A "More Masculine" Smart Fortwo Makes Its Debut

STUTTGART, Germany — The new Smart Fortwo made its world debut on Friday with the news that an "uprated" Brabus variant is in the works for late 2007.

Smart insisted that its redesigned city car has a "more masculine appearance," although that might be a bit hard to discern by Americans used to the pickup trucks and SUVs that dominate U.S. roads. The Smart Fortwo will be launched in April and go on sale in the U.S. in 2008.

More power is on tap in the Fortwo's engine lineup. The 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine delivers 61, 71 or 84 horsepower. The engine power of the Fortwo CDI has increased by 10 percent and now stands at 45 hp. All engines are linked to a Getrag manual five-speed transmission. The gas versions of the Fortwo now have a maximum speed of 90 mph, a gain of 6 mph from the previous model.

The Fortwo has been stretched a bit, increasing 7.7 inches in length. The luggage compartment can hold 7.8 cubic feet, 2.4 more than the previous model.

The car has also been reworked to meet U.S. crash regulations. The instrument panel is no longer curved in an S shape, for example. Passive safety has been improved with new head/thorax side airbags.

© Source: original article on insideline