Smart acceleration whoosh is an absolute joy [Video]

Smart is back. You might remember its first incarnation in the 1990s, when it was a match-up between Swatch, which wanted to apply watchmaking design cues and manufacturing processes to the motor industry, and Mercedes parent company Daimler-Benz.

The result was the tiny Smart fortwo, and later the more generously proportioned Smart forfour (the Smart name came from the S in Swatch, the M in Mercedes, and the word ‘art’).

Although it carried on until 2019 in other countries, the brand was removed from sale here some years ago. Now, in a new tie-up between Mercedes and Chinese car giant Geely, which also is behind Volvo and Polestar, the Smart returns only as an electric car.

The first model to go on sale here is the awkwardly named Smart #1 (and yes, they call it the hashtag one), in four trim and power variants. Pro, Pro+ and Premiumall offer 6.7-second acceleration to …