Smart Car Roadster Video Road Test - Tiscali.co.uk

Don't be misled by the unpromising-looking 0-60mph time (11.5 seconds), because Smarts are always hamstrung in their on-paper performance by the sluggish getaway. That's down to the transmission, which makes things worse by its leisurely gearshifts. There's quite a lot of turbo lag, too, typical of a small turbocharged engine asked to deliver a big output (it's an impressive 117bhp per litre). In practice you learn to anticipate the lag and press the accelerator in advance of needing thrust, but the engine can be frustratingly slow to gather momentum after a gearchange. In fact, it provides surprisingly strong pulling power, the engine is very smooth, with a deep, sporty and slightly Porsche-like exhaust note, and you'll be surprised every time you hit the rather low 6000rpm rev limiter because the engine sounds as though it's revving at half the speed, as three-cylinder engines do. Ultimately the Roadster is slower than its obvious rivals (MG TF, MX5), but not disastrously so.