The smart #1 BRABUS regularly finishes at the top of our list of good value EVs. Here’s why.
The world of electric vehicles is a confusing one, even to an experienced car enthusiasts. You’ve got new and relatively unproven Chinese brands popping up like mushrooms after rain on the one hand and century old brands with alien designs on the other – all promising instant torque and overnight charging at home. Then arrives the smart #1, adding even more to the confusion and bridging the value gap simultaneously. Here’s what we mean.
Unlike all the Chinese brands, smart isn’t exactly new. Enthusiasts know of the brand and its affiliation with Mercedes-Benz. It has its roots in the 1990s as a rival to BMW’s revival of MINI but smart never quite found a decent business case for itself and it was forced to co-develop models with Renault for sale in the EU.
Then Geely entered the picture in 2018 and a plan fell into place – a Chinese engineered MINI EV rival with Mercedes-Benz design DNA and European heritage. Thus the new smart #1 was born with the perfect mix of value for money and premium branding.
In Malaysia, there’s an additional layer of confusion to address. This brand is Sino-European, but distributorship is handled by PRO-NET, a subsidiary of Proton. However, if you want to buy one, physical retailers are NOT Proton showrooms, but a mix of Mercedes-Benz branches (like Hap Seng in Balakong) and other independents. To make things simpler, there’s the Hello smart app where you can book your vehicle directly.
About The smart #1
Is this a Mercedes-Benz product? Well, no. Styling and interior material choices are from Benz, and so is the branding. Manufacturing and engineering is supplied by Geely and this is a combination in the car market that works. Geely’s SEA platform, electric motors and rare Nickel Manganese Cobalt battery chemistry lend the #1 some class leading performance, but we’ll get to that later.
The smart #1 is about the size of a MINI Countryman and even shares some of its styling cues – dual tone paint job, short overhangs, rounded wing mirror caps, gently curved bodywork and an upright, bulldog stance. It has a youthful look and feel to its interface with 3D animations featuring a fox mascot (perhaps to rival MINI’s Spike). Besides that, it’s available in three variants – Pro, Premium and BRABUS.
We tested the BRABUS and were quite pleased with what was on offer. It has a 0-100km/h time of just 3.9 seconds and 22kW AC charging. This combination alone sets it apart from anything offered by Chinese rivals in the mainstream. Range is decent but not particularly impressive at 400km, but this is on the WLTP cycle, so it’s actually pretty competitive for a car of this size.
Strengths of the smart #1 BRABUS
The smart #1 BRABUS might be most unexpectedly fast cars on the market right now. In fact, our pricing analysis showed that it was one of the best performance per Ringgit EVs and we definitely felt it in our test drive. As we mentioned above, 0-100km/h takes just 3.9 secondds and that puts it firmly in supercar territory in terms of raw sensation of speed.
Of course, things taper out very quickly you hit the invisible barrier of 180km/h unlike any other supercar. To be fair, few EVs can go any faster than that and Malaysians have no business going that fast anyway, so if we’re focusing on the performance that matters the most, the #1 BRABUS is an absolute win in terms of performance per Ringgit. Only the BYD Seal and the all-wheel drive Tesla models outdo the #1.
The design work is also top notch. There’s an undeniable MINI-like charm to the exterior with EQ-inspired headlight and taillight design, plus the interior falls in line with something from Mercedes-Benz from the last generation.
Build quality here is absolutely solid, proving that the marriage of Geely’s production and Gorden Wagener’s design team was the right one. It’s clear that some daring choices were made, perhaps some were too radical to be found on a product bearing the three-pointed star. Air cond controls, for instance are completely hidden away unless called for. In our climate, this isn’t the best thing, but it does make for a very clean and minimalist cabin look.
Importantly, the 22kW AC charging capability sets it apart from any of its price rivals, allowing the car to be fully charged at home in just 3 hours with the right hardware. Few vehicles under RM200,000 or even RM300,000 offer this kind of charging capability.
The Hello smart app and in-car interface also are strong reasons to consider this vehicle as integration with most of the country’s charging infrastructure is already integrated with the UI.
There’s also something to be said about the value proposition. BYD and Tesla are young brands that see themselves more as battery producers and tech companies first and car companies second. smart is still in the top 3 in terms of value while still having a brand lineage that traces its path back to the 20th century.
It may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but the smart #1 BRABUS is the only legacy brand selling EVs at this price while delivering a decent amount of range and top notch power.
Are There Reasons To Avoid The smart #1 BRABUS?
I still don’t think any EV can replace a petrol or hybrid in a single-vehicle household. There will be times when an outstation trip with family might become unnecessarily difficult to plan in such situations. So that’s the blanket rule to follow.
However, if you’re in the market for one of the fastest, most fun EVs in the market, the #1 BRABUS makes an excellent case for itself. Mercedes-Benz looks, uncompromising build quality and construction, decent range, fast AC charging, taut handling all work in its favour.
You’ll have to overlook a couple of things though. The Fox mascot, hidden AC controls, hidden side mirror controls within the digital interface, and some other weird quirks here and there clearly show Geely’s influence over the smart brand overshadowing Mercedes-Benz’s. That being said, these quirks are really minor and don’t really hamper the ownership experience at all.
smart #1 BRABUS Specification
Motor: Dual Permanently Excited Synchronous Electric Motors, AWD
Battery Capacity: 66kWh
Range: 400km
Max Power: 428PS
Max Torque: 543Nm
Top Speed: 180km/h
0-100km/h: 3.9s
Price: RM249,000
