Two Concepts to Preview Next-Gen Smarts with Four Doors, Dacia Inline-Threes

Imagine a world in which you—like so many Americans who aren't so into cars—had never heard of Smart and its piddling matchbox cars. Nobody had ever ranted in the YouTube comments with such vitriol about how deeply Smart cars offend them, and how people who buy the little two-seaters deserve the kind of scorn normally reserved for the Westboro Baptist Church. Now pretend that Mercedes-Benz announced plans for an all-new city car or two, which would be previewed as both a two- and four-door hatchback within the next year. You might be excited to see the result. Unlike the Volkswagen Up or the Scion iQ, Benz's entry would be rear-wheel drive. Instead of extortionate lithium-ion battery packs giving power, like in the BMW i3, a rear-mounted, lightweight gasoline engine would keep the Mercedes city car priced at the bottom end of the market. We'd be really excited. But that would require you to to forget the original Smart, and how vigorously its crappiness urged you to call it the Dumb. When the two concepts debut this auto show season—some time between Frankfurt in September and Beijing next April—however, you'd be best off to forget about the original Smart completely. Just remind yourself that the Fortwo wasn't for us—it was for Rome and Milan, Paris and Amsterdam, and Barcelona. First Drive: 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Coupe and Convertible Instrumented Test: 2013 Fiat 500C Abarth Prototype Drive: 2014 BMW i3 The new Smart Fortwo model, due in the summer of 2014, will retain the rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout of its forebears. Other than that basic setup, it'll be all new. Daimler still will get turbocharged three-cylinder engines developed by Renault for its subsidiary Dacia, even though plans to rebody the Smart as a Twingo have been scuttled. The engine should allow for actual acceleration, while a real transmission—possibly Benz's dual-clutch gearbox, possibly Renault's, possibly none of the above—will allow for forward motion to occur without glacial pauses for gearchanges. A four-door version, which was a prime demand from American Smart dealers, will add practicality. Yes, you read that right: American Smart dealers had big influence in the upcoming models. In spite of the widespread contempt for the current two-seater, our country has become one of the largest global markets for Smart. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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