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Smart cars are the perfect tiny zip-zappers for city-wide escapades, but they’re not exactly anything we’d consider exhilarating—until now. Legendary Mercedes-Benz tuner Brabus set out to change that, with a surprisingly mean-looking Ultimate E Facelift, which is the latest chapter in the tuner’s tradition of tuning the tiny electric cars. This means that the tiny EV now has more power and looks the business—just don’t expect to get any nods from typical sports car owners.
We’ve seen other attempts at making the tiny car go fast, but most of them feature full-on engine swaps. Brabus’ tune gets the job done, albeit modestly, via selectable driving modes on the Smart EQ ForTwo. The Eco setting includes heavy regenerative braking to recoup power. Sport mode sharpens pedal response and lowers braking regen to standard levels. The Sport+ setting is where all tiny hell breaks loose, as peak power reaches 92 horsepower and torque jumps to nearly 133 pound-feet. Combine that with the car’s rear-wheel-drive layout, instant torque, and a one-speed transmission, and a good time is a guarantee.
Sure, that’s not a lot of power, but it doesn’t have to be for such a small car. The tiny Smart can do zero to 60 in 10.9 seconds, which is considerably faster than the standard car’s time of 11.5 seconds. Plus, this little car is more for handling than acceleration or top-speed runs. Speaking of which, Brabus says the car’s top speed remains 130 km/h, or around 81 mph. In the process of adding that amazing power, Brabus also made the car more efficient, and range is up to nearly 78 miles from the base car’s 57. Elsewhere, Brabus gave the Smart its WIDESTAR body kit, 18-inch wheels with high-performance tires, upgraded suspension, and a leather interior from the company’s “in-house saddlery.”
As cool as it is, we won’t be seeing the Ultimate E Facelift on this side of the Atlantic, as Mercedes-Benz stopped importing the Smart EQ Fortwo electric car after the 2019 model year, which followed the company’s decision to stop importing the gas-powered Smart Fortwo two years earlier.
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