Smart Brabus
Geely SEA platform dual motor (Brabus). 66 kWh battery, all-wheel drive. Brabus performance variant.
Brabus rocket
428 hp, all-wheel drive, 3.9 s to 100 — the Brabus #1 is absurdly fast for a Smart. Drift mode included; a genuine performance SUV.
Vehicle Weaknesses 7
Early vehicles (pre-mid-2023) have a faulty OBC that fails completely at Tesla Wallbox Gen 3 and certain openWB stations. The vehicle can become stranded. Revised OBC available as a warranty replacement.
Recall TBR24003-2: The rear left seat belt buckle can open unintentionally when the rear bench is fully occupied and during abrupt driving situations. KBA recall, repair free of charge in approx. 30 minutes.
In the ADAC evasive maneuver test, the Smart #1 rear end broke out sharply when lifting off the throttle abruptly in fast corners; ESP intervened too late. Fixed by a software update (available as OTA from April 2024).
The infotainment system freezes when scrolling in the map view or switching to Google Maps satellite view. Reported to occur roughly every 15 minutes. Workaround: 10-second reboot via the power button.
Without battery pre-conditioning, DC charging power drops below 60 kW at 35% SoC in winter (instead of 150 kW). Range simultaneously falls from ~450 km in summer to 250–280 km on motorway driving.
First recall of the Smart #1 (KBA ref. 012747): eCall receiver not fully compatible with Galileo/EGNOS satellite system. Fixed via OTA update, no workshop visit required. 636 vehicles affected in Germany.
Creaking noises from the body appear when driving over speed bumps or at an angle on parking ramps. Usually the tailgate, door seals or interior trim panels. No safety risk, but irritating.