Fire up the...Smart ForTwo

IT'S a question lots of recession-ravaged motorists are bound to be asking at the moment. Just how smart is it to buy a Smart?

Leaving out the likes of Mazda's MX-5, the MG TF and all the other sporty roadsters tempting you in showrooms across Britain this summer it's hard to think of a car under £20,000 that offers you just the two seats, and I've often wondered who is actually buying Mercedes' most miniscule motor when I see it sneaking up on the nation's parking spaces.

The tiny City Coupe, now named the ForTwo, is still the staple of the Smart brand after the sporty Roadster and the larger ForFour were dropped, and having driven it's not hard to see why it's still proving a hit with anyone looking for a quirky take on the small car.

Get past the cute curves and the smiling grille - the styling's a bit of an acquired taste but it's hardly ugly - and the first thing that strikes you is the quality of the interior, which feels remarkable airy and spacious for something so small and blessed with an interior that despite looking slightly plasticky has a feeling of quality, and you'd sitting in either of its two seats you almost instantly forget the back window is just inches behind you.

It's also a bit of a hoot to drive, with the Tiptronic transmission on the version I drove proving surprisingly good fun once you've mastered it, and the steering has a quick nimbleness to it which defies the car's narrow stance.

The best bit is the hum from the three cylinders strutting their stuff behind you and working 83bhp to the rear wheels, because it sounds delightful when you're driving it.

It's a fun thing to be at the helm of, but I still wouldn't buy one, because Toyota's IQ has moved the game on by offering the same sort of thing for the same sort of price, but with the huge bonus of back seats. The clever thing to do would be the offer the next generation of the Fortwo as a four seater, and steal the small car crown back.

It's still smart to buy a Smart, but for now it's smarter still to buy the tiny Toyota.