Smart ForTwo 52 kW Coupe (2008)

But in urban Australia, the benefit of its tiny 2.69 metre length is not so redeemable.

In fact, the ForTwo’s vices outweigh its virtues.

Foremost among the latter is the automated manual five-speed gearbox, which is clunky and slow changing in the extreme.

The steering, while well weighted, is heavy at slower speeds and the ride is not as smooth as you might demand of a city car.

And you don’t expect dynamic handling from a design such as this, which is just as well.

But what you do get is a reasonable amount of active and passive safety gear, different styling and miserly fuel consumption, although our average of 7.5-litres/100 km was nowhere near the official ADR figure.

Where the little 999 cc coupe did surprise was on the motorway, cruising capably at 100 km/h at 3100 rpm, not much more than most other four-cylinder engines.

But overall, the ForTwo is more a case of smart by name, not so smart by nature.