This slightly-larger sibling to the smart #1 would be doing battle with the Tesla Model Y and Volvo C40.
Now with the smart #1 being the rather strong seller it is over here, it was only a matter of time for the Sino-German marque to think about bringing in another model to bump up its local lineup. And while not officially confirmed yet, it has nevertheless been strongly implied by its local distributors recently that the newly-launched larger #3 might well be en route to Malaysia within the next 11 months.
So what can be expected from this new fastback crossover? Well, starting from the dimensions first, this larger model measures 4,440 mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,600 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,785 mm. To put these figures into context, the #3 is about 130 mm longer but interestingly 36 mm shorter and 22 mm thinner than the #1.
And while conveniently on the topic of the #1, the #3 retains much the same blobby aesthetic as its smaller sibling. In fact, there could be the argument that smart had essentially took the #1 and set the photocopier at 110% when it came time to designing the ‘shark nose’ face of this new #3.
Things are nevertheless slightly more distinct between the two cars in the profile of the #3, with it sporting the prerequisite swoopy stylish silhouette for a crossover coupe. Though in what is can only be described as a masterful bit of design by Mercedes-Benz, looking past the rakish window line to the sheet metal on the roof does actually reveal for there to still be a rather tall and boxy, which certainly bodes well for rear headroom.
Other design touches on its side worth highlighting on the #3 are the smart emblems situated just aft of the front wheels on its wings, with there expectedly to be a selection of alloys (including some rather steampunk aerodisk style items) on offer depending on the trim level. Its rump on the other hand features an almost identical LED lighting signature as on the #1 and a cheeky roof spoiler, with this crossover coupe to interestingly also net a rear wiper too.
Touching now on the previously alluded-to topic of trim levels, the #3 is currently offered in five variants worldwide: the Pro, Pro+, Premium, the hot BRABUS, as well as the limited 25th Anniversary Edition that celebrates smart’s 25th birthday in 2023. And without wanting to sound like a broken record here, the powertrain specs for this crossover coupe is almost identical to what is currently offered in its smaller sibling.
All non-BRABUS variants of this #3 for instance are all to be powered by the same single rear-mounted motor that outputs 220 kW and 343 Nm of torque as in the non-hot trims of the #1. This in turn sees for this fastback SUV to hit the century sprint mark in a more than adequate 5.8 seconds.
Powering said motor meanwhile for the #3 Pro is to be similar with the namesake variant in the #1, with it netting the smaller 49 kWh LFP battery pack that is only rated for a WLTP-claimed range of 325 km. All subsequent higher-end trims of this crossover coupe instead will pack a 66 kWh NMC pack, which is unsurprisingly identical to the one found under its smaller sibling too.
Interestingly however, the Pro+ variant is rated to be good for 435 km on the WLTP test cycle, while both the Premium and 25th Anniversary Edition nets another 20 km of range despite featuring the same battery size. This slightly better range on the higher end trims is attributed to the use of silicon carbide tech in its inverters.
That same technology is also to be applied in the BRABUS trim, but the twin motors it packs for its combined 315 kW and its subsequent lightning-quick 3.7 second century sprint time also means that this hot variant gets the worst WLTP-claimed range among the trim levels of 415 km. In any case, all #3s can be charged at 150 kW DC and 22 kW AC for a 10% to 80% fill up in under 30 minutes and 3 hours respectively.
Moving along inside, the #3’s rather Mercedes-esque tri-circular central air vent cluster is complemented by a 12.8-inch central screen and a 9.2-inch digital instrument display. A heads-up display and full-length panoramic glass roof is also to be found in selected higher-end models of this smart, as are a wireless charging pad, interior ambient lighting and a 13-speaker Beats surround sound system.
Safety-wise, the Smart #3 is equipped with the Smart Pilot Assist ADAS suite that brings with it Adaptive cruise control (ACC) with Stop & Go function, lane keeping assist (LKA), blind spot detection (BSM), traffic sign recognition (TSR), lane change assist (LCA), traffic jam assist (TJA), highway assist, and a 360-degree camera system. Higher-end variants also get automatic parking assist (APA), as well as adaptive high beam (AHB) on its CyberSparks LED+ headlights.
Finally onto the biggest question of price, smart Malaysia has unfortunately not been forthcoming with regards to how much this upcoming addition will cost yet. Looking at the tentative retail price of the #3 in Europe that is in the region of €40,000 (RM 205,000) to €50,000 (RM 256,000), this curvaceous crossover coupe could well pull buyers away from the likes of Volvo’s C40 and even perhaps Tesla’s Model Y.
