Smart Roadster

For my fifth birthday, I got every boy's dream present - a pedal car. I used it every day for the next three years, before the front wheel gave way mid-corner under the weight of the overgrown driver. I've been looking for a replacement ever since, so when I took our long-term Smart Roadster for its first service and spotted its £39.70 leg-powered little brother, I couldn't resist having a go.

Auto Express Car Reviews

By Chris Thorp

August 2004

For my fifth birthday, I got every boy's dream present - a pedal car. I used it every day for the next three years, before the front wheel gave way mid-corner under the weight of the overgrown driver. I've been looking for a replacement ever since, so when I took our long-term Smart Roadster for its first service and spotted its ΂£39.70 leg-powered little brother, I couldn't resist having a go.
With the same red paintwork and three-spoke alloys as KR53 PFU, the push-along was perfect - if only I was three feet shorter. Thankfully, if any vehicle could be referred to as a pedal car for grown-ups, it's Smart's full-sized Roadster. OK, so it might have an engine and space for two, but the sense of fun is undiluted and the little sportster and I have become virtually inseparable.
The service light came on after 7,000 miles - earlier than we expected, but given the fact the car spends its life in London, it hasn't exactly had an easy time. I booked the Roadster into Smart's Brentford service centre in Middlesex. The work was carried out a week later, and I asked the technicians if they could locate the cause of a rattle from the rear when the car was driven over bumps.
After three hours, I got a call to say the Smart was ready. A loose bootlid had been responsible for the noise - this is a common fault on the car, and the repair was covered under warranty.
However, while the Roadster came back fully valeted, we felt the ΂£160.45 service charge was excessive, given the low mileage. But in all other respects, the soft-top has proved cheap to own. Now the engine is properly run in, not only is performance brisk, the fuel economy has picked up, too. Average consumption had stood at 39.4mpg, but now the 698cc powerplant has done 8,000 miles, this figure has risen to 42.2mpg.
That is well short of the official 55mpg combined figure, and the need for super unleaded not only ups the fuel bills but is also inconvenient, as not all petrol stations sell it. That's not the only drawback. For a car costing ΂£15,000 including options, the interior quality isn't up to that of the cheaper ForTwo, while the door trims get scuffed by people's feet as they get in and out of the car.
Once on the open road, the tattiness is forgiven - if anyone can find a new model that offers more sub-legal limit fun, tell me about it. The only downside is the gearbox. While I'm now totally in sync with the handy paddleshifts and clutchless manual transmission, several colleagues simply can't forgive the sluggish cog swapping.
I have also grown used to the excessive wind noise from the closed hood at motorway speeds. Long trips are another challenge - where do you put the luggage? Too much in the rear compartment and you can't slide the hood back. The boot between the front wheels is tight, too, while the glovebox lever to open it is fiddly. But these gripes don't really matter. Whenever I park up, I take a peek at the car's distinctive lines - Smart has captured genuine enthusiasm in the Roadster's design. Is this my favourite vehicle on our long-term fleet? I'd have to say yes...at a push.