SMART #1 BRABUS

Have they put this lunatic in a straitjacket before its UK arrival? Course they haven't

- MATT PRIOR 

TESTED 8.8.23, SURREY ON SALE SEPTEMBER

The Smart 'Hashtag One' Brabus felt badly under-tyred when we first drove it (28 September 2022). It rode on eco rubber yet had traditional Brabus levels of performance - an inappropriate if hilarious 422bhp for a 0-62mph time of 3.9sec. We also thought its suspension was insufficiently focused given the poke.

Well, Smart has since put the #1 on Dunlop SportMaxx rubber. And while I can't vouch for any subsequent suspension changes (I didn't drive it last year), if they did go looking for composure, I'm not sure they've found it. The #1 Brabus is still a bad and dangerous cute crossover; a Jelly Baby with a chainsaw.

To recap, the #1 is the first EV from the Mercedes-Benz and Geely joint venture that is the new Smart regime. It's made in China and rides on a platform that will underpin the Volvo EX30 and many other EVs.

It starts at £35,950 in front-wheel-drive, 268bhp form. That's called the Pro+, just like the caffeine pill, although widening your eyes and giving you sleepless nights is more the £43,450 #1 Brabus's speciality.