Smart has added a new stop-start system to its ForTwo city car.
Called Micro Hybrid Drive, the system is claimed to reduce fuel use by “up to” 24%, while CO2 drops by 9g/km to 103g/km, although there’s no tax or VED benefit with the fall.
MHD cuts the engine when it senses that the car is below 5mph and braking. As soon as the brake pedal is released, the car refires. That does, though, mean the driver has to sit with a foot on the brake. The system is standard on all 61 and 71PS models, and can be disengaged. Smart has also redesigned the instrument cluster and fitted new door net pockets.
Otherwise, the ForTwo is the same love-it-or-hate-it combination of cutesy looks, great urban capability and a jerky auto that you learn to drive around. It’s a fashionable low-CO2 two-seat alternative to regular city cars, and great RVs contribute with low operating costs to produce a 20.1p per mile figure.
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