soon as the driver brakes and slows the car to below 8 km/h. The car engine buzzes back into life again when the brake pedal is released. Thankfully the alternator responsible for re-activating the engine is an alert one.

Sadly, when the engine gets cut off, it also means the air-conditioning system will revert to a fan only mode. In a traffic jam fest tropical country like Singapore, this could get me on the edgy side as the scorching heat gets the better of me. The price you pay to go green, I suppose could come with body odour and potential mood swings. Of which I later discover that there is an option to turn the "ECO" mode off when you decide that you value your comfort more than that endangered panda.

Oddly, once on the move, all is forgiven as the diminutive sized Smart proves to be an asset in traffic brawls. Performance from the 1.0 three cylinder petrol engine is adequate. An angry foot does ensure overtaking is a reality despite a dismal 13.3 seconds to complete a century dash. Staying true to the nature of such automated manual gearboxes, the gear changes are as smooth as falling down the stairs. And my attempts to do some self shifting was constantly being interrupted by the "nanny" system which encourages up shifting, in a bid to bring fuel consumption down. Best leave the Fortwo in its full auto mode then.

For such a tall and more importantly, short vehicle, the Fortwo puts up a brave fight against high speed cornering. Good anti-roll bars are being put hard at work here. The Smart Fortwo does handles pretty neat for a city car.

The Smart Fortwo is now the only car the French based city car maker is manufacturing. And until only recently, it remains rival-less. Toyota's IQ has been launched in Europe with a similar but more mature profile. The Fortwo has the cheeky details that entirely capture the essence of city car. More importantly, it looks timeless and would not fail to cheer me up every morning when I look at it.

And in this left hand drive example, it seems liberating on right hand drive roads of Singapore. Catching the glimpse of nose-picking drivers, bored and squashed bus passengers and impatient cab passenger at a closer range is priceless. Their aroused curiosity will be mostly with the looks of the Smart initially and why the driver is on the wrong side as compared with every other car on the roads.

Other than the initial shock, perhaps the on-lookers had the same thought as me. Why isn't this Smart car being sold here? Surely, the Smart Fortwo is capable of luring people out of their less fuel efficient coupes or cabriolets.

	Smart Fortwo mhd
Engine	999cc 3 cylinder Petrol (Rear-mounted)
Transmission	5-Speed Automated Manual Rear Wheel Drive
Max. Power	70 bHP @ 5800rpm
Max. Torque	92 NM @ 4500rpm
0-100 km/h	13.3 secs
Top speed	150 km/h
Fuel Economy	4.3 L/100km (combined cycle)
CO2 Emissions	103 g/km (Euro IV compliant)
Dimensions (L x W x H) / Weight	2,695x1,559x1,542 / 800kg
Price with COE*	Not for sale in Singapore

Related article:
Get smart: Smart Fortwo Cabrio CDI