Smart's electric car might actually be... smart

I'll be honest. I don't really like Smart cars. The tiny two-seaters from Mercedes-Benz have always seemed heavy on design but light on value. For the same price that you pay for a Smart ForTwo you could easily get a car with more cargo space, four seats and fuel economy that's just about as good. On top of that, with their tall bodies, tiny wheelbases and a weirdly uncooperative transmissions the Smart's no pleasure to drive.

But by combining the ForTwo with a new electric drive system, Mercedes has finally created a Smart car even I can love. Compared to other electric cars, the Smart ED is genuinely cheap and, by getting rid of that balky transmission and noisy three-cyinder engine, it's really cool to whiz around town in.

NEXT: Smooth operator