smart #5 launched – larger C-segment SUV with DC fast charger up to 400 kW, CLTC range 740 km
Four months after it was first introduced as a conceptThe smart #5 has finally made its world debut in Australia. The brand’s third production SUV is its largest ever, dwarfing its iconic four seater city car
Even next to #3#5 is huge – at 4,705mm long, the car is 265mm longer than the next-largest smart. In fact, it’s longer than rivals like Hyundai Ioniq 5 (4,635 mm), Honda CR-V (4,691 mm) and even for China only long wheelbase BMW iX1 (4,616 mm). Speaking of wheelbase, the #5 is particularly long at 2,900 mm, although it’s 100 mm less than the Ioniq 5.
Despite its size, the #5 appears to only seat five. Although the boxy design has many similarities to the seven-seater Mercedes Benz GLBsuch as the upright front end and vertical windows – after all, both cars were designed by Mercedes.
The front and rear are characterized by square headlights and taillights connected by a transparent strip, which houses rectangular light clusters – including along the aforementioned strip. Lower down, the middle part of the bumper protrudes outward, creating the appearance of a bumper and adding to the rugged look of the #5.
Along the side, you’ll find gently flared fenders and a curve in the window line that leads into the thick, upright D-pillars that house the Smart badge. Two-tone rectangular door mirrors and a triangular front fender garnish add visual interest, while typical high-end Smart features like pop-out door handles and frameless windows have been combined with a Rolls-Royce-style ‘floating’ centre cap that stays upright when the car is in motion.
That’s not all – buyers can opt for the Summit Edition 5, which comes with the Adventurers’ Collection, a full suite of off-road accessories. This includes a roof rack, side steps, cargo racks and ladders, and some underbody protection. You also get a roof-mounted light bar and electrically retractable tow hooks (the car has a towing capacity of 1,600kg).
Inside, Smart has maximized the space inside the #5 with a distinctive rectangular dashboard that houses no less than three large screens – a 10.3-inch instrument cluster display and a 13-inch AMOLED touchscreen in the center and front passenger with a 2.5K resolution.
The screen uses a redesigned “Crystal Prism” interface with a new lion avatar (called Leo, replacing the fox and cheetah avatars in #1 and #3 respectively) and dynamic 3D graphics built on the Unreal Engine. They run on a new AMD V2000 chip that’s said to offer nearly twice the computing power of Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8295. There’s also a voice control system that incorporates generative AI, although smart hasn’t provided any details about the AI model it’s using.
Also equipped with a 25.6-inch augmented reality display, ambient lights that flash to the music playing and Sennheiser Signature 20-speaker sound system. The later version features a center speaker that protrudes from the console, as well as a portable speaker that can be used in conjunction with the built-in 1080p projector.
Elsewhere in the cabin, you’ll find optional oak veneers and Nissan-style “zero gravity” seats that recline up to 121 degrees, upholstered in leather with a distinctive V-pattern. The rear seats feature reclining backrests and a “one-touch comfort mode” that increases legroom, presumably by pushing the front passenger seat forward. The boot is a whopping 1,530 litres, with an additional 110 litres of underfloor storage, plus a 72-litre front boot.
smart is keeping quiet about the #5’s specs, saying only that it will come with a 100 kWh battery, giving it a range of up to 740 km on China’s extremely generous CLTC cycle. Expect the WLTP figure to be much lower – smart claims a WLTP range of over 550 km for the Concept #5.
The 800-volt architecture (a first for a smart device) enables “4C super-fast charging technology.” This is a China-specific term that refers to a charging input that is four times the battery capacity, so the #5 should support DC fast charging up to 400 kW.
Power output has yet to be revealed, but Apply on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT) Earlier this year, Tesla listed four powertrain options, starting with a single-motor rear-wheel-drive model with either 340 PS (250 kW) or 363 PS (267 kW) outputs. The power output is likely to be matched by the battery size, which is also said to include a 76 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) option.
There’s also an all-wheel drive version with two conventional motors producing 587 PS (432 kW), while the Brabus model will continue to top the segment with a whopping 646 PS (475 kW).
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