There’s a new smart for two coming and that’s great news.
The old model is wildly popular in Paris where space seems to be at a higher premium than gold bouillon, but let’s be honest for a minute: it’s the German equivalent of a Japanese micro hotel. It’s tiny and space efficient, but there just wasn’t anything sexy about it.
That’s all going to change when the new generation arrives. Smart gave it a curvy new body and Daimler co-developed the car with Renault to share a platform with the new TwinGo.
At 22.8 feet, its turning circle is positively tiny (and of course smaller than it was before). In fact, Smart says its new minicar can make u-turn in less space than any other car.
2014 Paris Motor Show Coverage
It’s also going to be better to drive because the new car finally does away with the lamentable single-clutch automated manual transmission in favor of a five-speed dual-clutch.
A range of new three-cylinder engines will power the car globally, of which the strongest is a turbocharged unit making 90 hp. That’s not much, but keep in mind that it’s actually more than 28 percent more power than the current fortwo.
Power is still sent to the rear wheels, but don’t expect the new car to be particularly sporty because the company says it tuned the third generation car to be more comfortable.
A specific US release date hasn’t been announced yet, but with arrival pegged for the 2016 model year, there is still a little while to wait before have a chance to buy.
GALLERY: 2016 Smart Fortwo Live Photos
GALLERY: 2016 Smart Forfour Live Photos
