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Mercedes-Benz must have had elephant-sized testicles to give the original Smart program the nod.
Whether through sheer arrogance or a healthy dose of old-fashioned bravery, the chrome-plated gunsight undertook the most radical automotive rethink since the Mini.
The new generation gets a bigger 1.0-litre petrol engine in 61, 71 and 84PS variants, and is now 20cm longer to satisfy US and NCAP crash testing standards.
Normally when a car grows up it becomes terribly dull and devoid of fun, but with the Smart, perversely, the reverse is true.
Stretching has allowed a longer wheelbase that endows the Smart with a cosseting ride and transformed handling. Where the old pushed wide, the new grips firm, carrying surprising speed through the turns. Mercifully, the steering rack has also been quickened, although we preferred the cars with power steering since it aided agility in the urban crawl.
We spent our time with the 71PS version that sprints to 60 in less than 13.3secs but averages an outstanding 60.1mpg. All three engines emit less than 120g/km of CO2.
Smart has persisted with a clutchless manual that now has five rather than six speeds. The old 'box was horrid, scuttling any chance of smooth progress with a sickening feeling of inertia on the upchanges. The new one exercises most of the old 'box's demons, offering a faster and smoother change, but we still prefer the manual shift to the auto mode.
Inside, the old S-shaped dash is no more, replaced by something more grown up and, alas, more conventional.
The two-seater Smart remains an expensive but fascinating offering that's now more worthy of your consideration - it just depends on how much you value the opposition's additional passenger carrying capacity. The good news is, however, with the old faults addressed, Mercedes' ballsy move finally stands more of a chance of paying off.
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