So I've owned my car for 10 months now and thought this would be a good time to, well, share my thoughts on the car!
So first things first, I bought this car as a cheap runabout. I needed something with 4 seats but still smallish, economical to own from all aspects, easy to work on and have low insurance.
I actually chose a 454 as a last resort after doing a months of research on other brands, then suddenly remembering that Smart made a 4 seater. That night I read enough to convince myself it was the right one to go for, and that weekend one was picked up.
Here's Pip the 454. She is a 1.1 pulse with comfort, sport and sound packs:
And to be honest I cannot lie, best car I've bought so far. She's been absolutely amazing over the last 10 months. I've taken her on long road-trips up and across the country with all rear seats stuffed, boot full and bikes on the bike rack and still been able to get 51 MPG with no issue. I've used her to move things from a flat into storage, carry a roof ladder:
And all the old worktops from my kitchen to the dump:
This car ticks all the boxes I knew I had and all the boxes I didn't know that I would have. The folding rear seats have just been an absolute godsend, making the car very flexible - 4 people can be seated comfortably with a good sized boot (and 5 with a bit of a squeeze in the rear, but less than expected given the size of the car!) or dropped to make a mini caverns worth of space. Point and case, my parents picked up a set of 229 cm long cupboard doors from my car last night. I had dropped the rear seats, moved the front seat back and reclined it and the doors fit in (with about 3 inches space to the windscreen). Parents Zafira (recent model) had to copy the setup and had only 5 or so inches of space from the doors to the windscreen. It is about a foot and a half longer. Talk about efficient use of interior space!
Drive wise its an absolute pleasure, the 1.1 block is so peppy and enjoyable to drive, the steering very positive and despite having some body roll there is also a lot of grip - this results in a very stable car that allows you to carry speed through corners effectively, really helping with progress and MPG if desired.
The suspension is stiff enough to provide confidence but soft enough to never be uncomfortable and very smooth on motorways.
Economy wise I average 54 MPG when not trying to save fuel, and 66 MPG when trying to save fuel. The trip computer I've found is 100% accurate on its MPG figures, but wrong in its remaining fuel in miles calculation. But that is of no concern to me
66 MPG on a petrol! Insane!
I've had many friends and family comment on how much they like the car for its looks, for its nippyness - this is both from passengers and drivers alike. In general the car has far exceeded everyones expectations.
I have had some problems with the car however. I needed to replace the gearbox due to a shot diff (~ £400), I had a noisy rear wheel bearing which I replaced using guides on the forum and I need to replace a shock I believe due to a knock, but to be honest the latter 2 are just wear and tear for a 68K miles car.
So after I move house this week the car is going to be treated to an early complete service, clay bar/machine polish and wax to get it shining and I'm going to deep clean the interior to say thanks. The workhouse times are over and now she can go back to being a standard small car to drive and enjoy.
All in all, Pip has quickly become part of the family and hopefully will remain for many thousands of miles
A clever car with clever designing behind it, continues to amaze and I continue to become more fond of it as time goes on. I love putting the arm-rest down on the motorway as much as driving on small country roads.
....the only problem is I really want a Brabus......but the gf wouldn't get insured on it
In the ideal world I would buy one and swap components over (sound pack and comfort pack mainly), but the world is not ideal....
