One-time microcar maker goes after the Tesla Model Y with a tech-heavy family SUV packing up to 637bhp
Recently, we brought you road tests of a pure Mercedes and of a pure Geely, which got us wondering where this week’s road test subject sits.Smart, in its current form, is a joint venture between Mercedes and Geely, with production in China but engineering and development by mixed teams. That has so far resulted in the #1 and #3. Now it has come up with its third model, the #5 (yes, Smart is sticking with the hashtag thing), which arrives in the ultra-busy and ultra-competitive electric D-SUV segment, otherwise known as the Tesla Model Y class. In its current form, Smart has yet to set the sales charts on fire. It probably doesn’t help that many people still associate the brand with tiny city cars, and neither the #1 nor the #3 was a standout car – solid but unremarkable three-and-a-half-star products with pleasant but slightly anonymous styling. On paper, at least, the #5 could be a big step forward. Most testers were quite taken with the SUV’s chunky design, and it comes with some impressive technical trump cards. All but the entry-level version get 800V architecture, 400kW charging and a huge, 100kWh battery – the biggest in the class. We’re testing the long-range, single-motor version to see if it really can stand out with more than its specs and to find out how much of it is Geely and how much of it is Mercedes.
