smart Cars have hit the ground running where their New Zealand operation is concerned. They’ve brought two models, the #1 and #3, each available in a Pro, Premium or Brabus trim. They now have dealerships across both of the country’s islands, orders have been taken and the first few cars have already been delivered to their owners!
There’s been much talk about many of their models thus far with my personal favourite being the #1 Brabus. However, most of the buzz around the brand’s presence here comes from their range topper which also happens to be their fastest offering available in the country, the #3 Brabus. When smart offered me the keys to review this, I couldn’t say no!
Having reviewed the #3 Premium before, I sort of knew what to expect from the Brabus, at least when it came to the design. Even though the two share similar design cues when it comes to things like the silhouette and LED lights, the cars look quite different. The Premium trim is all about luxury and my review car at the time was specified in a timeless black and white colour scheme, the wheel choices in particular eluding to that of Maybach. Remember of course that Mercedes-Benz are responsible for the design of these smart cars while Geely take care of the platform/production.
The Premium does offer you a lot in the way of luxuries and yes, applying the Brabus logo to the #3 does take its price tag slightly closer to six figures but the changes are more than skin deep.
A selection of Brabus specific paint options firstly set apart the car from the rest of #3 range. Here, my review model came in an eye catching matte grey with red accents aplenty. Speaking of the red, if you missed the badge, that’s a tell tale sign that is no ordinary #3. The colour is used liberally around both the exterior and interior, highlighting some of the sportier accents that come with the top spec model. Note the beefier brake calipers, larger Brabus specific wheels and extended roofline spoiler just to name a few!
That aside, the dimensions are still the same, it measures in at 4.4m long, 1.84m wide and 1.55m tall so it sits somewhere between a hatchback and crossover. Some might even say it’s a shooting brake based on those windows! Either way, there’s no denying that this is a thing designed with aerodynamics in mind, looked at that bubble like roof and the door handles which fold flush with the car, no wonder it only has a meagre drag coefficient of 0.27!
The sporty theme continues into the interior where red flashes accentuate its Brabus treatment. Contrast stitching on the door cards, seats and steering wheel set the tone of performance. That is further accentuated by the use of Alcantara and red fabric on the seatbelts. Aside from that, the interior feels very much like the #3 which isn’t a bad thing, it’s well made, premium feeling and relatively practical. However, my gripes come in the form of the integrated headrests which lacked the ability to be adjust according to the driver’s height. The ambient lighting as well offers a plethora of colour choices but can reflect onto the windows/mirrors at night, making it hard to see, although it does a good job at accentuating the housing around those Beats audio speakers.
Like many new cars, the #3 tends to rely heavily on its infotainment screen which serves as the command centre for everything from the air conditioning controls to the safety systems. It’s quick to respond so no complaints there but to someone unfamiliar with the user experience, it can appear busy and confusing to operate. I for one kept forgetting that the ‘B’ represents the home screen shortcut but once again, these things should fade with familiarity.
What doesn’t fade though is the #3 Brabus’ performance, it’ll do the 0-100kph sprint in 3.7 seconds. That is mighty quick by anyone’s standards, let alone the fact that its price tag comes in under six figures. If EVs have done one thing well, it is to make performance accessible and the #3 Brabus certainly does this well in a straight line!
It shares the same basic 66kWhr battery that the other models employ but by upping the capacity of the motors, this one will put out 315kW and 543Nm! Predicted WLTP range is something like 455km although in a real world test, 400km is a more reasonable expectation. Watch out for using its Brabus mode and ‘Rocket Launch’ features though as while cool, they do consume quite a bit of electricity! That aside, if you trundle around as you would, 15-16kWhr/100km can be expected from an efficiency standpoint.
Although this is the Brabus model so I don’t know why I’m going on about efficiency and range! Yes, the #3 is rapid in a straight line but then again, many performance EVs are. Based on my experience with the #1 Brabus, I was expecting it to be equally as entertaining in the corners but it didn’t deliver quite to the extent, maybe it was down to the extra length and weight. The surge of power means this can be quite a tricky vehicle to steer around the bends, it didn’t feel quite as “surefooted” as the #1 if I’m quoting myself and can certainly understeer in the hands of an inexperienced driver. Still, the addition of a well tuned soundtrack adds some flavour to the drive.
The Verdict
#3 Brabus sees the addition of a host of upgrades both in design and in performance. It maintains smart’s distinctive styling while adding a further touch of exclusivity thanks to Brabus. Serving as the brand’s New Zealand flagship, it does a good job at winning those traffic light drag races but on a twisty back road, it isn’t quite as fun as the smaller #1 Brabus, that’s still the winner for me.
2025 smart #3 Brabus: 4/5
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Car courtesy of smart Cars New Zealand and Armstrong’s. Words and pictures by Matthew D’Souza.
