smart #3 Brabus review: sporty, chic and smart

As we know, smart is now a joint venture between Daimler and the Chinese car manufacturer Geely. smart #1 Brabus, they are now bringing their SUV coupe to customers as a sporty Brabus version. We tested the smart #3 Brabus in everyday driving for you!

tl;dr: smart can be sporty

With the smart #3 Brabus, in addition to the compact SUV #1, there is now finally something for those who don't want to sit too high. As well as for those who prefer a sportier drive. The smart definitely fulfills this requirement. Even if you can't completely deny its SUV look. With modern technology, numerous assistants, and excellent workmanship, the #3 Brabus can prove itself to us. Of course, not to be completely neglected are the 3,7 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h. After all, not every powerful car can call itself a "Brabus," but the smart #3 definitely deserves it.

The Alcantara steering wheel proves right from the start that smart is serious again. With its 66 kWh batteryWith 62 kWh available, it can realistically travel 320 km under normal driving conditions. However, if you push it a bit, it will naturally be a bit less. However, thanks to AC charging with 22 kW or DC charging with up to 154 kW, this can be replenished very quickly. smart offers one of the best charging curves in its class. It also offers excellent cornering characteristics. The chassis has a sporty suspension and, while also offering comfort, sometimes the focus seems to be on sportiness.

We can recommend the smart #3 Brabus to anyone who can imagine a sporty SUV coupe as an everyday companion. Especially if you like the Mercedes interior style, which is undoubtedly instantly recognizable. The infotainment system responds quickly, although it might look a bit too gimmicky for some. Charging route planning is available, but it's somewhat underdeveloped. That means it does plan charging stations, but there are no filter options or information about whether they're occupied. It also seemed to us that it planned 11 or 22 kW chargers along the route. Smart needs to work on this; a major navigation update was supposed to be released this summer, but so far, it's been delayed.

Video report:

Design: Red with black roof, simply good

We had the smart #3 Brabus in a color combination that really suits the car. Red as the exterior color with a black roof and accents. Plus, the Brabus emblems all around. The sportiness is much more emphasized here than with the white we had on the smart #1 Brabus. Overall, the #3 Brabus simply looks sportier, which is probably due to its shape. Also not to be underestimated is the interior design, which was definitely inspired by Mercedes. The round air vents, three in total, can also be found in some significantly more expensive models from the manufacturer with the star.

The rims also look good and even have a Brabus logo stamped on them. Anyone who wants even more "Brabus" can also get a special "tuning kit" for the smart #3 Brabus from the Bottrop-based company, including lowering and the familiar Monoblock rims. It's nice that this isn't just a "Brabus line," but the manufacturer even offers a little more for customers. Among other things, the illuminated smart door sills can be swapped for ones with Brabus logo, but these tuning parts are only available aftermarket.

Interior: AMG greets you every day

When you first step into the smart #3 Brabus, you immediately notice the new Mercedes design language. But in a positive sense; nothing creaks or feels cheap. However, the door pockets could be padded; they're made of plastic, but they're extremely large in the passenger compartment. Unlike Mercedes, smart has completely dispensed with piano lacquer, which we definitely approve of. The three round air vents below the infotainment screen are quite reminiscent of the Sindelfingen-based company. Mercedes continues to be involved in the design of the new Smarts. So, it doesn't really surprise us, but it does surprise us that the quality here is sometimes better than in the EQS.

By the way, the center console is ventilated, meaning it can keep your drinks or food a bit cool even in summer temperatures. Everything a tech-savvy heart could desire comes standard. A head-up display, a Beats sound system, a driver display, and sporty Brabus seats are included. The 12-inch infotainment display is positioned upright in the center in landscape format, just like the one from the smart #1. Generally speaking, apart from the seats and the air vents, pretty much everything is similar. Logically, that's the case.

What we would also like to highlight is that the charging cradle for the smartphone is now finally in a different position. This means that you can reach it better when taking out your smartphone than was the case with the #1. The seats are pleasantly sporty, offer great lateral support, but are also comfortable to sit on for longer journeys. The trunk is also slightly larger than in the #1, it now holds 370 liters and by folding it down you get a full 1160 liters.

Infotainment: Stable with new features

Anyone who wants to use the infotainment of the clever #1 Once you've seen it, you'll immediately feel at home with the #3. It still uses an Android-based system, which is also easily updateable via over-the-air updates. During our test period, we received an OTA update ourselves, and the process was incredibly simple. Incidentally, the smart models now also support V2L with a dedicated adapter, meaning nothing stands in the way of the next electric grill season. As with the smart #1 Brabus last year, there are now wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which work well and have a very good resolution.

In addition to Relax, Wash or Pet mode, the system now also offers a few games to pass the time while charging. These are already familiar from the usual Teslas and other similar models. Nothing special, unfortunately we still have to wait for streaming providers such as Netflix and Co. However, we think that with the launch of the clever #5, one or two video apps will find their way onto the smart phones. That would at least be desirable.

Driving behaviour & loading: Sporty, with good (loading) cornering

The smart #3 Brabus doesn't just look sporty. Thanks to its coupe-like shape and slightly sportier seats, cornering is significantly better than that of the smart #1 Brabus. It handles quite precisely and well on almost any terrain. It's clear that Brabus had a hand in this. The suspension is very taut and sporty, inviting you to take corners a little faster. You also gain confidence in the car relatively quickly, at least that was the case during our drives. The brakes are very well tuned and are certainly capable of more than the 180 km/h limit would suggest.

In just 3,7 seconds, the #3 Brabus accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h, optionally with emulated engine sound, but this eventually becomes so sonorous that you'd rather turn it off again. Those who like it particularly fast can activate the rocket start in Brabus mode. At night, the ambient light flashes red like a launch pad. A friendly female voice starts a countdown in English from 3,2,1, 3, XNUMX and GO. Then you should release the brake as quickly as possible. This always brought a smile to our passengers' faces. Therefore, here is a recommendation if you ever drive the smart #XNUMX Brabus out ofproshould be beer.

Charging: Good charging curve

The charging curve is unchanged from that of the smart #1 or Volvo EX30. After all, they share a common platform. According to the data sheet, the peak power goes up to 150 kW; in our charging test, we saw the 158 kW more often than we thought. On average, the #3 charges up to 80% with 130 kW. That is a good performance, only at 80% do you notice a significant drop to 100 kW and then it gets less. So no problem at all for long distances. Our consumption was a good 17 to 18 kWh per 100 kmThat's a very good value for this vehicle class. A heat pump is, of course, standard on the smart #3 Brabus, which extends the range in winter.

Realistically speaking, the #3 Brabus can travel an average of 335 kilometers. That's more than enough for most people, as it can charge quickly for its class of vehicle.

Loading planning: Unfortunately still missing

Although already since the end of 2023proUnfortunately, smart still does not have a proper charging plan in its system. Nevertheless, a major navigation update has been released.pro, which was originally supposed to be released in summer 2024. This phase is now slowly coming to an end. We're curious to see when smart will fulfill its promise. After all, there are alternatives, such as Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity with various route planning apps.

Assistance systems: Simply good

Not really surprising, the smart assistants work quite well, as they do in many vehicles on the new Geely platform. A few finishing touches are still needed here and there, but the sign recognition has become truly excellent. The steering assistant is particularly impressive on the highway, but it only goes up to 130 km/h, which is quite solid for an assistant. The ACC, on the other hand, goes up to 150 km/h, which is perfectly acceptable in our opinion. The parking assistant works well and even offers the option of manually adjusting your parking space if you want to park a little differently.