New Smart #5 goes on sale, and it's bad news for the Tesla Model Y
The former city car maker’s first mid-size SUV offers up to 366 miles of range and can do 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds
The all-new Smart #5 is now available to order, with prices starting from £39,800. That puts the bold, tech-centric electric SUV within spitting distance of the Skoda Enyaq, and means it’s £5,000 cheaper than the Tesla Model Y.
There are no fewer than six specifications to choose from: Pro, Pro+, Premium, Pulse, Summit Edition and Brabus. However, there are no option packs or different powertrains to confuse matters. Basically, you get what you’re given with each one.
Every Smart #5 features a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, a 13-inch central touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a panoramic sunroof, a wireless charging pad, keyless entry, 360-degree camera system plus lots of driver-assistance technology such as adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detection.
The entry-level Smart #5 Pro uses a single 268bhp e-motor and a 76kWh battery. Its 288-mile range is just shy of the base Model Y’s 311 miles. Meanwhile, a maximum charging speed of 150kW means a 10 to 80 per cent top-up should take half an hour.
The Pro+ model (available from £43,800) swaps in a whopping 100kWh battery and 358bhp e-motor that ups the range to up to 366 miles. That also falls short of the equivalent Model Y, which is good for 387 miles on a single charge, but again it costs £5k more than Smart.
The Pro+ also benefits from an 800-volt electrical architecture that allows the #5 to charge at a scarcely believable 400kW. If you manage to find an ultra-rapid charging point capable of that speed, a 10 to 80 per cent top-up will take just 18 minutes.
That’s on par with the space-age Hyundai Ioniq 5 – another of the Smart #5’s key rivals – on which you can save more than £6,000 through the Auto Express Buy A Car service.
The Premium model (available from £47,300) gets the same powertrain, but adds more luxuries such as a 20-speaker Sennheiser stereo with Dolby Atmos surround sound, another 13-inch display for the front passenger, an augmented-reality head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats and an energy-saving heat pump. There are also more paint and interior colour scheme options.
The #5 Pulse (which also starts from £47,300) doesn’t get all that extra tech, and instead it pairs the big 100kWh battery with dual electric motors for all-wheel drive and a combined 579bhp. It also adds five special off-road drive modes.
As the name suggests, the Summit Edition (available from £48,800) combines the all-wheel-drive set-up with a more 4x4-inspired look, courtesy of Terra Green Matte paint and Quasar Olive leather interior.
Sitting at the very top of the line-up is the Smart #5 Brabus. It costs £51,800 – about £10k less than the new Model Y Performance – and features 21-inch monoblock wheels, lots of red accents inside and out, upgraded seats with Alcantara upholstery, and a 637bhp dual-motor drivetrain. The Model Y Performance has to make do with ‘only’ 454bhp.
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