smart Smart #3

The former smart brand mainly featured two-door small cars and was sold in Mercedes-Benz dealerships. After the electrification transformation, there have been significant changes in the models, and there is also an independent sales channel. Among the three cars, the #3 has received high praise from many people in terms of driving experience. Out of curiosity, I went to test drive it to see how it performs.

The test drive car was a four-wheel-drive model with a dual-motor four-wheel-drive system delivering 428 horsepower. Just looking at the specifications, it's quite powerful. In actual performance, the absolute power is quite good. It shows strong performance within the legal speed limit, and subjectively, the power reserve feels quite ample. In Comfort mode, the power delivery is relatively easy to control, and the response to both small and large power requests is quite timely. There's also a linear increase process for large power requests. In Sport mode, it's more aggressive. The accelerator pedal is more sensitive, and there's basically no delay for large power requests, making the car ¡°dart¡± forward instantly. Subjectively, the power feels quite ¡°punchy,¡± yet it's still easy to control. During the test drive, when there was traffic congestion and the car was moving slowly, I deliberately tried it in Sport mode and didn't find it jarring. The smoothness is satisfactory. Considering its positioning, the overall performance is quite good, and it also performs relatively well among models on the same platform.

Let's talk about the chassis performance separately. In terms of comfort, the overall setting of this car is indeed quite ¡°robust.¡± Minor vibrations are somewhat dampened before reaching the cabin, which is generally acceptable. However, it's quite stiff for major vibrations. When encountering continuous bumps, there will be some jolts due to insufficient vibration absorption. When going over speed bumps, there's a certain sense of solidity, and there are no unnecessary movements. But overall, the ability to resolve vibrations is just average, and it feels quite bumpy. In general, it's a rather ¡°robust¡± performance. In areas with poor road conditions, it can indeed affect comfort.

The sporty performance deserves praise. The relatively robust vibration filtering does bring a good sense of sportiness. This car has excellent roll suppression. The response to center - of - gravity transfer is fast, and the limit is higher than expected. Subjectively, it feels very stable. Of course, it's not easy to explore the limit of this car on open roads, and it's recommended that everyone be cautious.

The steering feel deserves praise. In Comfort mode, the steering is relatively light at low speeds, and the increase in steering resistance with speed and steering angle is quite appropriate. The matching damping feeling is also good. In Sport mode, it becomes heavier, but the feel is still great. Additionally, the steering feedback of this car from the road surface is quite obvious. Even on slightly rough roads, the steering will be significantly affected, which is quite rare these days. The steering accuracy is excellent, and one can have confidence when taking corners. The front - end response and follow - up performance are both good, truly giving a feeling of a sporty car.

The brake pedal feel deserves praise. The connection between the electric brake and the mechanical brake is quite seamless. During daily driving, the pedal feel is quite firm, which is consistent with the overall character of the car.

The NVH performance is just average. The isolation of wind noise and road noise is relatively poor, while the isolation of ambient noise is okay. The isolation of motor noise is satisfactory. Overall, it's an acceptable performance and in line with the price range. It doesn't feel overly noisy.

In terms of the static aspect, the overall design of this car is quite compact. It looks smaller than its actual size. The front - end design is similar to that of the #1, giving an overall young and fashionable feeling. Of course, whether it looks good or not is a matter of personal opinion.

The interior looks quite fashionable. The three air vents reminded me of Mercedes - Benz. Again, whether it looks good or not is subjective. The workmanship is fine, but the materials used are not particularly impressive. It's the kind that looks good from a distance but not up close. To some extent, it inherits the tradition of Mercedes - Benz. The performance of the in - car infotainment system is okay. It has many functions, and the menu logic is easy to get used to. The smoothness is acceptable, but there's still a gap compared to the top - level performance in the industry. Additionally, if all the storage compartments in the middle are opened, the storage space is also okay, which is quite good for a small car.

The front - row ergonomics deserve praise. As an electric car, it's good that the seating position can be adjusted quite low. It's also easy to find a suitable position for the steering wheel. The seats are rather firm, but the wrapping is good, which is in line with its positioning. The second - row performance is just average. The space is barely enough, but the seats are still firm, the floor is relatively high, and the backrest angle is not very gentle, making the ride not very comfortable. The trunk space is okay for a small - sized SUV.

In terms of configuration, the configuration of this four - wheel - drive version is okay. It is equipped with driving assistance features, but personally, I don't think it's very meaningful for this type of vehicle. The test drive car had the Beats audio system as an option, and the sound quality is okay. Also, I've seen many people complaining about having to pay extra in the car's infotainment system for features like steering wheel heating. I personally think it's acceptable, as the price is clearly marked. If you don't choose it initially, there's still an option to add it later. As long as there's no hidden cost. As for the issue of pre - installed hardware not being available for use, it's quite normal. After all, even traditional car manufacturers have consumers share the cost of various configurations during the R & D process, so there's essentially no difference.

Overall, I think the performance of the #3 is commendable. As a smart car at this price point, it offers a rather ¡°robust¡± driving experience, which is quite unexpected. Of course, this ¡°robust¡± driving experience may not be suitable for everyone. Whether it's worth buying depends on personal needs. It's said that smart will launch two - door models later, and I'm quite curious to see what kind of driving experience those models will offer.

The car has a good-looking appearance, and I really like the ambient lights. The audio system is from the Beats brand, but it's not as good as the Beats Pill at home. However, it's still better than those in other cars. The power is strong, and it accelerates very fast. Since the car body is small, it's convenient to park, and it's easy to change lanes and make U-turns. It consumes a lot of electricity during normal driving, about 18.1 kWh. It needs to be charged once a week. It's relatively power-hungry. With 90% of the battery, it can run about 370 kilometers.
The automatic braking system is very useful. It's not only installed in the front but also triggered when reversing. Last time, when I was reversing, two kittens suddenly appeared, and the car stopped itself immediately. However, it's too sensitive and prone to false triggers.

It's been almost two months since I picked up the car, and I've driven 6,000 kilometers. Overall, I'm quite satisfied.
[Most Satisfied]
1. The exterior and interior are both very nice. I chose the most basic white car with a black roof, which is both good-looking and practical. The ambient lights are great and pleasing to the eye. Most importantly, my wife likes it.
2. The power and driving experience are good. There aren't many options for dual-motor four-wheel drive at this price point. From this perspective, it's quite cost-effective. When you floor the accelerator, it can make the girl in the passenger seat scream and grab your arm. Moreover, there's no gear lever in the way, and the column-mounted gear shifter is very useful.
[Minor Problems]
1. I encountered a charging problem right after picking up the car. The maximum current was only 14A, so a 7kW charging pile could only operate at half its power. It took one trip to the dealership to fix it.
2. Sometimes the charging gun can't be pulled out. This problem occurred after the repair. At first, it was with the Teclian charging piles, and later it also happened frequently with the home charging pile. I can only pull a small rope in the trunk to solve it. Later, I noticed that I need to unlock the car and pull the car door handle, then wait a few seconds for the car to react and disengage the electronic lock of the charging port before I can smoothly remove the gun.
3. You have to sit relatively upright so that the fatigue monitoring camera can detect you. This is also a problem that many owners have reported.
4. The car's intelligent system and the control via the mobile app aren't very user - friendly, but they are still acceptable.
[Car - Selection Process]
1. Due to the need for inter - city commuting for work (one - way 100km), my wife and I each drive a gasoline car, and we wanted to replace one with a pure - electric SUV. The budget for car selection was around 150,000, not exceeding 200,000.
2. First, I looked at the Leapmotor C11, but my family and friends around me had concerns about this brand. I also wanted to buy the high - end version of the BYD Song Plus EV Champion Edition. Although its cost - effectiveness was a bit lower, its high sales volume indicated it should be okay. During this period, I also looked at the BYD Yuan, Han, and the Deepal S7, but was not satisfied with any of them.
3. The Smart #3 is appealing to both men and women. Originally, it was beyond our budget, but the elders in my family were quite satisfied with this car, so they provided some financial support.
[Range]
The power consumption is 18 kWh in autumn and 22 kWh in winter. Calculated, the full - charge range is around 300 kilometers. In my one - way 100 - kilometer commute, over 70 kilometers are on the highway and about 20 kilometers are on the elevated roads, and I drive relatively fast on both.