Smart #5 electric car presented: Top charger
Smart is entering a new segment with the #5. It offers plenty of power and equipment at a comparatively low price.
(Image: Smart)
For a long time, the infrastructure was in the lead, but now it's getting tight: the Smart #5 should be able to charge with up to 400 kW. German charging points usually stop at 350 kW. Although there are already charging points with higher output, these are currently the absolute exception. However, the Smart#5 should not only shine with a short peak value. The brand is also making a financial offer that looks like a challenge.
18 minutes for 10 to 80 percent
Manufacturers are clearly learning every year in the field of electromobility. One thing we have learned in recent years is that informed customers are not dazzled by brilliant peak charging performance alone. Such a value raises expectations that can too easily lead to disappointment. For this reason, the time it takes to charge from 10 to 80 percent under ideal conditions has become established as an additional specification. Less than 18 minutes should be enough for the #5, provided the version with the large battery has been selected. This has a usable energy content of 94 kWh. This means that the vehicle charges a net 65.8 kWh during this time, which corresponds to an average net charging capacity of just over 219 kW. Charging losses are added to this. This puts Smart pretty far ahead.
Smart #5 außen (6 Bilder)
Smart
)Plenty of power even in the base model
Smart will offer two batteries and four drive systems in the #5. Even the basic "Pro" model has 250 kW of engine power. Only here will a lithium iron phosphate battery be used, with an energy content of 74.4 kWh. Smart promises a range of 465 km in the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). It can be recharged with up to 11 kW from an AC connection and a maximum of 150 kW from a DC connection. The 70 percent between 10 and 80 percent charge level, which is important in practice anyway, should be recharged in 30 minutes. This corresponds to 52 kWh and an average net charging capacity of 104 kW. The charging capacity of the base model is therefore significantly lower than what the others offer. When asked, Smart confirmed that the manufacturer is relying on a voltage level of 400 volts.
400 and 800 volts
All other versions have an 800-volt platform and the large battery with a nickel-manganese-cobalt cell chemistry. This increases the DC output to 400 kW and the variants can also charge faster on alternating current. Up to 22 kW are possible. Depending on the equipment, the range with the 94 kWh battery is between 540 and 590 km. There is also a big increase in engine power. The "Pro+" and "Premium" lines have a rear engine with 267 kW. "Puls" and the limited "Summit Edition" version with its all-wheel drive achieve 432 kW. In April, Smart plans to present a Brabus version that will be even more powerful. In the provisional equipment list, the heat pump is only listed from the Pulse version upwards – It is possible that it will only be available for an extra charge in the few expensive variants.
Smart #5 innen (11 Bilder)
Smart
)Bigger than ever before
Smart wants to gain a foothold in a new segment for the brand. The #5 has less to do with the manufacturer's original idea than any model before it. The SUV is 4.69 m long, making it roughly the size of a Mercedes EQB or a Genesis GV70 Electrified. The wheelbase measures 2.9 m, which should provide plenty of space. The trunk also has plenty to offer with 630 liters. There is also a front storage compartment, which is 72 liters in the rear-wheel drive models and 47 liters in the all-wheel drive models.
In terms of infotainment, Smart is moving away from the very playful interface of the smaller models with the Smart OS 2.0 operating system. The first pictures only show the expensive equipment lines, in which a passenger display is standard. At its heart is a comparatively fast but already outdated processor from AMD's 2020 Ryzen Embedded V2000 series. The manufacturer does not specify the exact model – up to eight Zen 2 cores are possible. For some equipment lines, Smart has enlisted the help of Sennheiser for the sound system, which includes a 1.2 kW amplifier.
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Prices: A challenge to the competition
The Smart #5 will be available to order from the end of April. The prices are likely to put some of the competition under pressure, including the Mercedes EQB. The already well-equipped basic model of the #5 will cost 45,900 euros; the "Pro+" variant will be offered from 50,900 euros. Premium and Pulse appeal to different potential customers – one version is luxurious, the other has significantly more power. The price is the same at 55,400 euros in each case. The "Summit Edition", which is only available temporarily, costs 56,900 euros.
This is undoubtedly still a lot of money and yet these prices are nothing less than a declaration of war. After all, you currently pay at least this amount for similarly sized and similarly equipped cars with a combustion engine. If you want to at least come close to the same performance, you usually have to expect considerably higher prices. An incomplete selection for orientation: A Peugeot 5008 officially costs at least 43,140 euros, the new VW Tayron, the successor to the Tiguan Allspace, 45,475 euros. At Skoda, the Kodiaq is available from 42,990 euros and the slightly smaller Enyaq from 44,400 euros. Tesla currently offers the Model Y from 44,990 euros. All of these prices are likely to come under pressure, as Smart offers plenty of power and extensive equipment for similar money. If the brand hasn't been grossly negligent in tuning the vehicle, which is unlikely, it would be surprising if the #5 were to be a flop.
(mfz)