smart fortwo cabrio (W453)

2016 smart fortwo cabrio

When smart introduced the world the next-generation of their two-door micro-mini, the fortwo, and its larger five-door equivalent, the forfour, I have a clear flashback saying that these two cars are more than welcome to be part of their garages if spending a day with a ridiculously expensive sportscar is not part of their schedule but driving one of these will make people think you're less matured and more of a Bondying.

Well, it's been two years now and the new smart range has added a new member of the family and this time, it's the open-top equivalent of the new fortwo, the all-new fortwo cabrio. Starting at 14,305 Euros, the fortwo cabrio is probably one of the cheapest convertibles to own even if you don't care just how slow selling open-tops like these are and you don't care where will you drive this car, be it rain or shine, as long as you're "smart" enough to cruise on these. Get it? I said the "smart" part, didn't I?

Even though this is just an open-top mischief in the making, this is still a smart fortwo for Pete's sake. You still get a choice of 1.0L and the 0.9L turbo petrol engines and a choice of either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed double-clutch gearbox. Whichever comes first, you are more than welcome to play around with the car's rear-engine, rear-wheel drive layout that all smart cars get. At first, toying around with these cars because of its size is the most enjoyable part of having the fortwo cabrio but because it's a RR-car, expect the cabrio to have the similar behavior as an open-top Porsche 911. Nothing says mild but menacing in a different sort of way, huh?

As long as you don't see anyone in their big, expensive, sportscars driving by, the new fortwo cabrio is a nice city car to get used to it but if anyone saw it coming, they will come by laughing at you like jocks bullying nerds on recess, so don't try to pick em off, unless if you get through tight spots that those big sportscars can't because its size makes a big advantage in squeezing through tight places like little kids crawling through ducts. At least, that's the kind of stuff I'm talking about.

Like I said, the new Cabrio starts at 14,305 euros and if you can take advantage of other extras in store for this car, it can be somewhat a very classy city car for the masses indeed, despite its open-top character from the outside. Although not made to be a city car for the masses, the new fortwo cabrio is just one of the city cars that likes to squeeze through the crowd with ease.

Photo: Daimler AG