Smart's New ForTwo Could Be Big (19 photos)
News broke of a redesigned Smart ForTwo way back in July, and Smart waited until the last major auto show of the 2015 season to make the new microcar’s U.S. debut at the 2015 New York International Auto Show. We called the previous ForTwo one of the worst cars you could buy, but after seeing the new version up close it’s clear Smart poured effort into making it more of a livable everyday driver instead of a toy.
Related: More 2015 New York Auto Show News
The 2016 just looks meatier with more robust front styling. A wider stance gives the ForTwo a bigger footprint with an extra 3.9 inches in track width and 4 inches of body width. Height and length are relatively unchanged, so the wider presence creates a nice stance, all things considered.
On the inside, the new ForTwo has the feel a “real” car. Above that, its design is playful and modern with vibrant color choices, unique materials such as a mesh-covered dashboard, and cool vents, pods and dashboard shapes. The front seats are actually comfortable, too, providing good mid-back support and comfortable cushioning for the brief time I sat in them on the show floor.
To cap all this off, the most notable change is perhaps one we can’t test until we drive the car: the transmission. The previous troublesome single-clutch automated manual transmission is gone in favor of a genuine five-speed manual or a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Even with all this good stuff, plus a 90-horsepower, turbocharged three-cylinder engine, that transmission’s operation could seal the fate of this funky little ForTwo like it did the last one.
