When people think of Smart, they inevitably think of the diminutive Fortwo two-seater that has roamed European cities for 16 years but is a relatively rare sighting in the U.S. What they don't think of is a four-door. The brand has been trying to change that for years, and in fact, the new Forfour represents the fourth attempt at establishing a larger Smart. The first-generation Forfour, a redesigned Mitsubishi Colt, was killed off after just two years of disappointing sales in Europe.
The fates of the Formore compact SUV and a Penske-backed, rebodied Nissan were even worse: Even though official sketches were circulated, they never made it into showrooms. The new Forfour will make it into showrooms—although not in America—and it represents yet another cooperation with an outside company, in this case Renault. Under the skin, there is a lot of commonality with the third-generation Renault Twingo.
The four-door Smart will even be assembled at a Renault factory in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. Despite its Renault bones, the Forfour is very obviously a sibling of the new, third-generation Fortwo, which is launching simultaneously. It is a rear-engined car with a strut front and deDion rear axle. Initial powertrain choices include a naturally aspirated, 70-hp three-cylinder and an 89-horse, 0.9-liter turbocharged triple.
They are mated to a five-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch automatic. With its longer wheelbase, we expect the Forfour to be considerably more stable and comfortable than the Fortwo. At 137.4 inches, the Forfour is 31.5 inches longer overall than the Fortwo. That allows room for four passengers and cargo space that turns cavernous when the rear seats are folded. The soft, rounded dashboard is identical to the Fortwo’s, and so is the list of options and telematics systems: It includes an uplevel infotainment center, an eight-speaker JBL sound system, and navigation.
The crosswind assist system is standard; a collision-warning system and a lane-keeping assistant are optional.
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