New Smart #3: design, specs and release date for 2024 coupe-SUV
Smart’s new all-electric SUV has been shown off in 25th Anniversary Edition guise
The new Smart #3 is the latest offering within Smart’s revised range of EVs and it appeared for the first time in Europe at this year’s Munich Motor Show. The coupe-SUV is the biggest Smart yet and borrows plenty of technology and design from the #1 crossover.
The #3 has already made its initial debut at the Shanghai Auto Show earlier this year, but the brand is still keeping quiet about the specific details like battery size. Smart’s new design traits like smooth exterior surfacing, front and rear light bars and clamshell bonnet are all prominent on the #3.
Three trim levels of the #3 will be offered in Europe from launch, although specifications for the UK market are yet to be revealed. Starting off the range is the Pro+ then the Premium, the limited edition ‘25th Anniversary Edition’ and then the top-level Brabus.
The 25th Anniversary Edition features a panoramic galaxy roof and leather seats with an integrated headrest along with bespoke badging. The Brabus gets 20-inch wheels and sporty pedals but all models get a 12.3-inch touchscreen as the centrepiece of the dashboard and a 9.2-inch HD instrument cluster and a 10-inch head-up display.
The #3 is expected to share a majority of its motor and suspension elements with the smaller #1. Now that Smart is part of Geely, this allows it to use the Chinese group’s Sustainable Experience Architecture, or SEA, platform that is also found in models from Zeekr.
According to official files submitted to the Chinese government, we know that at least one variant of the #3 will be fitted with a single 268bhp electric motor. This motor is rear-mounted on the #1, so we’d expect this setup to be carried over. An even more powerful dual-motor Brabus version will be added to the range in time, which in the #1 produces 422bhp.
Smart says power ranges from 272bhp to 428bhp for the Brabus #3. The Brabus version accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 3.7 seconds but the Pro+ with less power still manages the same sprint in 5.8 seconds. Maximum range of the #3 stands at 283 miles.
Battery size is yet to be confirmed, but it’s likely that #3 will share the same 62kWh (usable) battery pack as the #1. Smart could also borrow from its Geely siblings, such as Volvo, in order to boost range.
Following on from its European debut, the #3 is set to go on sale in early 2024. Until then, the smaller Smart #1 is leading the brand’s charge into a new all-electric era.
