Production

Rear view

The car was produced at the NedCar factory in the Netherlands in conjunction with Mitsubishi Motors. This is the same factory that produced Volvo 300s in the 1970s and 1980s and the Volvo S40 in the 1990s. To save production costs, the Smart Forfour shared almost all of its components with the 2003 Mitsubishi Colt. This includes the chassis, suspension and a new generation of MIVEC petrol engines, ranging from the three-cylinder 1.1 L (1,124 cc) to the four-cylinder with power up to 80 kW (109 PS; 107 hp).

The Smart Forfour was phased out from production in 2006 due to slow sales.^[6]

Equipment

Depending on the version, it came equipped with ESP, ABS (standard on all models), 14-inch or 15-inch alloy wheels or, optional, 16-inch ones (17-inch on the Brabus model), safety cell, a panoramic sunroof (or, optional, electric sunroof), height-adjustable driver seat, illuminated glove box, radio/CD-player, fog lights, front and side airbags (standard on all models), alarm, automatic air conditioning, electric front windows, and as options - multifunctional steering wheel, shift paddles, heated front seats, lounge seats, navigation and color display with telephone keypad or DVD navigation with a larger display, CD changer, window bags, rain sensor, automatic lights on the system (in poor visibility), leather package.^[7]

Marketing

The sales brochures state that the interior "is designed around the concept of a lounge"; to test this, Top Gear presenters spent 24 hours inside the Forfour. They said they would not buy the car due to its high price and poor driving dynamics compared to its rivals.

Following Smart's initial success for the fortwo in the U.S., and due to surprisingly high popularity in the Forfour, former Mercedes-Benz exec Rainer Schmückle revealed that officials were considering relaunching the car.^[8]

Forfour Brabus (2005)

Smart Forfour Brabus

Forfour Brabus is a version of Smart Forfour tuned by Brabus with a turbocharged Mitsubishi 4G15 engine rated 130 kW (177 PS; 174 hp), 27 PS (20 kW; 27 hp) more than the Mitsubishi Colt CZT. It can reach a maximum speed of 221 km/h (137 mph) and accelerate from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.9 seconds.

Engines

The 1.5 L (92 in³) common direct injection (cdi) diesel engine, is a three-cylinder Mercedes-Benz engine derived from the four-cylinder used in the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, and is available with either 68 PS (50 kW; 67 hp) or 95 PS (70 kW; 94 hp).

Transmissions

All models could be equipped with either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic (Softouch) transmission, except the 1.0-liter version and the Brabus version, which could only use 5-speed manual transmissions.

Smart Fourjoy concept (2013)

Smart Fourjoy concept

Smart Fourjoy concept includes Smart's signature Tridion cell in polished full-aluminium, tail lights integrated in the Tridion cell, spherical instrument cluster, raised smart lettering milled from aluminium on the side skirts, pearlescent white on the bumpers, front bonnet and tailgate; headlamps without a glass cover, U-shaped daytime running lights, LED front and tail lights, transparent petroleum-coloured moulded wind deflector at the top of the front windscreen, on the A-pillars on the sides and on the rear roof spoiler; rear dark chrome seats, a piping-like line with the same petroleum colour as the plexiglass accents on the exterior, instrument panel with convex surface and touch-sensitive operating functions, spherical instrument cluster, single-spoke steering wheel, two smartphones mounted on the dashboard and on the centre tunnel, 55 kW magneto-electric motor, 17.6kWh lithium-ion battery, 22 kW onboard charger, two electrically driven skateboards on the roof, helmets under the rear seats, a high-definition camera.

The vehicle was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show (without doors and roof).^[18][19]

Concept plug-in hybrid conversion

A concept version, never manufactured, of the Smart Forfour was converted as a plug-in hybrid by third-party vendors.^[20] The lithium-ion battery can propel the vehicle up to 84 mph (135 km/h) and last on its own for up to 20 miles (32 km) with an engine that combined a 68 hp (51 kW; 69 PS), 1.5 L (92 in³), three-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine and two high-efficiency permanent-magnet electric motors. It received an award from the Energy Saving Trust for the "Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge" project.^[21]

Electric version

EQ forfour

EQ forfour rear view

In 2013, Daimler projected it would produce an electric version of the Smart Forfour during the second generation of production, for launch in 2015.^[22] The battery-electric smart forfour electric drive entered mass-production in 2017 at Renault's Novo Mesto plant in Slovenia and was marketed in Europe, competing with other electric city cars such as the MG ZS EV, Renault Twingo Z.E (with which it shares many components), and Volkswagen E-up!, including the SEAT Mii electric and Škoda Citigo-e iV, rebadged versions of the E-up!. In 2019, it was restyled and rebranded to Smart EQ ForFour, after Chinese automobile manufacturer Geely took a stake in Daimler, becoming a 50–50 partner in Smart, and Smart pivoted to market electric cars only. The EQ ForFour was discontinued in early 2022.^[23]

It used a rear-mounted 60 kW (80 hp) electric motor with a peak torque of 160 N⋅m (120 lbf⋅ft) and is fitted with a 17.6 kW-hr battery.^[24] The EQ Forfour has a rated consumption of 13.1 kWh/100 km (combined) and achieves 160 km (99 mi) range using the NEDC test cycle, dropping to 130 km (81 mi) on the WLTP cycle.^[24][1] As tested, Autocar had a range of 109 km (68 mi), using "a gentle touring driving style", dropping to 80 km (50 mi) when not driving as carefully. The kerb weight of the electric forfour is 1,200 kg (2,600 lb), approximately 225 kg (496 lb) heavier than an equivalent petrol-powered forfour.^[25]

Powertrain

All petrol models are available with a 5-speed manual or 6-speed twinamic dual-clutch transmission.