The super small city car has moved back to the top of the ‘green’ charts with news that the engineers at smart have shaved 2g/km of CO2 off its official emissions figure so that the diesel engine now emits only 86g/km.
For several years the smart fortwo has been at the forefront of the emissions table, however with the latest generation of diesel engines sneaking up on the fortwo the engineers have been able to improve the cdi’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
A high level of environmental friendliness is an innate characteristic of the mart fortwo. The diesel model – the smart fortwo cdi – always underlined this claim with carbon dioxide emissions of just 88 grams per kilometre, the lowest figure worldwide for cars with a combustion engine. Now the smart fortwo is setting a new record with emissions of just 86 g/km, and fuel consumption of 85.6 mpg (combined cycle) in the manual “softip” mode which means that it keeps its title of CO2 champion.
The measures included an improvement in the vehicle’s aerodynamics. A reduction in ride height by seven millimetres, for example, resulted in improved rolling resistance characteristics.
Dermot Kelly, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Cars, said: “Our customers are proud to drive the vehicle with the lowest consumption worldwide, and we have been working hard to make our smart models even more environmentally friendly. “As a trendsetter we have to live up to the standards we set: the next level of sustainable drives is ready to go – the smart fortwo electric drive. From April this year, 100 drivers in London, the South East and West Midlands will be selected to take delivery of the latest-generation smart fortwo electric drive, and from 2012 the dream of motoring with no local emissions will become a reality for everyone.”
