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In-depth reviews

Smart ForTwo Cabrio convertible (2016-2019)

"The Smart ForTwo Cabrio is great fun around town on a summer's day but it lacks the all-round strengths of the more conventional choices in the city car class"

Carbuyer Rating

2.9 out of 5

Owners Rating

4.0 out of 5

Read owner reviews

Pros

  • No less practical than coupe
  • Great to drive around town
  • Pretty economical

Cons

  • Quite expensive
  • Just as small as coupe
  • Not suited to high speeds

The Smart ForTwo Cabrio is an unusual mix of city car and convertible, which means there isn't much else like it on the market. If you want a car of this size and the wind in your hair, the only other obvious options are the Fiat 500C, Citroen C1, Peugeot 108 or Toyota Aygo

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The ForTwo Cabrio is all about nipping around tight city streets with the extra dose of style that comes with the foldable fabric roof. The car’s steering and brakes are set up with the rigours of stop-start traffic in mind and the car's tight turning circle and compact dimensions make maneuvers in town very easy.

The car comes with either a 70 or 89bhp petrol engine and both are very economical. The more powerful engine suits the Smart better and is actually the cheaper of the two to run, making it the obvious choice if you can afford it.

Practicality is where you make the biggest compromise when buying a ForTwo Cabrio. There are only two seats, the boot is small and it doesn't perform particularly well on the open road or the motorway.

For many buyers, the ForTwo Cabrio will be a second car that's an economical, convenient and fun way of getting around town, especially when the weather is good. What's more, the soft-top version is no more expensive or any less practical than the ForTwo coupe.

For those who need their city cars to be better all-rounders, the Skoda Citigo, Volkswagen up! and Hyundai i10 perform better, are more refined at higher speeds and much more practical.

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Richard is a former editor of Carbuyer, as well as sister site DrivingElectric.com, and he's now Deputy Editor at Auto Express. Having spent a decade working in the automotive industry, he understands exactly what makes new car buyers tick.

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