The first time most of us remember seeing a smart fortwo was when Patsy and Eddy from Ab Fab tore around the streets of London in one. The next generation of that car has now hit our shores, and I did more than take it for a spin around the city.

I recently had the pleasure of giving a fortwo 999cc cabrio a good work out for a week. Not only did it get me around town, but also a trip from Sydney to the Hunter Valley and back for a work conference. Driving up the F3 highway with the top down, baseball cap, sunglasses on with my college, Robert next to me, two good sized overnight bags and laptop in the boot -  it was quite sight I'm sure.

A special feature of the cabrio is that the roof can be operated at any speed, although try and avoid closing it with a head wind, as it will struggle to close. With the roof down, there is not a lot of wind noise and a conversation can be had with very little increase in the volume.

Where hills a problem? No. With only around 980kgs (that includes 180kgs of humans and luggage) the 52Kw engine easily kept us at 110km in 4th gear, and on the flat in 5th it just buzzed along.

Did we feel safe?
Yes. The tridion safety cell has proved itself time and time again and together with front and side airbags, Mercedes Benz ESP(r) and ABS make this one safe little car. Cornering quickly there was a little bit of lean, as the car is tall, but it still feels sure footed. Even passing trucks, there was very little buffeting of the car.

Were we cramped?
No. The new fortwo is 19.5 cm longer than the previous model. Inside the cabin 2 180cm blokes had ample room, with plenty of distance between shoulders and an amazing amount of leg room. Robert was blown away with the spaciousness and that after two hours driving was able to get out of the car not feeling tired and stiff. The new fortwo boot now has 220 litres, room enough for the goodies from a normal shopping trip.

Being a clutchless manual, you can either drive the car in auto, flicking the gear stick or using the paddles on the steering wheel to change the gears. The new fortwo also has hill start assist - the brakes will hold for a moment when performing a hill start; doing away with having the use a handbrake when having to perform a hill start.

By ANDREW KOCH

AUTO SPECS
Price - $22,990 - $24,990
Engine - 999cc 3-cylinder, 999c turbo 3-cylinder
Power - 52kW, 92Nm; 62kW, 120Nm
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Fuel: 4.7, 4.9