PrairieBoy Posted January 25, 2015 Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) ' thesmart.ca.' now has info on the 2016 453 smart fortwo! Including photos,models,features! Check it out. Go to thesmart.ca , and click on the 'Learn More' link. There are lots of new features on these cars. Enjoy!! Edited January 30, 2015 by PrairieBoy Quote
brd Posted June 23, 2015 Posted June 23, 2015 I was in Germany in May and saw a number of 453's on the street. I was hoping that seeing the 453 in person would change my opinion. Unfortunately I have to say they are just plain ugly in real life. It looks like MB/Renault crossed the dna of a smart with an suv. I was hoping that a mid-generation refresh might make the front end look a bit less unappealing but seeing the 453 in person makes it clear that's impossible. Even the rear end looks ugly. I saw a 453 in a flat grey body colour (I assume that was a stock choice and not an after market custom paint job) which didn't look quite as bad but I think that's because that particular colour softens the boxy front end. The ugliest had to be an orange four door which I saw a number of times. I think smart stands to sell a lot of these as they do seem to be well equipped with tons of nice features & options. Unfortunately I can't see myself being one of those buyers. Oh well. Each to their own. I'm sure a lot of 450 owners felt the same about the 451. 1 Quote
leejor Posted August 6, 2015 Posted August 6, 2015 Attached are a couple of shots. One from outside the Mercedes/smart dealer in Berlin (you can see the slight diferences in the two body styles), and another where I happened across three of the body styles together, It's too bad that there wasn't one with the original headlight design. Quote
mainefortwo Posted August 8, 2015 Posted August 8, 2015 Very interesting photo of the 453, 450, 451 as it makes a great comparison and shows the evolution of the smart. I am holding my opinion on the body styling until I also get to see one in person, hopefully in the US soon. Quote
smartnhappy Posted August 8, 2015 Posted August 8, 2015 IMHO - first thing I see in looking at the photo of all 3 models.... the new 453 cries out for larger wheels. Just sayin'. Quote
Francesco Posted August 9, 2015 Posted August 9, 2015 The rear of the greenhouse is most successful in the 451 coupe, but every other element is better in the 450 coupe. 450 cabrio is still the best design overall, and the 453 coupe remains hideous. I will wait and see what the final 453 cab looks like, as I'm sure it improves on the coupe both front and rear, but I just can't see myself falling in like with it. Quote
leejor Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 (edited) From the side the 453 appears to have a "snout", when compared to the previous versions. I'm really surprised that they didn't try to cram the engine in there. OK, maybe snout is a bit cruel, how about "Roman nose" Edited August 13, 2015 by leejor Quote
DangerDan Posted August 18, 2015 Posted August 18, 2015 Looks like smart Canada has now updated their website with options and pricing info for the 2016 453. Now that my 450 is getting long in the tooth, I'm likely to upgrade sooner than later. 1 Quote
MikeT Posted September 16, 2015 Posted September 16, 2015 Looks like smart will buy its drivetrain for the 453 electric from Renault. 1 Quote
Francesco Posted September 17, 2015 Posted September 17, 2015 That is odd after the huge investments in Tesla, Deutsche Accumotive and EM-Motiv. Quote
MikeT Posted September 17, 2015 Posted September 17, 2015 I guess the ex-Régie Nationale made them an offer they couldn't refuse Quote
John & Angela Posted September 17, 2015 Posted September 17, 2015 Looks like smart will buy its drivetrain for the 453 electric from Renault. HI Mike. Can you expand on that. I tried to find more info on that and came up dry. Quote
MikeT Posted September 17, 2015 Posted September 17, 2015 http://europe.autonews.com/article/20150916/ANE/150919853/renault-will-supply-daimlers-smart-with-electric-motors Quote
SmartED Posted September 17, 2015 Posted September 17, 2015 So let me get this straight, motors will be coming from Renault and batteries from MB. Is that a change from before? I wonder - does this improve the product by doing so or is it a step backwards? Quote
MikeT Posted September 17, 2015 Posted September 17, 2015 I am sure it's better. I have always liked Renault, but that is not a universal feeling among others. Quote
Francesco Posted September 17, 2015 Posted September 17, 2015 Sorry, I'm not sure that makes sense. You like Renault, so it should be better? We all already know you can't stand the Leaf, Renault's best-selling electric. If anything I see it as result neutral, as Nissan have plenty of experience making Leafs. But as I said before, it is curious that they'd switch from an in-house supplier (EM-motive GmbH) to a competitor after selling thousands of third-gen EDs with Daimler hardware. Quote
MikeT Posted September 17, 2015 Posted September 17, 2015 If the real world range of the Renault-motored version is lower than the 451, it would be a fiasco. Ergo, it is sure to be better. Quote
Francesco Posted September 18, 2015 Posted September 18, 2015 So you don't think a next-gen version of the car with any drive unit and battery pack would improve upon the last? Quote
MikeT Posted September 18, 2015 Posted September 18, 2015 Yup, which is why I was puzzled by your comment! Quote
Francesco Posted September 18, 2015 Posted September 18, 2015 And I yours... Of course they are seeking improvement, but at what cost? It seems the Renault motors are cheaper to build than the outsourced ones they'll replace in the Renault lineup, and I'd hazard that they're probably a might bit cheaper than the In-house motors from EM which will indeed propel the B-electric next year). It seems Apple has selected Tesla and Google has turned to EM-motive to supply DUs for their future "smart" cars. Quote
smartzuuk Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 Hey DangerDan, that was so ten years ago!!! (That I was in Montreal) I'm a potential hold out for a 453 at some point Quote
MikeT Posted September 27, 2015 Posted September 27, 2015 Yeah me too, 10.5 years since a lovely lunch at Schwartz's with Dan et al Quote
smartnhappy Posted October 6, 2015 Posted October 6, 2015 (edited) They received a new 2016 453 Passion at MB in London today. PDI not done yet, so no test drives till later this week. I have to admit it looks pretty nice. MSRP on this well-equipped unit is around $23K. Colour of this unit.... Tridion EN1 = 'Black' and Panels EDA = 'Cool Silver' Edited October 6, 2015 by smartnhappy Quote
Huronlad Posted October 6, 2015 Posted October 6, 2015 Hopefully the other dealers in Ontario have also received their cars. Quote
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