If your mental image of a Smart car is a tiny two-seater wedged into an impossibly small parking space, sometimes even having reversed in, prepare for a reset. The new Smart #5 is the brand’s biggest and boldest yet, a 4.7m-long family SUV that completes Smart’s transformation from microcar maker to a serious premium EV contender.
A joint effort from designers at Mercedes-Benz and Chinese giant Geely (that’s now bringing its own cars into the UK as well as owning Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and LEVC), the Smart #5 leverages its considerable size – you could park an original Fortwo within its wheelbase – to deliver a lavishly spacious, flat-floored cabin for five. It’s a world away from the brand’s quirky roots, but with cutting-edge 800V charging, a high-tech interior and impressive practicality, the #5 proves that Smart’s new, embiggened direction has substance.
