Is the smart #5 the beginning of a whole new era of larger cars from the brand? Jonathan Crouch takes a look.
Ten Second Review
The smart #5 ushers in an era of properly large smart models. It's a mid-sized electric SUV with divisive styling, a trendy cabin and cutting-edge electrical tech. And if you like the look, you might really want one.
Background
Welcome to the smart #5, the biggest, longest-ranging, fastest-charging, most expensive car the brand has ever made.
Smart says it never defined itself as a maker of small cars. But that's the way customers have always seen the brand, until it was re-launched in 2022 for a new EV area with fresh Chinese investment. The way smart tells it now, this was never meant to be just a marque for really small cars. Back in 2005, the company was on the cusp of launching a compact crossover, the ForMore, with big SUVs to follow; but then spiralling losses meant a brand restructuring which saw it reverting to the previous staple city car designs.
None of which were replaced for the current Geely-funded era, which began with crossover SUVs (the #1, the #3 and now the #5) and will continue with even-number-designated non-SUV models. All will feature Chinese Geely platforms, the SEA2 chassis (shared with the Volvo EX30) for the #1 and the #3: and PMA architecture (shared with the Chinese market Zeekr 007 saloon) for this #5. Let's take a closer look.
Engines and Tech Spec
There are two quite different drivetrain options. The base model uses a 400V electrical system and has a 335bhp motor on its rear axle energised by a 76kWh (74.4kWh usable) battery offering 289 miles of range. 62mph takes 6.9s en route to the 124mph top speed all #5 models share. Most customers though, will be looking at the mid-level versions, which use a larger 100kWh (94kWh usable) battery that boosts range to 367 miles and is connected into faster-charging 800V architecture. These mid-level models have a 358bhp rear motor that propels the car to 62mph in 6.5s. Also 800V and 100kWh battery-based is the dual motor drivetrain, which puts out 579bhp, offers 366 miles of range and makes 62mph in 4.9s.
Predictably, it's that same dual motor set-up which powers the flagship BRABUS model, which offers 636bhp and makes 62mph in just 3.8s. Unfortunately, as with lesser smart BRABUS models, brakes and suspension haven't been evolved to cope with all this extra power, but at least in this case, the tyres have been uprated to reflect it.
Dual motor #5 models come off road-ready with Sand, Snow, Mud and Rock drive modes, along with an adaptive setting supposed to automatically adjust the car's various parameters as you drive.
Design and Build
Not everyone will like the look of this #5 - quite a few won't. But this is supposed to be an individualistic brand; to some extent, its cars should be styled divisively. But this divisively? You decide. This production model doesn't look much different from the concept #5 design that preceded it, the styling study the brand revealed to get us used to the idea of a really big smart - and this car really is, 4,705mm long, 1,920mm wide and 1,705mm tall; about the size of something like a Peugeot 5008, though the #5 doesn't have a third seating row.
The boxy shape with its rounded corners might remind you of this model's distant EV cousin, the Mercedes EQB, but the #5 is more distinctive than one of those. There are striking headlamp and tail light designs and lots of quirky details like floating wheel covers, pop-out door handles and frameless doors. You certainly wouldn't think it related to a smart #1 or #3; apparently that's intentional.
It's striking inside too, where on plusher models, the dashboard is basically one long screenfest, with a digital driver's display plus two 'Active Matrix Organic LED (AMOLED) 13-inch monitors built into one long panel. All of which can be complemented by a further 25.6-inch augmented reality head-up display. The infotainment system with its 'Unreal 3D engine' software is an evolved version of the advanced set-up used in smart's smaller models and uses a lion avatar at the base of the screen. It can also connect into a 1,190-watt 20-speaker Sennheiser stereo system with Dolby Atmos and a speaker that rises out of the dash top.
That prodigious body length translates into a roomy rear seat, with space for really tall adults to get comfortable. And out back there's a large 630-litre boot, extendable to 1,530-litres with the 60:40-split rear bench folded (which can be done with one button press). Plus there's an illuminated 72-litre under-bonnet 'frunk' (big enough for a carry-on suitcase).
Market and Model
Expect to pay from around £40,000 upwards for your #5, so it's clearly had a different pricing level from anything the brand has offered before. The company is particularly targeting people who owned a little smart fortwo in their '20s who still like the marque but have now moved on in age and earning power and can afford (and want) a much bigger, more luxurious car. There are five trim levels - Pro (restricted to the smaller 76kWh battery), then Pro+. The AWD Pulse and RWD Premium are priced from around £47,000 and the top BRABUS model from around £52,000.
You have to stretch at least to Premium trim to get the widest range of colour and trim options; and there are lots of individual features you'll want to look at, including a huge 1.68m panoramic roof. There's also a choice of alloy wheel designs, ranging from 19 to 21-inches in size. The designers say they're working on a solution to turn the car into a makeshift camper, with a removable mattress that can be put in the rear.
Obviously the BRABUS version gets its own look, with a sporty body kit and lots of red detailing. There's also a bespoke wheel design that references previous BRABUS-tuned Mercedes models. Inside this top version, there's an interior featuring copious amounts of microfibre trim and more flashes of red. And you get extra fake noise whilst you're driving.
All #5 models come loaded with safety kit and driver assistance systems - including Pilot Assist, Highway Assist and Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, all features apparently developed on UK roads. Smart says it's looking to implement future over-the-air updates that will allow owners to save their preferences things like Lane-keep assist and speed limit warnings, letting them activate or deactivate certain settings in bulk.
Cost of Ownership
With the smaller 76kWh (74.4kWh usable) LFP battery which works with an older-tech 400V electrical system, DC charging speeds are up to 150kW. Graduate to the longer-ranging 100kWh (94kWh usable) bigger NMC battery and it's very different, with ultra-rapid charging at up to 400kW possible, well past the European norm. No other rival can beat this; in fact, from launch this was Europe's fastest-charging EV. Using the faster set-up, a 10-80% DC fill is possible in 18 minutes. There's a maximum AC charging rate of 22kW. AC charging at the fastest rate can be completed in five hours and 15 minutes.
This car can also offer Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) system so that you can plug external devices like lights and laptops into the cars dry battery. The #5 will also offer 'Plug & Charge' capability, allowing automatic authentication and payment between the vehicle and certain charging stations.
Range is aided by features like an active grille shutter and concealed door handles. The other things you need to know are exactly the same as is the case with any other smart model. There's a three-year unlimited mileage warranty, plus you get 'smart move assist', an included twelve-month international roadside assistance package that can be renewed annually following a smart dealer service.
Summary
The only thing that's recognisably 'smart'-like about this #5 is the divisive nature of its styling. Still, if you like it, you'll probably really like it, which will make the whole process of choosing one rather than something else from this over-stuffed segment quite a bit easier. Apart perhaps from its distant cousin the Mercedes EQB, nothing else looks quite the same.
The #5 is a crucial car for this aspiring brand's development. It wasn't such a big step to persuade customers that smart could also sell cars of the relatively compact size of the #1 or the #3. But the #5 is a different proposition entirely. If this product works in its market, you could see the smart badge being applied to just about anything. Whether that's a good thing, we'll leave you to decide.
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