We’ve lost count of the number of electric cars in Malaysia, and guess what? Here is another one – the Smart #1. It is pronounced as the “Smart Hashtag One”, and as you already know by now, it will be launching soon in Malaysia. Lucky for us and a few others, we’ve been given the chance to take a closer look at the car and even drive it for a bit. As for now, Smart Malaysia is only allowing us to share the exterior photos of the Smart #1 “Premium” with you. Yes, that is a reveal of one of the variants that will be offered in Malaysia.
To start off, let’s first address the fact that Smart is now owned by Mercedes-Benz and Geely Holding with a 50:50 split. So, the car gets a Mercedes-Benz design and a Geely group underpinning. It isn’t hard to see the “EQ” resemblance in the Smart #1 and the Geely underpinning is specifically the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) 2 platform, which is shared with the Volvo EX30 and the Zeekr X. It is quite an interesting combination.
Sharing the same underpinnings as the Volvo EX30, this means that the Smart #1 is smaller than the Volvo XC40, Mercedes-Benz EQA, and BMW iX1. It is compact, but the exterior design still manages to give the Smart #1 a somewhat menacing look. The Smart #1 measures 4,270 mm long, 1,822 mm wide, and 1,636 mm tall. Its wheelbase measures 2,750 mm long and the car has a ground clearance of 182 mm.
Speaking of the exterior design, the Smart #1 is an evolutionary jump from what we may remember from the earlier ForTwo, ForFour, Roadster, and ForMore. And it still manages to retain that distinctive “Smart” look. You can remove the “Smart” badges, and the Smart #1 is still unmistakably a Smart car. It is a fresh breath of air in a sea of EVs that tend to look interchangeable.
RELATED: Smart #1 undergoes 20,000km test ahead of Malaysia launch
Exterior highlights on the Smart #1 Premium include Cybersparks Matrix LED headlamps, integrated LED DRL, sequential turn signals, an illuminated front grille, illuminated electric door handles, luminous side logos, 19-inch wheels, a panoramic halo roof, and roof rails. Pay attention to the images that we have shared and you’ll also notice that the rear windows are already “tinted” from the factory as they are factory-fitted privacy glass.
What is special about the Malaysian-spec Smart #1 Premium is the illuminated front grille and luminous side logos, both of which are part of the decision made by the team that was sent to China in December 2022. There are more Malaysia-specific features, but we can’t quite share them with you just yet.
We’ve driven the Smart #1 and all we can say for now is that it is a decently comfortable experience. Just in case you were wondering, this small EV sports a MacPherson strut suspension set up in front and a multilink setup in the rear. It is tuned to be on the softer side while the Brabus variant gets a stiffer setup.
RELATED: New Smart #1 Pulse AWD variant debuts – 400km range, 0-100km/h in 4.5 secs
The Smart #1 is a small car, yet it feels assuring at high speeds. Its small size means it is naturally nimble and its sufficient power makes you easily forget that this thing weighs 1,800 kg. Speaking of power, no official figures were shared by Smart Malaysia, the UK-spec Smart #1 Premium 272 hp and 343 Nm with all power sent to the rear wheels. 0-100km/h is done in 6.7 seconds.
As for the EV numbers, the Smart #1 Premium (globally) gets a 66-kWh battery pack which provides 440 km of range. AC charging can be done at a maximum rate of 22 kW and DC charging can be done at a maximum rate of 150 kW. The former takes less than 3 hours to charge from 10% to 80% and the latter takes less than 30 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%.
RELATED: Tesla, Smart, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo will change how we buy cars in Malaysia
That’s all we can share for now without revealing too much of what Smart Malaysia will bring to the market. Globally, there are 4 variants of the Smart #1 – Pro+, Premium, Pulse, and Brabus. How many variants will there be for the Malaysian market? What would the price be? Let’s allow Smart Malaysia to tell their story as they prefer.
Yes, the poster child for EVs is now in Malaysia, but let Smart cook. As for now, feast your eyes with some photos of the Smart #1 Premium. We’re not allowed to share the interior photos just yet.
GALLERY
