Following on from the smart #1, the second all-new model from smart is called the #3. While the two models share a lot of tech, the #3 differs in its style and driving experience and makes it worth looking at in its own right.
Fancy finding out all about the brand new model? You’ve come to the right place.
Written and presented by Ken Pearson
Edited by @XALIRATE
Filmed by Ken Pearson and the L & L Automotive Marketing Team
Find out more: https://www.landlautomotive.co.uk/new-cars/new-smart
Book a test drive: https://www.landlautomotive.co.uk/Enquiry/BookTestDrive
smart UK website: https://uk.smart.com/en/
Chapters:
0:00 – Intro
1:43 – Styling
6:30 – Interior and infotainment
15:23 – Driving
23:26 – Pricing and specifications
25:02 – Jobs for the facelift and final thoughts
28:09 – Further watching
Key information: smart #3 Pro
Price: £32,950
Battery: 47 kWh usable (49 kWh gross)
WLTP combined* range: up to 202 miles
Drivetrain: single electric motor, rear-wheel drive
Output: 272 hp/343 Nm
0-62 mpg: 5.7 seconds
Top speed: 112 mph (limited)
this is something new and it comes from smart and following on from their first brand new model the compact fully electric SUV called the hashtag 1 Comes This the compact fully electric SUV known as the hashtag 3 so what is the difference other than the number in the name given that they share the same batteries the same powertrains they share a lot of the same exterior and interior styling which I think is a good thing well you may be able see it already dear viewer the key difference is all in the roof line This is a coupe style fast back which has been put onto the SUV chassis and well I can tell you already I quite like the look of it but is there more to it is there more to the hashtag 3 than just a slightly reprofiled roof line well if you would like to find out Dear viewer you have come to the right place because we’re going to look at the skin underneath it inside the car and most importantly we’re going to find out what the car is like to drive as part of this video if you would like to find out more about the rest of the range from smart and of course Mercedes-Benz then make sure that you like the video subscribe to the channel and check out some of the other things that we have done if you’re interested in test driving one of these placing an order or maybe servicing or buying some parts for your current smart then make sure to get in contact with us here at smartart forer and feel free to pop into any of our sites at smart stevenage and smart of Hartford now without any further Ado I say let’s get into it and let’s begin with what you and I both are already looking at and that is the styling I think the family resemblance is clear to see from the front with hasht 3 now it has quite a few similarities to hashtag one but quite a few subtle differences that really set this car apart I think so although it has a similar light profile file it only has one prong at the end of the running light strip that extends right the way out to the edge of the cluster and that is up top the one lower down is quite short and finishes fairly close to the edge of the headlight cluster actually slightly further down there is once again the trapezoid Grill and this is slightly lower shorter less tall than on hash1 and it extends out a little bit further further to the outer edge and that I think nicely brings your eye towards the air channels that are on either side of the bumper they take air and channel it into the wheel well helping to reduce the amount of turbulence that is caused by wheels turning As you move forward the smart word Mark is taking pride of place on the end of the bumper and just behind the 19in wheels that are finished in black and silver with a five twin spoke design quite nice looking Wheels I think there is the Smart logo it’s good to see that still appearing all over the new car the car’s defining styling feature can be seen most clearly from the side and that is the roof line now the roof itself is quite neatly separated from the lower body work by means of some black trim that begins at the base of the a pillar and that follows the same path as the roof from front to rear and also serves as the upper window surround trim speaking of the windows they are frameless which is a nice thing to have and you can open the frameless Doors by using the pop out door handles just tap the circle on either of the front handles to get it to pop out anyway back to the roof I’m sure the camera isn’t quite doing it justice because there is a very very gentle curvature that goes from this panel which is visible on the side here to becoming a flat part of the roof up here I think it is absolutely fantastic it looks really good this car has had plenty of compliments for its looks and I do not think that they are misplaced the design comes together quite nicely at the rear of the car with the roof line flowing down into this upper section of the tailgate which is split from the lower part which is convex and then concave actually towards the light bar by the Light Bar sort of similar actually to how the upper portion of the body is separated from the lower part H just thought of that anyway within the light cluster itself on the outermost portions there is triangular detailing which I think is very nice it there a nice surprise when you notice it for the first time actually and then right at the bottom of the car at the base of the bumper there is a ususer insert and where it curves up here to make room for the stakes that shape is almost perfectly mirrored and slightly exaggerated by this bit of black trim that flows from edge to edge and runs above the number plate and actually one of the cameras that makes up the car’s 360° camera system to access the boot which is 370 l in capacity you can press a button on the key for premium models and above then you can use gesture control so kicking motion underneath the bumper and that will open it but on all models if you press within the a badge on the smart word Mark at the back that is what will activate and open the powered tailgate the shape is almost triangular so it is wide there is lots of room for large items that aren’t so tall but if you do needs some more space than you can fold down the rear bench it’s in a 4060 split so the leftand seat goes down on its own the Central and right hand passenger seats go down together under the floor there is some space for under floor storage and there is room for the charging cable first aid kit and any smaller items that you want to keep concealed down there now that we’ve got the cabin partially open I think we should have a look inside it’s not just the exterior that goes quite big on Style that theme continues on the inside as well and I think the car has quite a nice cohesiveness and consistency of design both on the outside and on the inside but we’re here so what catches my eye first well it’s this wraparound piece of trim on the dashboard that extends out into the rather High mounted center console which I think looks absolutely fantastic it makes for a nice place for the two digital displays to be housed and the main difference between this and the hashtag one is that instead of having two oval shaped vents in the center you now get three round ones instead a good bit of design and a good bit of thoughtful engineering I think is this bit of material that stretches down from the dashboard as well which sits exactly where my knee goes whilst I’m driving so that’s not knocking against any hard materials underneath the vents there is room for some keys to Mercedes-Benz and there are two USB ports as well as a wireless charging pad which has actually been reshaped in the hashtag one it was at an angle in hasht 3 it’s a flat surface and it’s a little bit easier to get your phone in and out of there moving behind to this roller blind there are two cup holders and room for the key for the smart the shape of this is still dividing some opinions but you can’t miss it and there is also a card holder or phone holder that will just about hold a iPhone 13 Pro Max lengthways and back here there is even more storage with a rather deep storage area which does actually get air from the air conditioning so if you want to keep anything cool or actually if you want to slow cook something in the winter when you have the heating set to Max pop it in here and there’s also a slot for a charging card as well but that of course is not all there’s a really nice open storage area down here as long as what you’re putting there isn’t covered in a thin layer of olive oil things do tend to stay in there actually while driving and that has been a very good place for me to stash GoPros that are still attached to their suction mounts whilst on the Move in front of the driver is a steering wheel well obviously there is we’re not at the point in the future where autonomous pods are taking us from place to place so that was quite possibly the stupidest and the most obvious statement that I’ve ever opted to leave in the Final Cut of a video anyway what can you do with it well first and foremost it operates the horn it operates the wheels of course on the left hand side there are some buttons that operate the active cruise control and the smart pilot assist active cruise control quite simply you set the speed the car sets the distance to whatever it is in front of you smart pilot assist starts to incorporate active steering assist and the lane tracking to keep you in the center point of the lane on the right hand side are controls for the media answering and rejecting calls cycling through the trip computer and activating the voice assistant but these also double up for changing things like the mirrors so yes it is in a menu somewhere but if you adjust the seat then there is a prompt that comes up on screen that asks you if you would like to adjust use the buttons on the right hand side of the steering wheel to adjust the angle of the door mirrors the angle of the door mirrors as the car has just said so because this is the one that I can see when you’re on this menu left right up down to adjust your view then when you’re done hit save and that’s it I know that’s caused a bit of controversy you know why have it on screen rather than on a button where it is on pretty much every other car I’ve not found myself having to adjust the mirrors more than once actually when I finally got my seating position sorted in this car now let’s get talking about what is here in the center of the cabin it is the main infotainment display there is a new smart specific operating system which has been developed so the home screen looks like this and there are shortcuts for navigation charging and parking and I’ve got at the moment the current range with a 89% state of charge and a 142 M projected driving range and my tire pressures as well the other shortcuts up here take you to music and to navigation and you can find charging stations in here as well and if your route is longer than your range then you can plan in charging stops on your way there is a home button to take you back to where you started off and at the bottom of the screen there are shortcuts for the heated seat the heated steering wheel very nice feature to have now and for the climate control too what does this do oh climate settings interior overheating protection the interior will be automatically cooled when the temperature is high nice let’s have that on warning never leave a child or pet unattended in the car obviously the interior overheating prevention function will not capital letters protect any living being from heat stroke or death wow that is a disclaimer that I have never seen in a car before interesting Apple carplay and Android auto comes as standard on the hashtag 3 it works both wired and wirelessly I always prefer to use it wired because I think that makes for slightly quicker response times and better audio quality as well lastly before we move into the back of the car we must talk about the seats that I’m sitting on they’re a different design compared to hashtag one and they have a Slimmer bass and they have more pronounced side bolsters they fit me really really well I’m very much enjoying sitting in this seat it’s a good mixture of being comfortable yet supportive too looks can certainly be deceptive with hashtag 3 so you see the roof line falling down and it has quite a pronounced side profile actually with the metal work curving down from the top of the roof down to the side but there are some enormous cutouts for human heads to fit in here now something that I must mention which I completely forgot about in the front of the car is is well there is an enormous glass panoramic roof now there is no sunblind for it but it is more tinted than the windows on a football as Range Rover so we’ll have to wait and see how the sun shining directly on this affects well driving and not being Blinded By the Light the comfortable seats continue in the back and given that the car has a relatively long wheelbase for what it is actually I have room yes the floor is slightly higher than what it would be in a car without a battery situated underneath it but the floor itself is almost flat with a small actually barely noticeable ridge running down the center of the cabin and behind my driving position which typically is encroaching into the back of the car I actually have leg and knee room the same cannot be said for trying to sit behind my own driving position in my own class that is impressive something that is impossible to miss when sitting in the back of the car is the Smart logo that looks straight back at you as they are proudly mounted on the back rests of the front seats but it’s not the only place where they appear so if you look very closely you’ll see that there are quite a few silver pins they’re sort of similar to the rivets that you would find in a pair of jeans and these also have the smart logo worked into them that’s a really really really nice touch I absolutely love that other Creature Comforts include air vents for the rear passengers as well as a USB Type C and A type a port and a small storage area for holding I don’t know a small sachche of ketchup and there are some relatively Deep Pockets on the backs of the front seats as well naturally a good place to take the car is into the Town Center because the whole idea of the Smart Car initially was for a car to be able to take two people and a crate of beer safely and efficiently across the city now I don’t have any beer with me today but I do have room for more than two people actually as the hashtag 3 is a five seater but it’s not for the first time of course the hashtag 1 is also a five seater but the original 44 was also available with five seats so perhaps they should have called it the 45 anyway we digress so the steering I still have it set to its heaviest setting which I like because that makes for really direct and quite precise movement actually when having to navigate things that are parked on double yellow lines with their hazard lights on which does let you park anywhere as anyone driving in the UK will know and the response from the electric motor it’s quick more than quick enough to get you up to speed or into to a gap but it is still very Progressive it’s not like you have 100% power or % power and nothing in between whatsoever so I’d say it is quite suited if you’re needing to get used to the car and to the power train I’d recommend driving in eco mode around town to start with something that I am liking as well as the good visibility all around is the Bonnet is shaped in such a way that you have Peak above the headlights and those ra sections at the outer edge and the dip and then sort of I would say power bulge on the Bonnet but there’s nothing Underneath It Anyway the peaked outer edges of the Bonnet give you a very good reference point for where to keep the car in the lane and it feels compact it’s as much part of the dimensions of the car it’s not the widest thing out there but the fact that you sit fairly far out towards the extremity of the car I always like that gives you a really good impression of the car’s width and it doesn’t feel like it’s too big to go down a High Street so given that we’re in the car’s gear let’s talk about in gear acceleration so from 49 and that’s 70 not bad quite quick overtaking might be an issue in this and it doesn’t run out of puff up at high speeds as well which is nice I’ve driven a few single motor EVS where all the power and all the torque is long gone by the time you reach 60 MPH so we’ve done the in gear acceleration now it’s time for a standing start 30 50 60 MPH and there’s 70 I think that is more than brisk enough for everyday use I need to remember that this is a normal family car Peak talk I think comes in somewhere between 35 to 45 mph rather than just being at the typical 1 RPM as we’re so used to with most EV Power trins there’s definitely been some German influence into how the car has been set up to sit at Motorway speed it is smooth it is really really really smooth I can feel a little bit of movement coming from the corners as I go over the imperfections in the road surface of which of course naturally there are many wind noise is not really there I’m getting more from the tires and that keeps on changing because of the varying Road surfaces that I’m going over but with music on it’s pretty much isolated from the outside world in this I’ve been been really impressed with how this has been able to effortlessly cope with high-speed cruising having to touch the brakes is actually just reminded me that I completely forgot to talk about how the brake pedal feels because I’ve not used it that much on this drive in fact until getting onto the A1 I haven’t used the brake pedal since pressing it to start the car when I left first thing the fuel from the pedal is very consistent as soon as you tou it feels like the car is slowing down which is of course a good thing from a brake pedal but there doesn’t appear to be any hesitation really or any sort of debate between hm do I use the motor or do I use the discs and pads it just gets on with it it feels like it starts using the front brakes pretty much straight away there is a bit of a nose dip as you use the physical brakes there yep but I’ve got no complaints having an inconsistent brake pedal is one of the worst things that you can have in any car but luckily there is no need to complain about that here the car does feel like it has a good idea and a good understanding of what is going on around it you can have any sort of display in front of you that you want as long as it is what the car has picked up and it gets the road markings the positioning of other cars and other things done pretty well it can different iate between cars cyclists motorcyclists and trucks so we’ve done enough town roads and dual carriageways and motorways and straight roads now it’s time for something a little bit twistier which of course is the part of the test that I enjoy the most so come on then hash three let’s see what you got and the first impression so far is it has quite a lot of stability and that very ke steering in its heaviest setting is great it is not the most fome from what the tires themselves are doing but you can be very direct with it and when you get the weight of the car to move with you rather than against you so that’s with some very Progressive rather than Ultra sharp and Rapid steering movements the car feels quite planted with highspeed cornering now we’re regening into a sharp right hander brakes still feel spot on turn in can get on the power quite early actually and there’s not a hint of slip either from the rear [Music] motor and again yeah this feels good it just settles down once it’s done it’s one or two degrees of roll it settles and gives you a very stable cornering platform I love this corner here so on the power nice and early Left Right feels good the chassis can definitely definitely take more power I’m very keen to test out the Brabus powertrain with 422 brake horsepower and 543 newon M of torque in this chassis but on the whole to me it seems like this is a car that can do both it can be the normal sensible family SUV hatch Coupe thing and if you so wish pop it into sport set the steering to heavy and I think it will pleasantly surprise you when the roads get twisty so with all driving types completed let’s head back to Smart of stevenage where we’ll talk pricing specification and I’ll give you my final verdict on the smart hashtag 3 there are two battery options available for the #t 3 with the entry level pro version that we’ve been testing for this video getting the smaller 49 kwatt hour capacity unit whereas from Pro Plus and above they will get the 66 KW capacity unit from premium equipment level and above you also get 22 KW AC charging capability which is a good bit of future proofing let’s talk about spec now I do find it hard to call the pro and pro plus versions entry level in terms of their equipment because you do get quite a lot included the one that I think is going to be the most popular is the hashtag 3 Premium because you get things like the multi-beam Adaptive lights the beat sound system which is brilliant and the head-up display along with rear privacy glass as well to celebrate 25 years of smart there is a 25th Anniversary Edition version with a fixed specification but the addition of the illuminated panoramic roof that looks really really cool and sitting at the top of the range is the Smart hasht 3 Brabus with its twin motor all-wheel drive powertrain 422 brake horsepower 543 newm of torque 0 to 62 mph in 3.7 seconds as well as ventilated seats this one sounds very good to me pricing is on screen now if you would like to find out more about pricing in specification for the smart hash3 make sure to head over to the smart website all the links that you need for it are in the description below there we go my first UK Drive of the smart hasht 3 with the cameras rolling done and dusted what do I think and how do I sum it up well I’ve really enjoyed my time with the car it’s been very impressive for its on-road refinement for its handling and how it’s been able to cope with a few days of doing long distance highspeed drives what I think we’re getting with the hashtag 3 the second brand new model from smart is a very clear definition of what the new smart formula is and we’ve seen quite a lot of it with hashtag one already so I think this is a good indication of what is to come and that is having a big focus on the style but also a big focus on the usability and the accessibility from the space and the technology that is on offer and with the tweaks that have been made to the chassis they’re very slight but very noticeable to me I think that smarts going forward are also going to focus on driver appeal as part of what sets them apart from their competitors works for another brand so I think it will work here but no car is perfect so I have a few jobs for the facelift first and foremost all I want for Christmas is a gliding mode and some paddles behind the steering wheel for energy recovery please secondly at the base of the infotainment screen there’s a row of shortcut buttons I think some ridges between them would be great to make it easier to feel which shortcut you’re reaching for and on the screen itself when using Apple carplay and Android auto it goes full screen which is great but I would love for the air conditioning and climate menu to be just taking up a little bit of real estate at the bottom uh lastly I know my pre-flight checklist for which driver assistant features I want to keep on or switch off depending on what roads I’m driving on how familiar they are to me whether I feel like I need them or not it’ be great for them all to be grouped together into one menu rather than having to hop between multiple menus and submenus to switch them all off otherwise the car makes a really really strong case for itself and put simply given the choice between a hasht one or hasht 3 I would take one of these but which one would you choose if you would like to see the brand new smart hash1 and hash3 for yourself then want to come down to one of our smart showrooms at smart of Hartford or smart of stevenage you can also book to take one of these cars for a test drive yourself I would highly recommend it the link that you need for that is on screen up here if you’d like to find out more about placing an order customizing and buying a brand new smart for yourself then check out the links that are in the description all of the information that you need is down there there lastly from me thank you very much for watching there’s still more to come from the smart family and I cannot wait to share that with you like And subscribe I’ll see you in the next one
2 Comments
It’s very good looking. Like the presenter.
Do you prefer this or the #1?