2006 smart crosstown Review

Specifications

Inspired by the Jeep Wrangler or Mini Moke?

In the days leading up to the IAA, the air in Frankfurt (and the
automotive community) was electric, as usual. It was crunch time for
manufacturers, as they were on a mad race to put the finishing touches
on secretive vehicles that were to be released at the very last second. 

One such vehicle that typifies short-lead development is smarts crosstown (lower case intentional), a new concept car that takes urban automotive fashion trends down to a diminutive level for a totally unique kind of inner-city transportation.

Life for this particular concept started out in a creative workshop where smarts designers were asked to conceptualize what the successor of the firms original fortwo city car might look like. Working up from ideas to blueprints, and then quarter scale clay models before crafting a fully operational example, the crosstown gained many new and unique features. It was decided by officials that smart would use this fortwo experiment as a show car, and work began on the full-size version earlier this year.

The crosstown, like most other smarts is a tiny vehicle, working to further the reputation of the company as a leader in micro cars. At 105.5 inches in length, with a 74.8 inch long wheelbase and equal width and height of 62.2 inches, the crosstown is perfect for traffic-logged city centers. By comparison, its only slightly larger than the fortwo, which is 98.4 inches long, with a wheelbase of 71.3 inches, a width of 59.4 inches and a height of 61.0 inches. Miniscule overhangs of 15.7 inches up front and 15.4 inches in back would make the crosstown an easy vehicle to park.

After canning the forfour-based formore, it seems likely that smart stylists still had a little bit of SUV-blood left over from the project still pumping through their veins. And while the crosstown has a low ride height and road tires, it embodies the look and feel of the popular and somewhat nostalgic Jeep Wrangler. Or maybe the tiny Mini Moke? From nose to tail the borrowed ideas are countless, like the flat-surfaced hood, round headlamps, retractable windshield and exterior-hinged doors (OK, the Mini Moke didnt have doors but the Jeep does). Theres even a convertible roof, though the crosstowns fabric cloth roof is electrically retractable.

But dont let this boxy baby fool you. Unlike the prehistoric Wrangler, the smart is a thoroughly modern and technologically advanced vehicle. As with all other smarts, the crosstown features the very smart Tridion safety cell system which mates a high-tensile steel structure to lightweight polymer panels, resistant to accidents as well as dings and scratches - both commonplace in the city. The result is a small car with the passive safety of a big car, plus the unique opportunity for owners to customizing their vehicles by replacing the polymer panels.

And while stylists were requested to visualize what the second-generation fortwo would look like, theres good reason to believe that the next generation fortwo chassis and components are lurking underneath the matte metallic green and titanium finished shell. The rear-engine layout is still kept intact, but increases in all dimensions signal important structural changes made to enhance passive safety as well as the dynamic driving character of the vehicle - a department where the original was lacking.

While it would have been easy enough for smart to rehash the exiting fortwos interior for this concept, theyve gone and redone the whole interior with a new, urban-chic look. Take for example the new, linear dashboard designed and styled with the North American market in mind; it uses a graffiti pattern rather than alloy or carbon fiber. The seats are trimmed in worn-look leather, the pedals styled like those of mountain bikes, and the three-bolt wheels mimicking those on roller blades.

A neat new layout that smart is exploring is a variable position center console that extends from the passenger side door to the middle of the
cabin. Its first purpose is to act as a locking storage compartment.
Its lid, however, features several switches which operate functions on the vehicle. The third purpose, when the console is in its central position, is to offer USB interactivity with devices such as PDAs and MP3 players.

Among any smart cars most appealing attributes, aside from trendy styling and space-efficient design, is minimal fuel consumption. The current fortwo cdi turbodiesel is a champ in this respect, and is the only non-hybrid vehicle (on sale in Europe, Canada, in some states via a third party reseller named ZAP, and some other markets around the world) to edge out miserly gasoline-electric hybrids. The crosstown should pose some serious internal competition, however, as it is a hybrid. A full working battery pack and electric motor system has been added to the crosstown increasing performance without taxing the cars economical benefits.

The crosstown started out life as just another design exercise, but evolved into something much bigger. While its unlikely that the second-generation fortwo will be remotely similar in appearance, a limited production series or a spinoff model similar to the crosstown shouldnt be ruled out. smarts dwindling budgets could either mean that this tough-looking city car gets the green light or doesnt even make it off the show stand, depending on whether the powers that be choose to go bold to attract attention to the brand or rather play it safe and conservative to save money. But the former might be more true to character. After all, smart gave the windshield-less, door-less crossblade the go-ahead, so why not this one? Whatever happens, the crosstown is yet another example of how big things can happen, even if grounded by small dimensions.