Say hello to the world’s tiniest, series production convertible, the all-new – yet so familiar, Smart Fortwo Cabrio. It made its first public outing at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week ahead of a global launch in spring of 2016.
What separates the Cabrio from its Coupe twin is, of course, the roof arrangement with a fabric top that can be rolled back like a sunroof or fully folded into the tailgate together with the rear window and the two roof rails to turn it into a convertible – albeit a half-baked one, as the B-columns remain in place.
The canvas roof section is electrically operated taking about 12 seconds to be fully opened, with buyers having the option to choose from three different colors, including blue denim, red or black.
Compared to the outgoing Fortwo Cabrio, Smart says the new model boasts a 15 per cent improvement in torsional strength. It can be had with either a 1.0-liter three-pot rated for 70hp (71PS) or a 0.9-liter 3-cylinder turbo with 89hp (90PS), linked to a DCT dual-clutch automatic or, for the first time, a five-speed manual for those who prefer to work their left foot.
Expect a small premium in price over the regular coupe models when it goes on sale next year.
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