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Hatchback
The Forfour is the best car Smart has built. Its four-seat layout makes it more practical than the rest of the company's range, which only have two seats.
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In addition, it’s the best Smart to drive, with composed handling, plenty of grip and accurate steering. It also has all the style the Smart brand is famous for, both inside and out, and the build quality is very solid. However much better the Forfour is than other Smarts, though, it still lags behind its best competitors in a number of areas. The firm suspension that makes for such good handling makes for a jiggly low-speed ride, and while most of the engines perform well, the 1.3 is best left alone. The big problem is price. The Forfour is significantly more expensive than most competitors and, because the car hasn’t been out that long, it’ll take time for used examples to come down in price.
Running Costs
Forfour ownership isn’t cheap. It was pricier than most competitors as a new car, and even though residuals aren’t all that strong, used examples are still rather expensive because the car is too new for depreciation to have really taken its toll. As a result, prices haven’t really come down all that much. It is cheap to run, though, and most Forfours will better 50mpg. Only the 1.3 and 1.5 petrols fail to achieve this, but both get close. Even the fiery Brabus gives an average of 41.5mpg, which isn’t bad considering its power and performance. The Brabus doesn’t fare as well on insurance, though, being in group 16. However, the rest of the range is more sensible, with classifications ranging from group 4 for the 1.0 to group 7 for the 95bhp diesel. Smart owners will also pay plenty when it comes to servicing, because the costs for routine maintenance are significantly higher than for most competitors.