I know a specific question from readers most likely awaits me near the end of this review of the Smart#1 Brabus, but we’ll get to it. The Brabus name is synonymous with performance. It is highly regarded for its specialist tuning and individual modifications of mostly Mercedes models.
And since Mercedes plays a key role, alongside Chinese giant Geely, in the new “smart car” electric re-launch, it looks like it should be a proper fit. In the case of the Smart #1 Brabus, the emphasis is on substantial power and sporty driving for the mid-sized SUV. I have driven “ordinary” smarts since the brand was rolled out here, but this is the first of these more powerful and quicker models to come my way.
Putting such a live-wire version on the market, I assume, is due simply to the fact that they can. Smart must feel there is a market for up-spec vehicles like this to create a halo effect in a segment where non-Brabus smart-car rivals include the likes of the MG4 EV/ZS, Volvo EX30, Kia Niro EV, BYD Atto and Jeep Avenger. The thing is that Smart cars are pitched further upmarket – certainly the prices are.
The standard Smart #1 has a single 272hp electric motor on the rear axle. And that is a lot of power for a car of this size. But with the Brabus, the brand has put another motor on to drive the front wheels, effectively making it all-wheel-drive.
That second motor lifts its power to a whopping 428hp. That is why the Brabus buzzes. It can eat up the road with zero to 100kmh i.
