Smart Face Lifts the Fortwo, But Will Anyone Here Notice?

Smart has updated the exterior of its sole model, the Fortwo. The headlamps now have LED daytime running lamps, the logo is bigger, and the lower front fascia has been resculpted. Ditto for the rear fascia. We're told additional colors will be available, and a leather interior now will be on offer. The car arrives at dealers in May 2012. With a brand-new and mechanically unrelated model on the way in the next few years—we've heard it will be built jointly with Renault, and that the French company will use the platform for its next-gen Twingo city car—Mercedes-Benz has no reason to address the issues that were really wrong with the Fortwo, namely its balky transmission. For now, the impossible semi-automatic transmission stays. (It's not in the unmercifully slow Smart Fortwo Electric Drive.) The Smart's fuel economy, at 34 mpg city and 38 highway, is equaled or bettered by any number of bigger, safer, more refined, more powerful, quicker, and less embarrassing vehicles. In our country, where fitting in parking spots on baguette-narrow, 18th-century streets isn't a requirement, the Smart has no real raison d'être. Still, in 2011, Mercedes-Benz took over Smart distribution in the U.S. from Penske, shuffling the dealers and putting some marketing money into the wayward brand. Below, the Smart's sales versus those of another pariah car, the now-discontinued Chevy Aveo. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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