Sports Package

“Spikeline” 16” alloy wheels with 205/45 R16 tyres, 3-spoke leather sports steering wheel, steering wheel gearshift (aka paddles).

Softouch

Softouch is an automatic gearshift programme.  Standard on the Smart roadster 80bhp and 101bhp, the gear changes are designed to respond to varying driving characteristics. And if you need extra revs for overtaking, the kick-down function allows you to change down one or two gears spontaneously. Simply press the accelerator pedal to the floor. And if you want to take the gear changing into your own hands, you can switch to Softtip and change gear manually – without the need for the clutch, of course.

Sound Package

Standard on Brabus models.  On the roadster this package consists of upgraded door speakers, and tweeters in the panel below the front windscreen.  Some early ForTwo models required addition of a circuit board to the radio header unit, this was never the case with the roadster.

Safety plus package

Side airbags, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, front fog lights.  Note: All these were also available as individual items.

SAM - Signalansteuer und Auswertemodul

The signal control and evaluation module SAM - is the electronic brain of the Smart roadster. SAM is networked with all important functions in the car and can control and monitor these for you.

SAM has already been busy before you turn the ignition key and start the engine. On-board diagnosis is performed in a fraction of a second. The car will only start when everything is functioning smoothly. If any minor irregularities are detected which, however, do not affect the safety, they will be saved in the memory. The next time the car is serviced at the garage, they are analysed and corrected, if necessary.

SE Package

Metallic paint, dashboard instruments, sports pack.

Smart

S=Swatch

M=Mercedes

ART = Exactly that, an artistic statement in automotive history.

You’ll often see it written as “smart” without a capital letter,  here is why and when that changed:

19th July 2005

With the launch of the new Smart ForFour Brabus, the DaimlerChrysler-owned smart importer is ‘radically’ altering its UK business plan for the future after five years’ operation in the UK, and also now endows the brand with a capital ‘S’ in place of its original ‘smart’ designation.

Smart Logo

Apart from the Smart name (all lowercase), the Smart logo features a 'C' for 'Compact', and an arrow for 'forward thinking'.

RC & RCB

Unofficial acronyms used by owners to mean “roadster coupe” or “roadster coupe brabus”.

Remap

The SAM control module is effectively a small computer, its’ program can be changed in order to increase performance.  Smart and Brabus have tuned the program to deliver a good balance between fuel economy, engine life, and overall performance.  Third party companies reprogram (remap) the software often to give the emphasis on performance usually at the cost of economy and debatably the engine life.  Smart sometimes upgrade the standard program, and during a service they may put their latest version of software in place as a matter of procedure, this could possibly erase any third party remap!

Sometimes remaps are custom programmed for your vehicle and your exact requirements, those tend to be the most expensive.  It’s not also about top speed performance, it can alter the acceleration curves, perhaps giving a car that performs better on motorways than before yet is not as smooth around town.

There are many forums that discuss the different types of remaps available, if you are considering this as an option then talk with existing owners.  You should not assume a remapped car is a thrashed car, it’s just as likely a standard model is thrashed, having the performance on tap does not mean it has to be driven flat out all the time!

New to Smart?  Need some help with the lingo?  Here’s a collection of commonly used terms and an explanation of them,  use your browsers FIND function if you are looking for something in particular.

ABS: Anti-lock Braking System. With EBD.

The Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) prevents the wheels from locking during emergency braking. This ensures that the vehicle remains steerable, regardless of how heavily the brakes are applied, and that the car does not swerve on varying road surfaces. The Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) between the front and rear axles optimises the ABS. In this way, you can steer safely and apply the brakes fully at the same time.

Acceleration Skid Control (ASC)

If the drive wheels are at risk of spinning on slippery terrain, ASC prevents loss of traction by deliberately braking the wheel with the most traction slip.

Brabus

BRABUS, founded 1977 in Bottrop near Düsseldorf, Germany by Klaus Brackmann and Bodo Buschmann, is a high-performance after-market tuning company which specialises in Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Maybach vehicles.

Their accessories are almost all hand-made, hence the expense!

Chargecooler

The Brabus has a Chargecooler where the hot turbo air is cooled by water instead of air (in the case of an intercooler) via a radiator thats completely enclosed.

Comfort Package

Cruise Control, trip computers (including stop watch, fuel consumption), rain light sensor, rain-sensing wipers and speed/average speed.

Cornering Brake Control (CBC)

When you take a corner, the load on each wheel varies. But CBC ( cornering brake control) distributes the brake force evenly over the wheels, so there’s no under-steer.  When taking corners, there is a varying load on the individual wheels. If you brake in a bend, CBC ensures optimal distribution of the brake force over the wheels. Keeping your smart on the right track.

De Dion Suspension

The De Dion system uses a sliding cross-axle tube to link the rear wheels together so they always stay vertical.  Among British cars, the Rover 2000 was one of the last mass-production models so fitted, but the Caterham Seven also uses a De Dion arrangement.

Electronic Brake Assist (EBA)

Smart can’t make up their minds, this is their alternative name for Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA).

Electric Power Steering (EPS)

The electric power steering EPS meets customer demands for maximum steering comfort, i.e. minimum steering wheel effort, especially when maneuvering. Here the force needed to control steering wheel is reduced by around two thirds. The boost power control is dependent on the vehicle speed and the force applied to the steering wheel; this enables almost linear control force over the whole steering wheel angle. The servo effect decreases noticeably at higher vehicle speeds. The electrical system has advantages as against conventional hydraulic power steering with regard to weight, required space, fuel consumption and it offers more versatility. The smart roadster and smart roadster-coupé have three and a half steering wheel turns between the limit stops.

Electronic Stability Programme (ESP)

The ESP sensors immediately sound the alarm when the car is in danger of swerving and recognise dangerous situations in good time.  ESP ensures that the smart always follows the direction in which the driver steers within physical limits. In addition to closing the throttle valve and opening the clutch, ESP also offers brake intervention acting on individual wheels. This makes the following additional functions possible: differential lock, anti-stall assist and brake assist as well as cornering brake control CBC (stabilisation during partial braking whilst cornering).

The sensor system senses the rotation rate around the vertical axis of the vehicle, the transversal acceleration, the steering angle, the wheel speed via ABS and the admission pressure generated by the pedal in the braking system. The information supplied reaches the ESP control unit in a few milliseconds, which, in turn, corresponds with the central computer (SAM) and the engine control unit MEG via the CAN data bus. A further electronic sensor monitors the level of brake fluid; the stop-lamp switch, ESP-OFF and hand brake supply additional information.

On the roadster you can switch ESP off, however for safety reasons only the drive torque regulation and the selective brake intervention during acceleration are deactivated. This enables the driver to call a certain amount of slip of the (rear) wheels via the accelerator pedal. However when decelerating the selective brake intervention for stabilising the vehicle remains

Engine Torque Control (ETC)

Prevents instability when changing down on slippery surfaces by slight automatic acceleration or disengaging the clutch.

Hill Start Assist (HSA)

With HSA you will never have to apply the handbrake again when pulling away on a slope. After lifting your foot from the brake pedal, the wheels remain braked for 0.7 seconds. This gives you enough time to unhurriedly move your foot to the accelerator without the car rolling forward or backwards.  However if the driver prefers to drive off in the conventional way with the help of the hand brake, the integrated switch deactivates the HSA.

If the drive torque called via the accelerator pedal is insufficient for the slope, ESP prevents the car from rolling away for longer than 0.7 seconds. In order to prevent this hill holder function from being wrongly used as a parking brake the function is aborted when the door is opened.

Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA)

If you step on the pedal very fast but not hard enough, Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA) will assist you. It initiates controlled emergency braking, thus generating the high brake pressure necessary for ABS control. Brake Assist can save you those vital few metres in a tricky situation.

Intercooler

Fitted as standard to all models except the Brabus ones, the Brabus has a Chargecooler instead.  The intercooler cools the air after it leaves the turbo, and before it reaches the intake manifold.  A flap on the underside of the car diverts air up into the engine bay and this cold air cools the hot turbo air through a radiator. The radiator also has a fan on it, you'll have seen it under the hood.

Leather Package

Leather sports safety seats with integral seat belts, seat heating.

Light Package

Daytime running lights and driveway illumination function (automatic interior and exterior lighting when car is locked and unlocked) - this package is not compatible with the rain/light sensor or comfort package.

   

MCC

Micro Compact Car GmbH - a subsiduary company of DaimlerChrysler.  One of the companies that lives under one roof called “Smartsville”.   The MCC smart GmbH was founded in April 1994 in Bienne in Switzerland as a joint venture between the then Mercedes-Benz AG, Stuttgart and Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Mikroelektronik und Uhrenindustrie AG (SMH), Bienne. Following the 100-percent takeover by the then Daimler-Benz AG in November 1998, the business activities were transferred from Bienne to Renningen in January 1999.

Parallel to this the former Micro Compact Car AG was renamed Micro Compact Car smart GmbH.

In September 2002 Micro Compact Car smart GmbH (MCC) was renamed smart GmbH.  The same month as the production line was started for the Smart roadster.

Site by Ian Summerfield

Note: These roadster pages are forever being added to.  Please email me pictures of your cars for inclusion and any corrections to the information contained.

Monoblock VI Wheels

17” Alloy Wheels.  Fitted as standard to the Brabus, Bluewave, Brabus Finale, and RCR models.

Runline Alloys

17” Alloy Wheels

Standard fit wheels on the Finale and Collectors Edition models of the roadster.

Available as an option for any model.

Smartville

The Smart production facility in Hambach in France. Opened on the 27th October 1997.  “Smart Mall”; the roadster production facility; opened in September 2002.

The facility houses other companies that supply parts for Smart:

Magna: Space frame; Krupp Hoesch: Rear powertrain; Bosch: Front powertrain, brakes, lights; Surtema (Eisenmann): Paintshop; Dynamit Nobel: Plastic panels; Unipart (YMOS): Doors; Mannesmann VDO: Cockpit; TNT: Logistics.

Administrative headquarters for Smart GmbH are located in Böblingen, Germany.  Pictures here are of the facility in Hambach.

Spikeline Alloys

16” Alloy Wheels

Part of the Sports Pack, also available as an individual option.

Available as an option for any model.

Spinline Alloys

15” Alloy Wheels

The standard wheel on the original roadster (not coupe).

Steel Wheels

15” Steel Wheels

The standard wheel on the roadster light.

Suprex

The Suprex Company designed the engine in the roadster on behalf of what was then the MCC Company.  A lean power pack - there's no excess weight on these cylinders. The 3 cylinder rear-mounted engine with turbocharger and charge air cooling weighs a mere 60 kg. In other words, lots of power, low fuel consumption and low CO2 emissions.

Tan Code

When adding or modifying some accessories the relevant piece of code in the SAM will need activating with a code that only a smart dealer can obtain.  The dealers will often charge for the service, anything from £50 to £100.  They take your chassis number, select the relevant option on their software, and then send off to the smart factory for a TAN code to enter into the software to activate the right piece of code.  it’s usually only a ten minute process.  Fitting accessories like cruise control would require a TAN code, so buying a stalk is only one part of the expense, the TAN code will stop you being able to do the whole job yourself.

TIK Pipe

The pipe that carries the air from the air filter box to the turbo charger.  Frequently subject to modification, larger TIK pipes can increase the air flow.  The TIK pipe of the Brabus is the larger of the three.  The 60bhp car the smallest.  Third party pipes are available for all models including the Brabus.  Smart owners often recommend this upgrade after a remap.  You should note, TIK stands for Turbo Induction Kit and is not a term recognised by Smart dealers, it is a term fabricated by the Smart community.

Trackline Alloys

15” Alloy Wheels

The standard wheel on the original roadster-coupe.

Tridion Safety Cell

The core of the car's safety is provided by the smart's "tridion safety cell," an extremely strong steel chassis frame structure that prevents anything from intruding into the cabin.  The sill and roll-over bar sections of the tridion are exposed.

The steel construction weighs just 192 kilograms.  Its sturdy architecture means there is no “scuttle shake” which occurs in some open top sports cars, even when driving on extremely rough roads.