When one thinks of unconventionality in music and therefore, jazz, Dave Brubeck is usually the first if not one of the first names to come to mind. Take Five is obviously his most famous tune but Unsquare Dance is another one of his hits. The former word being one that can describe something that is unusual, irregular, not your average. In a way, all words that can describe the smart Automobiles brand. Their taglines of “Open Your Mind” and “Not Just Another EV” certainly play to the title of Brubeck’s hit tune.
Barring a brief stint some years ago, smart Cars is all new to New Zealand, certainly in its current guise! It is effectively a joint venture between Mercedes Benz and Geely Group, ownership is split 50:50 exactly. So what exactly does the offspring of these two motoring powerhouses look like? Combining the East and West, you get a Mercedes designed vehicle with the production and technological advancement of Geely. The end product is a brand that owns its unconventionality.
However, as smart is a new brand to New Zealand’s landscape. Let me take you on a little history lesson first. smart was born in the mid 1990s as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and swatch with the goal of making an urban city car that appealed to young people with its customizability and quirkiness. The famous ‘Fortwo’ microcar began its life in 1997. Then in 2019, Geely stepped up to the plate and smart was effectively reborn as ‘smart Automobile’. The #1 launched overseas in 2022 and it was followed by the #3 in 2023. The overarching message was the same though, smart is a brand “for those who think differently”.
Although the smart of today is a far cry from its European microcar predecessor, its values are now that of a ‘contemporary premium’ brand that focuses on ‘mindful technology’ for one. However, the approachability has been retained with smart still spelled out entirely in lowercase letters and the hashtag (#) based names to keep it trendy.
As you would have seen from the title, smart have launched two cars in New Zealand for now. These are the #1 and #3. The former is a small SUV aimed at young buyers while the latter is a coupe style medium size SUV. Both share plenty of “smart features” as smart NZ GM Arek Zywot put it. Items like the Halo glass roof which has 99% UV protection by the way, CyberSparks LED lights, smart AI companion, driver profiles, 5-star ANCAP safety and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 processors are shared across the range. Not to mention the funky ‘Easter eggs’ dotted around.
Like the smarts of old though, personalization is still a big part of the brand’s experience with 50 combinations on offer through 8 paint options on the #1 and 11 on the #3, both are available with two roof colours and two interior themes, this expands when you take the Brabus variants into consideration! Speaking of the Brabus cars, they bring unique interior combinations, badging, Alcantara, simulated engine noises and improved dynamics.
The range debuts in New Zealand with three trim levels for both cars, the PRO+, Premium and sporty Brabus variant. #1 PRO+ is the entry point into the brand at $64,990 while the Premium is $69,990 and #1 Brabus being $79,990. The #3 range begins at $69,990 with the Premium asking $74,990 and range topping Brabus at $84,990. While those numbers may sound pricey, reception has been warm with enough demand already generated that test drives are available even before the smart dealerships have been completed! These are expected in March.
GM, Arek Zywot went on to highlight the brand’s impressive warranty offering of 5-years/150,000 km and battery warranty of 8-years/160,000 km. Support for the brand will be provided through two sites, one in Auckland’s Botany and another in Christchurch. Two additional “shop in shop” smart sites will be offered through Mercedes-Benz dealerships.
With the presentation done with, it was time to get behind the wheel of the range and test out our street smarts! Our drive during the day would take us up to Auckland’s Northern Region where we would come off the motorway at Orewa and take the old highway up to Sculptureum which was our lunch stop. Following the lunch, we would change cars and do the same drive back down. The route would allow us to test the urban as well as open road abilities of the smart range with a healthy dose of cornering too. Good thing I was in the #1 Brabus for the first leg then!
On the motorway and in town, the #1 Brabus was composed, although it ruffled feathers of both bystanders and motorists alike as people craned their necks to try spot the badges. In this guise, it’s a new brand on our roads which certainly sparked plenty of curiosity on the drive. Though once the road got twisty, other cars had a hard time keeping up with surefooted Brabus, its simulated engine noise providing some additional liveliness to the drive. Use this in moderation though as it can become a drone depending on the the type of driving being done. After turning this off, we turned our attention to the 13-speaker Beats audio system and unleashed its 650W. An impressive unit, it had us experimenting with different equalizer and sound combinations, this was enough to work up an appetite! Good thing lunch was next.
In typical smart fashion, the unconventionality of the brand was right at home in Sculptureum, an art gallery with a variety of installments. Lunch was scheduled for the Rothko Restaurant on site, an artist who undoubtedly would have liked the brand for its irregularity as was expressed in many of his paintings!
Our menu was a set one with entrees and mains, the latter of which featured a beautiful T-bone steak and potato dish among others. Although not much of a seafood fan myself, I can report that the fish went down well with my colleagues. The site itself opens out onto a deck and then a lawn which featured our smart cars parked amongst a colourful art installation, although one could be mistaken for thinking the cars were part of said installation!
On the drive down, my Brabus keys were sadly taken away but exchanged with a #3, the larger of the two vehicles. The two cars may share Mercedes-Benz design influence but their silhouettes are rather different as are their characters. the #1 in its Brabus guise was a sporty, youthful EV while the #3 in its Premium form appealed to my mature side, encouraging a relaxing driving approach. The #3 is a nice place to be and I have to particularly credit its noise insulation for allowing even more enjoyment of the Beats audio unit. The exposed glass roof is not to my taste though as the New Zealand summer sun can be incredibly harsh but the strong UV protection does go a long way to making the cabin airy but comfortable.
With that, I returned to Armstrong’s facility in Mount Wellington, ready to take the #3 Premium away to review over the coming week.
Overall, the day presented an insight into smart’s history, its values and its plans for New Zealand. The brand are doing the unconventional where EVs are concerned, as visible through their styling choices. It certainly should be on your radar if you are a person doing the ‘Unsquare Dance, that doesn’t run with the pack, it rewards individuality and presents a certain boldness that sparks plenty of curiosity. And with the #5 on the way, you can be reassured that there’s plenty more to come from smart!
Thanks for reading! For more smart news and reviews, visit Tarmac Life.
Thank you to Arek and the team at smart New Zealand for inviting us for the day!
Words and pictures by Matthew D’Souza, unless specified.
