August 8th,
2003
smart
leaves competition hehind
IN the "New Car Honours 2003" recently
published by British magazine Auto Express, the smart cabrio and smart
roadster come top in their respective categories, ahead of competitors
like Daewoo Matiz and BMW Z4.
The testers at Auto Express especially praised its compact dimensions with the spacious interior, its handling and the outstanding safety package with ESP and ABS as part of the standard specification. The Daewoo Matiz and Ford Ka come second and
third.
Philipp Schiemer, vice president of marketing and
sales at smart said "We are very proud that our two current models
– so to speak our whole current product range – have done so well in
an independent expert ranking. The fact that the smart roadster has
outstripped models of renowned suppliers really shows how much fun our
cars are to drive." Auto Express awards the "New Car
Honours" once a year. The team of experts test all the vehicles
nominated in everyday service and at the end of the assessment they must
unanimously agree on the winners of the various categories.
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Mercedes’
hyper-fashionably named small car without a capital letter, the smart
cabrio took first place in the category "Best city car".
The
smart roadster left the competition behind in the category "Best
roadster" and relegated the BMW Z4 and the Porsche Boxster to
second and third place. The smart roadster thus wins the "New Car
Honours 2003" even before it is launched on the British market! The
Auto Express testers are full of praise: "The smart roadster is one
of the most exciting sports cars to hit the sector in years. (...) A
simply brilliant back-to-basics sports car." 