The Smart Forfour is a supermini presented and produced by Smart over two generations. The first generation was marketed in Europe from 2004 to 2006 (four door, front engine) and the second generation was marketed in Europe from 2014 onwards (four door, rear engine).
The first generation Forfour was marketed only in Europe from 2004 to 2006 and in Australia as a 4-door, 5-seat hatchback, sharing its platform with the Mitsubishi Colt. After an eight-year hiatus, the second generation Forfour debuted in July 2014, sharing its platform with the forthcoming third generation Renault Twingo (four door, rear engine) and mechanicals with the third generation Smart Fortwo (two door, rear engine).
First generation (2004â€"2006)
Forfour Brabus (2005)
Forfour Brabus is a version of Smart Forfour with a turbocharged Mitsubishi 4G15 engine rated 130Â kW (177Â PS; 174Â hp), 27Â PS (20Â kW; 27Â hp) more than the Mitsubishi Colt CZT. The Brabus Forfour requires higher than standard octane fuel to develop full power. It can reach a maximum speed of 221Â km/h (137Â mph) and accelerate from zero to 100Â km/h (62Â mph) in 6.9 seconds. The Forfour was to be sold in the United States along with the revived Smart Formore vehicle.
Engines
The 1.5Â L (92Â 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 68Â PS (50Â kW; 67Â hp) or 95Â PS (70Â kW; 94Â hp).
Transmissions
Production
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 V40s 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 1.1Â L (67Â in3) to the four cylinder with power up to 80Â kW (109Â PS; 107Â hp).
The Smart Forfour was phased out from production due to slow sales.
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 US, and due to a surprisingly high popularity in the Forfour, former Mercedes-Benz exec Rainer Schmückle revealed that officials were considering relaunching the car.
Second generation (2014â€"present)
The second generation Forfour, jointly developed with Renault, is internally designated the W453 build series. Motor Trend reported the second generation Forfour shares approximately 70% of its parts with the third generation Renault Twingo. Smart CEO Annette Winkler has reported that the W453 will retain the second Generation Fortwo trademark hemispherical steel safety cell, marketed as the Tridion cell. The Fortwo will continue to be assembled at Smartville, and the Forfour will be manufactured alongside the Renault Twingo 3 in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. Smartville, where the W450 and W451 build series have been manufactured, underwent a 200 million euro upgrade beginning in mid-2013, in preparation for the C453 Fortwo. The new Forfour, along with the new Fortwo is set to go on sale in October, shortly after their public reveals at the Paris Motor Show.
According to chief development engineer for the C453/W453, Markus Rieder (who had previously worked on development of the Mercedes ML and GL SUV's), the Smart Fortwo and ForFour will be offered with a choice of manual transmission or double-clutch automatic â€" and nolonger with the Getrag automated manual. According to Rieder, both models will feature a wider track, overall width increased by 10 cm (over the 2nd generation Fortwo), improved ride and improved noise isolation.
For the forthcoming third generation, Autoweek reported that Daimler consulted with Ford to learn about Ford's 1.0 Liter turbo-charged inline 3-cylinder engine, in turn sharing information about its own Euro6 stratified lean-burn gasoline engines.
The launch model "edition #1" is a limited period version, unveiled in Tempodrom, Berlin. Delivery is scheduled to commence in November 2014 with the Forfour 52Â kW and 66Â kW models to follow in December 2014, and twinamic dual clutch transmission models in the spring of 2015.
Smart Fourjoy concept (2013)
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, 55Â kW magneto-electric motor, 17.6kWh lithium-ion battery, 22Â kW on-board 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).
Engines
All models are available with a 5-speed manual or 6-speed twinamic dual clutch transmission.
Electric version
A Smart Forfour has been converted into a plug-in hybrid by Lithium Technology Corporation and Zytek Systems. The lithium-ion battery can propel the vehicle up to 84Â mph (135Â km/h) and last on its own for up to 20 miles (32Â km). The engine is a combination of a 68Â hp (51Â kW; 69Â PS), 1.5Â L (92Â 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.
Daimler has confirmed it will produce an electric version of the Smart Forfour during the second generation of production. Production is expected in 2014, as a 2015 model year.
References
External links
- Official website
- Smart USA (official USA site)
Press kit:
- The new smart fortwo & forfour: Adding a new shine to a proven concept