Mercedes-Benz & Geely's new Smart #1 is an extremely grumpy electric crossover

Smart has finally unveiled the first car of its new era, and surprise surprise - it’s an all-electric crossover. It’s even called the #1. Has a rulebook ever been so closely followed? It’s even been reading the carmakers’ thesaurus with references to "shared experiences", and "lifestyles".

Anyway, time for some tech specs. The #1 is what Smart describes as a Mini Countryman-sized compact SUV – it’s just over 4.2m long and those wheels are 19-inch units. At launch there’s a single powertrain option, with a 268bhp electric motor driving the rear wheels and being fed by a 66kWh battery. Range is between 420 and 440km on the WLTP cycle, and it’ll accept a 150kW DC fast charge for a 10-80 per cent top-up in less than 30 minutes. 

The interior clearly borrows from the Mercedes parts bin (although it’s worth remembering that Geely is also involved in the venture), but there’s a smart-looking minimalist design, a large 12.8-inch central infotainment screen and a neat 9.2-inch digital instrument cluster. 

Smart also says that the #1 will get “a range of driver assistant systems” and there’ll be an “intelligent companion” which uses AI-based voice control to perform a load of functions for the driver. 

Design-wise, there’s plenty of glass and that floating roof is pretty cool in our eyes, but is anyone else seeing grumpy faces from both the front and rear lights?