The cleanest fossil-fuelled production car in the world, the smart fortwo CDi has once again extended its lead over the competition.
Already a long way ahead of the competition, smart has cut the diesel-powered fortwo’s emissions down to 86g/km of CO2.
Its nearest rival is the hybrid-petrol Toyota Pruis with emissions of 89g/km CO2. Unlike the Prius though, the little fortwo is solely reliable on its diesel engine to frugally use fuel and achieve its impressive emissions level. Diesel rivals include the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic and SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive which both have emissions from 98g/km-more than 10g/km more than the smart fortwo.
If you are really counting the CO2, then you’ll note that this latest reduction brings the smart down 2g/km from the emission level of the old model with an official 89g/km of CO2. Fuel consumption now stands at 3.3 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres in the manual “softip” mode.
To further reduce the smart’s environmental impact, engineers focused on improving the vehicle’s aerodynamics. A reduction in ride height by seven millimetres, for example, resulted in improved rolling resistance characteristics.
Marc Langenbrinck, Managing Director of the smart brand says: "We continue to work hard to make our smart models even more environmentally friendly. The smart fortwo cdi – the past and the present CO2 champion – is proof of this. And the next level of sustainable drives is ready to go: the smart fortwo electric drive has already been proving itself in everyday use in London for three years. Series production of 1000 vehicles started in November 2009. From 2012 the dream of motoring with no local emissions will become a reality for everyone. Lots of people are talking about electric drive – but we already have it on the road. This confirms smart’s role as a trendsetter – ten years ago as the first true city car and now among electric vehicles. With its fleet smart has an excellent position with regard to corporate average CO2 emissions."
