Brabus Gets smart With Hot Hatch Concept

By Feann Torr - 5/12/2005

The Golf GTI has been a runaway success for Volkswagen, so much so that the clones are already creeping out of the woodwork.

And you know what they say: imitation is the finest form of flattery.

Mercedes and it's subsidiary, smart cars, unveiled the Brabus smart forfour at the 2005 Essen Motor Show which wrapped up on Sunday, and for all intents and purposes it will provide Mercedes a means with which to cut into the Golf GTI's considerable slice of the hot hatch market.

The increasing popularity of fuel efficient cars (which are more often than not small) is also forcing many automakers to redouble their efforts as the competition intensifies, as the top shelf performance models that prop up the ranges of these small vehicles become even more integral to the overall 'image' car companies want to project.

So, what do we make of the newly released Brabus smart forfour? If smart is to be believed, the car is nothing more than a concept vehicle at the moment, but you can bet your bottom dollar that certain aspects of the car will eventually evolve into a halo vehicle for the smart range of cars.

"Findings from the development of concept cars such as this are regularly incorporated into the series production," explains smart. "This does not mean that a racing version of the smart forfour is soon to be launched on the market, however it ensures that all features found in the production cars have been thoroughly tested and proven."

Interesting comments, to be sure. Take that as a given that you'll see a 154kW turbo smart in the not-too-distant future, but perhaps without all the bells and blow-off valves seen in this concept.

There is already a smart forfour tuned by Brabus on the market, which outputs 130kW (177hp) and 230Nm, but it falls well short of the Golf GTI's 147 kilowatts of power and 280 Newton metres of torque.

And this is where the new Brabus forfour comes in, besting the Golf GTI's power outputs convincingly. And when it comes to performance cars, its the numbers that do the talking:

With its distinctive offset bonnet scoop and carbon-look 17-inch alloy wheels, the smart concept car shown at the Essen Motor Show generates 154kW of power from its turbocharged engine, a good seven kilowatts more than its potential rival.

Though smart is remaining tight-lipped about its performance hatch's peak torque output (which is strange, considering this is just a concept vehicle), it has qualified that the engine "exceeds 300 Newton metres".

So, with an expected 300-odd Newtons of torque and more than 150kW of power, smart claims the new concept will be able to reach speeds of over 230km/h, and will potentially outpace the highly revered Golf GTI.

And it's not just engine mods that boost the vehicle's performance. Smart's first car with more than 200 horsepower will also benefit from a fettled suspension rig to enhance its handling characteristics, and sitting on larger 17-inch alloy wheels with wider high performance tyres increase its levels of grip.

The chassis upgrades include what Brabus calls a "racing brake system" whose discs fill out the 17-inch alloy rims nicely.

A new master brake cylinder is also part of the conceptual Golf GTI rival from smart. With any high powered front-wheel drive vehicle, getting the front hoops to effectively transfer their power to the ground is a key issue, and Brabus has included a differential lock to ensure traction is optimal when the revs rise.

Of course, no Brabus-tuned vehicle would be complete without the German company's trademark bodykit upgrades, which the smart concept displays to great effect. As mentioned earlier, the offset bonnet scoop is a nice feature (which feeds air onto a flat(ish) mount intercooler, a la WRX), and when combined with the deeper front apron, quad headlights and carbon lip spoiler, the front end is transformed from a utilitarian-looking commuter into an angry sports hatch of tyre-frying proportions.

Brabus has even seen fit to include underbody aluminium shielding, the extremity of which can be seen at the rear of the car in the form of a rather stocky rear diffuser. The rear roof spoiler looks a little tacky, but, claims Brabus, enhances negative lift, while motor racing items such as the roll cage and Recaro racing seats (with five-point harness system) have been installed inside the car. While on the topic of the interior, Brabus made it abundantly clear that its concept car is about performance and not pampering. To use its own words "comfort is not of primary importance in this car." As such, there's no rear seats, and interior trim is virtually non-existent.

Volkswagen Golf GTI waiting lists have been common not just in Australia but in many regions of the world, such is the car's high desirability, and Mercedes is aware of this phenomenon and has made an overt attempt to attract the attention of such customers, evidence in this tough little concept hatch.

Though a road-based version of the Brabus-smart forfour concept wouldn't have the pedigree and heritage of the GTI, it certainly looks pretty nifty for a hot hatch, and together with the boosted engine and chassis could well give the rampaging GTI an itch that proves increasingly difficult to scratch.