My first few moments with the Smart #1 Brabus were filled with laughter. My two driving companions were bemused as I was cackling non-stop throughout our lap around the Pinnacle Kart circuit in Subang Jaya.

While the Smart #1 Brabus has as much pin-up potential as a picture of a pitted prune, its acceleration figures are deemed worthy among posterized supercars that plastered the bedroom walls of our younger days.

Smart claims it can go from 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and though I didn’t reach that speed on the go-kart track’s straight, the acceleration felt ludicrous. This wasn’t my first experience in an EV but the Brabus’ instant acceleration felt so enjoyable that you can’t help but be amused.  

When my driving partners took over the wheel, they shared the same comedic reaction as I did. Every single lap felt like an amusement ride as we slalomed and gunned the accelerator at the circuit.

Like many amusement rides though, it was fun while it lasted as we were about to take an overnight stay to Penang Island in Smart’s first-ever SUV.

Priming smartly

Historically, Smart is not quite a carmaker to be taken too seriously. Ideated by plastic Swiss watchmaker, Swatch, the original Smart car was a darling commuter concept but it was too niche and presented losses for its owner, Daimler-Benz.

The minuscule car would see an expansion lineup that included a 5-door hatchback, a roadster, and successors that were made in partnership with Renault. Yet, Smart remained unsustainable.

Eventually, Daimler would set up a joint partnership with Geely and the aptly named Smart #1 represented a new direction. It was a smartly designed (pun intended) crossover and Malaysia was the first Southeast Asian market to introduce it.

Also read: No more teasers - Smart #1 launched in Malaysia, from RM 189k, up to 428 PS/543 Nm, 440 km

Imported from China (CBU) by Pro-Net, a subsidiary of Proton, three variants were offered and for this 2-day media drive, the two higher variants were provided. We were assigned the Brabus (From RM 249,000) for the first day and the Premium variant (From RM 219,000) the next day.

Also read: B for Blistering: Smart #1 Brabus previewed in Malaysia - First in ASEAN, est. RM 250k, up to 400 km range

Our 2-day KL-Penang-KL trip began with a few laps around the Pinnacle Track in both the Brabus and Premium variants. Though the dual-motor (428 PS/543 Nm) Brabus felt like a roller coaster ride, the single-motor Premium (RWD, 272 PS/343 Nm) did not disappoint.

While it missed out on the freakish acceleration (0-100 km/h took 5.9 seconds in our review), it was still a joy to be on track. It was nimble around the corners and felt easy despite only having power sent to the rear. Both variants were enjoyable around the track but can this sense of joy be repeated out into traffic?

The set-off

Our journey from Klang Valley to our destination in Teluk Bahang, Penang would take 379 km. However, after hooning around the track with the other media, the Brabus only had 329 km of range so we had to pull over to recharge on the way.

Smart Malaysia provided us with a media charging plan with locations of the charging stations along the way but therein lies the issue with driving long-distance in an EV. You will need to plan your journey around your EV and sometimes there is the issue of the charger being unavailable or not functioning.

Unless you are under a time trial, driving an EV long distance would require a lot of patience and backup solutions which are not enjoyable. While our agenda was mainly free and easy throughout the journey, Smart Malaysia also organized an energy efficiency challenge for the media and initially, our team was up for it.

The first leg saw us trying to eke out as little battery consumption as possible by doing some hypermiling tricks like drafting behind a truck and staying within the speed limit. After what felt like an eternity of slow driving, we abandoned that idea since we are in what is basically the performance variant so we drove a bit more briskly.

I wasn’t behind the wheel during the initial hypermiling leg and sat shotgun in the front passenger seat. As my colleague did piloting duties, I was getting acquainted with the infotainment screen which was a bit overwhelming.

Taken aback

Being a Geely byproduct, the homepage of the infotainment is not the most user-friendly with too many things and animation going on. There is the fox voice assistant on one corner, a globe in the middle and in the case of the Brabus variant, a letter B acting as the home button which can be quite confusing.

The centrally placed 12.8-inch infotainment screen acts as the main hub for most of the controls including side mirror adjustment, climate control, operating the sunshade for the panoramic moonroof, and adjusting the front seats. There are physical buttons to operate the sunshade and the seats which makes placing them on the screen a little bit redundant.

Still, having other essential features like adjusting the air-conditioning through the screen is doubly distracting. Unfortunately, Smart fell into the same modern industry trap of having fewer physical buttons for the sake of minimalism. No joy was sparked.

The Brabus edition has an exclusive feature that plays an engine noise through the speakers with one supposedly imitating a V6 engine. Does it make it sound like I’m in a Brabus ICE car?

No. When accelerating, it produced a guttural noise but when at constant speed, it just droned annoyingly. We kept it turned off throughout the journey.

Overwhelming screen-centric operations aside, the Smart crossover is ergonomic and simple but not too minimalist like a Tesla Model 3 which is priced around the same ballpark. Elon’s child may have a stronger brand value but I would take actual indicator stalks instead of small indicator buttons any day.

Halfway through the journey, we decided to pull over to one of the suggested charging stations in Ipoh. When we left Pinnacle Kart, our Brabus had 83% of juice and upon arriving to recharge, only 31% remained.

Topping up to 80% took 40 minutes via a 100 kW DC charger and I decided to try out the rear seats next.

The Smart #1 is a compact crossover and would work well as an urban city EV. The rear seats can be pulled forward or back to increase boot space or rear legroom. Still, the crossover could only muster swallowing up two suitcases and a duffel bag so don’t pack too much if you intend to journey outstation in the #1.

Normally when a brand with a sporting pedigree like Brabus is added, you might expect some compromise in comfort. However, the Brabus feels quite pliant even over bumps.

Taller folks might feel discomfort with a crouch-like seating position but those around average height would not need to worry in that department.

As comfortable as the Brabus turned out to be, I wondered if there was anything else to justify the name besides the bonkers acceleration. Just as we were about to cross the Penang Bridge, I took over driving duties and found my answer.

On the track, I felt the same joy as any kid on a roller coaster ride but once the ride was over and it was time to head to the real world where traffic prohibited you from doing the same thing, that excitement disappeared.

Our navigation guided us to traverse around the twisty roads on the western side of Penang Island and it allowed me to try and see if the same track joy can be reproduced here. Unfortunately, it didn’t feel right and that nimble magic is gone. As I drove through the roads, I felt the same usual body roll I get in any electric crossover and nothing dynamic.

Switching to Brabus mode didn’t exactly add any joy either but admittedly there was light traffic and the roads were slippery from the rain. Besides, Brabus mode only adds more weight to the steering which already felt artificial to begin with.

As we pulled into our overnight destination, I felt the Brabus was merely just a faster version of a Smart #1 with the name of a historic tuner and nothing more. It is fast on the straights but the lack of "jinba ittai"-like handling spirit completely sucked the joy I initially felt.

Less power = More joy?

The next day, we switched to the Premium variant for our journey back to Proton’s Centre of Excellence (COE). Both the Premium and Brabus variants have similar features aside from the performance so most of the experience between the two is shared.

They are both (surprisingly) similar in comfort and since it has a single motor, the Premium variant is more efficient and should be better in the daily driving experience. As we had done a review on the Premium, I wouldn’t go to lengths about it.

Also read: Review: Smart #1 Premium - EVs are boring? Not this one

Still, I think the Premium variant has a lot more charm compared to the mature Brabus. With the sporty visual enhancements removed, the Premium has plenty of character to make up for its lesser power.

A few units have a “Styled by Mercedes-Benz” badge on the driver’s side which Smart Malaysia claimed was fitted by the dealers and not from the factory.

That MB connection is quite apparent not just in the design but in some parts of the interior as well. The centre console design is similar to the ones on various Mercedes-Benz models but it is the switchgear that felt more Mercedes-like.

While you could say it is stylistically similar to a Mercedes-Benz, the connection aside from the parts to the three-pointed star is as off as Proton’s connection with Volvo. Though some of the trims are familiar, it doesn’t exactly feel on par with a Merc but the fit and finishing are still of good quality.

Also read: No, don’t believe the sales talk, the Proton X50 is not a budget Volvo XC40

Challenge accepted

Before we left the island, we stopped by Smart Penang’s showroom for lunch and the winner announcement for the previous day’s energy efficiency challenge. The winning team returned an average of 13.6 kWh/100 km in the Premium variant while we recorded an average of 17 kWh/100 km in the Brabus.

Theoretically, the Premium variant could make it back to KL from Penang in a single charge so we decided to test that theory though there were no prizes to be given away. Before we left, we hooked up our car to the showroom’s charger and charged it to 90%.

With a range of 399 km, we thought it would be possible though that would mean limping our way to COE with some range to spare. This would not turn out to be the case as the journey down south always entails jams and we were caught in a massive one near Meru Tunnel.

It was around here that we decided to switch to the car’s navigation system and sure enough, it recommended us to charge on the way. We charged at Ulu Bernam with 12% remaining thus proving that a trip from Penang to KL in a single charge (at 90%) is not possible.

After charging to 40%, we dashed down to COE, entering Klang Valley with the evening rush hour traffic greeting our return. Living up to its name, this was a long drive but a pretty fulfilling one.

The biggest question remains, does the Smart #1 spark joy? In many ways, it is a darling and for a city EV, it hits the right spot. The Brabus gives you plenty of performance and some might prefer the sporty aesthetics which as it turned out, would be the most popular choice among Malaysians.

Also read: Over 500 bookings for Smart #1 in Malaysia, 60% are Brabus variant

EVs are still more associated with rich early adopters who would take them in as their third or fourth car. Having driven both variants back-to-back, it is the Premium variant that I felt to be the better and dare I say, the smarter choice.

For all those Tesla-matching figures, you would not be utilising the Brabus’ performance day to day. It sparked much amusement on the track, but when faced with traffic on public roads, it felt normal, almost underwhelming.

While some might counterargue the Brabus as the best of both worlds, its range meant it is more at home in the city than on the highway. The Premium might have a better range to go further and even if it lacks the power and the go-fast pizzazz of the Brabus, it has so much character that sparks a lot more joy between the two.