Smart #5: brand's largest car yet rivals Enyaq with 348-mile range
Off-road-styled #5 electric SUV is by far Smart’s largest and most potent car yet
Smart has revealed the #5 as its biggest model yet – an EV that will attempt to win over buyers of large SUVs with its off-road character.
Revealed in Australia (a market in which Smart is keen to grow), it comes with a 100kWh battery that is good for 348 miles of range and, thanks to an 800V electrical architecture, can charge from 10-80% in just 15 minutes.
A smaller battery version will join the range after the car launches in Europe next summer.
It sits on the same Geely SEA2 platform as the smaller #1 and #3 crossovers, the #5 measures 4705mm long, 1920mm wide and 1705mm tall – a similar size to the new Peugeot 5008, although it’s not a seven-seater.
While retaining a lot of Smart’s modern design cues, such as concealed door handles and rounded edges, it differs from the rest of the line-up by swapping angular headlights and a singular light bar for a boxier, more rugged look.
One of the big changes comes inside, where dual 13in OLED infotainment touchscreens dominate the dashboard. It uses an evolved version of Smart's UX system; like siblings, it too gets an animal avatar, this time a lion.
Meanwhile, the driver gets a 10.3in digital instrument cluster, up on sibling cars’ 9.2in screens.
It also introduces a new 25.6in augmented reality head-up display. Another unique feature of the #5, aligning with its outdoor adventure focus, is that all of its seats are designed to also function as makeshift beds.
Power figures haven’t yet been released, but details published by the Chinese government in June suggest that it will top out with a 637bhp dual-motor model, again using the Brabus nameplate.
That would outpunch the most potent version of the smaller #1 and #3 crossovers by more than 200bhp and be beefier than even the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Kia EV6 GT electric sports SUVs.
A dual-motor version with 579bhp and single-motor, rear-wheel-drive cars with 335bhp and 358bhp are also expected. Which models will be sold in which markets remains to be confirmed.
The #5 will be launched in two guises, Premium and Summit Edition, the latter adding a roof-mounted light bar, an electric trailer hitch, underbody protection, side steps and a roof box.
The #5 is tipped to land in the UK priced from around £35,000. Pricing for certain markets, such as the UK, are set to be reviewed later this year given the threat of EU import tarrifs on Chinese-made EVs.