The Smart Crossblade Is a Truly Insane Car You Didn't Know Existed
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2024
- CHECK OUT THIS CROSSBLADE ON CARS & BIDS!
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Smart Crossblade review! The Smart Crossblade is truly insane -- one of the most bizarre modern cars in existence. Today I'm reviewing the Smart Crossblade, and I'm going to show you all the quirks and features of this weird car. I'm also going to drive the Smart Crossblade, and I'll show you what it's like behind the wheel of this crazy thing.
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DOUGSCORE CHART:
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This car definitely winning the “Doug is the type of guy” award this year
Edit: I will edit in another "Doug the type of guy" comment each time i get notified about this comment".
Doug is the type of guy to use a blanket as a convertible top for vehicles like these.
Doug the type of guy to claim that motorcycles not having a convertible top is an "interesting quirk".
Doug the type of guy who looks at a picture book for children and tells his kids that the tiger in the book has aftermarket teeth.
Doug the type of guy to give his shoes a doug score when he can't think of what car to review next.
Doug the type of guy that sounds like he's aggressively doing asmr
Doug the type of guy to arrest the police officer for speeding during a police chase
Doug the type of guy to criticize the realism on Gran Turismo on the PS1
Doug the type of guy to take a shower before going to the pool
@@tristenbrown4208 you don't?
am I weird?
Doug the type of guy to assign homework to his teacher
Man I really miss the Doug the type of guy comments. Those were golden. Now they faded away in the wind. And comes in “quirky/old car guys” aka fake car guys bashing supercars for no reason
This started its life as a regular first gen smart convertible. It was then shipped to Binz, a company known for building ambulances, to be converted to crossblade version. The "fake" fuel filler cap on the driver side is actually the engine air intake. It was redesigned in later generations as there were incidents with people ripping out the cover and filling it with gasoline.
hahahah, amazing. I notice the fake fuel door filler cap also has the exact same design as the later base model Smart Fortwo hubcap!
Bet that was a pricey repair bill
@@DougDeMuro this car is sick
I believe the redesign for second generation was mainly for better air flow, I heard the first gen had some overheating issues...
@@Mikey20TR I imagine this side intake is for the combustion air, the engine breathing. It would thus be underpowered instead of overheating, the radiators as far as I understood are (at least mainly) at the front.
Doug: "THIS IS THE COOLEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!!!"
Also Doug: **assigns cool factor score of 6**
ruclips.net/video/FCsyHOBQkts/видео.html
We went to the SMART development center in Stuttgart, Germany in, I think, 2001 or 2002. They had quite a few of these zipping around and they saw it as quite a success actually. While there are other cars w/o roof & windscreen (Lotus, Renault, Citroen) this one was very affordable AND reliable. As a marketing guy, I see it mostly as a brand-building tool for the SMART brand and in that role it worked really well. Also, those who OWNED one were totally enthusiastic about the driving experience!
😮
so basically this is rich folk version of riding around town in a golf cart- but even a golf cart has a windshield and roof
To clarify some things with the crossblade.
I worked at Smart in Düsseldorf - Germany when the crossblade was on sale.
The engine is not tuned by brabus, there was no cooperation between the smart factory and brabus.
We dealers did brabus mods at customer request.
The 70HP 600cc engine was added to the facelift of the first generation of smart, it debuted in the smart roadster.
And the first generation was not called fortwo at that time, that i think started with the second generation because of the forfour.
At that time it was called smart-city-coupe.
The three smart logos at the bottom of the center console are ports for acessories.
there was a big dual purpose cupholder, able to hold big bottles for the lowest port and things like cd-holders for the other ports.
The slots in the tailgate-storage were designed to hold the removable braces of the city-cabriolet, that you got right.
You forgot to mention the drain holes in the floor and the instrument cluster.
The battery does not really limit legroom, the passender seat is further back than the driver seat, so that the shoulders of the two do not collide, so the whole passenger-space is shifted to the rear.
Something I was wondering though, is there an air intake somewhere in the rear for the engine? I assume the ones on the front are just for cooling, and I couldn't spot anything in the rear.
@@Filipolis the air intake is mentioned in Minute @20:03. Doug says it is a useless element just for symmetric purpose but this is the air intake. You can hear it clearly when driving with the window opened.
@@dannybrnhardtson4891 Thanks for pointing it out! Explains why it has those spiral like slots around it, which would be weird if it was just a dummy
Have you ever run into Col.Hogan and Sgt. Shultz in town in Düsseldorf?
@@charlie1832 I was born in 1976, so there were no more POW in GErmany :)
Also, I think there were encamped in Bavaria.
Got a Crossblade here in Germany. Lots of fun. Fun fact: it has a windshield washer resevoir under the front hood that wasnt removed during the conversion from a smart 450 convertible.
James bond water guns.
you could fill it with petrol and stick a bic lighter in front to make the world's coolest, fire-breathing entrance.
I might move your mirrors if i ever go to germany!
Does it have the pump? If it does maybe you can trigger it to shoot water somewhere lol
Geiler typ😂😂😂.
Like many, I was unsure of the Smart when it first came out. But I ended up with one during a part exchange deal and ...TOTALLY LOVED IT!
Since then I have owned 2 more including a convertible and a real Brabus version.
Let me tell you, these little cars are so underrated, and once you get used to their quirks they are the ultimate low cost joyride.
You will leave most things standing at the lights, they cruise wonderfully and trips to the Fuel Station can be as low as once a month. And you'll do all of this with a huge derpy grin on your face!
I'm sad Smart have decided to make the newer versions bigger and more practical because what we all need right now is more fun days that don't break the bank.
I had a smart as well for a while. I absolutely loved it and have never been in a car with more head and leg room (I am 6'4"), and it was super fun to drive. I had to trade it out for something more practical (small 4 door hatchback), but I still miss it to this day. They are cute and having such a tiny cat has big benefits at times. I could make a u turn in the space of two average lanes, and parking was always a piece of cake.
What a great review- i have a custom Brabus with the most powerful engine an custom interior that flies off the stop lines - you of course are aware they're made by MERCEDES, yes! - The "S" and "M" in 'SMART' is abbreviated for "SOURCE MERCEDES" - with the word "ART" tacked onto the end, "SMART." kinda cool! These cars are are no cursory novice-they're tough-as-nails, built to the standard of all other Mercedes-Benz, with 💯 years of brilliant German engineering incorporated into every aspect of its design - i had no idea what i had bought at first, and am blown away by its utter cantankerous refusal to quit on me and stop running!
ruclips.net/video/R_sDOqNkgBM/видео.html
What I want to know, what's the closest car # out of 2000 you saw? Maybe 2000 really were made
Our Smart is a 2001 model still running nice Doug is spot on when he is saying the major drawback is the gear changing time. And I can assure that after 20years under the Greek harsh sun it's plastics are much much better than any Japanese or Korean city car with half that years. It is already a modern classic and will always stay with us as second or third car.
Yeah, u c so many in Greece. I think the IQ is more practical, but these undeniably have their moments.
ruclips.net/video/R_sDOqNkgBM/видео.html
That little round "fuel door" on the driver side isn't just for looks, thats actually the air intake for the engine and basically goes directly to the Turbo. All first gen smarts had that, its basically a factory Cold Air Intake. And since quite a number of clueless owners indeed thought that thats a fuel door, and actually tried to put fuel in there and thus damaged the engine (turns out, flooding your turbointake with fuel is a bad idea) the design was changed for the second gen smart to a normal finned intake.
It infuriates me so much that doug, a car enthusiast, doesn't really do much research and just sticks with what he thinks and markets that as the truth.
@@GhosT8747 omg me too, it’s a problem with so many RUclipsrs, they just don’t bother and it drives me crazy
@@GhosT8747 I think the problem is, with the amount of cars he review, that he can´t know everything about every car. But in the comment section there is always someone who has the knowledge and corrects him. But i agree that he should do a proper research instead of guessing.
@@Timico1000 Yeah, I'm not criticising that - it's impossible to know everything about every car. But instead of assuming something, he could quickly google what the second "fuel door" is for.
@@GhosT8747 Thats what i said.
I actually drove this a couple of times when I worked at a car rental company. Was great fun, but a disaster on the highway! Had to wear goggles and it was cold as hell
Pretty sure you dont buy these for highway use
Where the fuck u get goggles from
Wacky Racers?
I've driven one too, 40 mph was about as fast as one could go without goggles of some kind. The car I drove is also for sale at auction in early May.
Driving this car on highways and colder weather wasn't the idea at the first time i think. That thing is just for fun for wealthy.
Doug this made me laugh along with you. I love it too! I tried to convince my SO to get one years ago! Missed opportunities!
Loved this video!, so much fun to watch 👏
What's more impressive is the crash rating on this: You'd assume it would be ridiculous but in-fact it passed very well and ahead of many vehicles with full body panels and a roof/windscreen
Smart is the safest car because only 2 people can die
@@ajlinalegenda5066vjerajesavjet The ferrari Monza SP1 is a single-seater.
In comparison to other small cars maybe but the ratings they give to bigger cars have way higher standards so you couldn't compare it to almost any other car on the road.
@@sambrown6426 yeah but the sp1 costs like 1.8 million
@@atianfirebolt8125 -- Have you actually looked at the empirical data? Cause I have, and you're wrong. Sorry
This thing is so silly and looks like it would be a blast to cruise around a beach town with!
Bicycles are better for that
@@coastaku1954 but what if your very lazy?
@@adritoban7383 american*
@@adritoban7383 Bully for you, stop ruining cities just cause you don't want to ride a bike
@@woczykij3884 what third world country did you crawl out from?
Aw man, this is great. When i was young i was living next to the Mercedes Benz Facility, were those cars got build. Very rarely i saw one of those Crossblades driving by and i thought this is the coolest thing ever. Would love to drive one of those someday. Although the weather in that area is usually pretty bad, which adds to the crazieness fo the Crossblade.
When I was station in Germany in the early 2000’s, a friend of mine rented this vehicle and picked me up, and we had a blast driving it! It was like being in a roller roaster 😂
I miss when he would actually explain why he was giving each score the number it got. Can we get that back Doug?
I totally agree
I miss that too !
I don’t, took too long
I do too. Apparently, the reason why he doesn't explain them anymore is because he feels like this way is more practical & helpful then saying stuff like "Comfort is normal for a car like this and it gets a 5 out of 10."
@@C0LDMachine yea but I want to hear that!
Because the entire interior is waterproof and the floor is made of plastic, that little car is absolutely perfect to ride back from the beach with your wet trunks and feet still full of sand. I think what Mercedes really missed was more marketing, because it is a great looking little car and would fit perfectly on any beach town in the world.
Agreed! I think MB could have collaborated with beachtown resorts and hotels around the world to have these rented out to customers! Or maybe even make a ForFour version of it and add a chauffeur!
Doesn't help that they weren't reliable.
@@ChrisParayno and I think they are expensive too for a small commuter car. Because it was engineered by Mercedes.
I think it looks horrible
The only problem with that is how would you clean it out? Sure its waterproof but it doesn't look like its designed to actually drain on its own which would make getting any sand out a massive pain. I didn't see any vents to allow water out of the foot wells or honestly in those "trays" on the dashboard where the speakers are. Hope those speakers can withstand being submerged in water. That battery cover also didn't really look that waterproof and then the battery itself is in a hole in the floor which seems like it could also fill up rather easily...
I love your enthusiasm over this little fun car.. I would love to drive it myself.. though I live in a climate where we have harsh cold winters though the summers would be awesome to drive when its not raining.. this is one cool little car
I’ve never smiled so much during one of Doug’s reviews!
As an actual owner of one of these awesome little cars I thought I would share a little more info about them.
The cup holders shown in the video are not right. Someone has taken the shallow cup holder out the back of the seats (yes they can fold forward and flat) and put it into the larger sized cup holder. They need to be taken out. The little smart logos in the centre under the ashtray are actually mounting points for other accessories such as CD holder and bottle holder etc. You also mentioned that there is no PARK on the gear selector, well that is because Smarts are designed to be parked in reverse as part of the anti theft idea. You should always do this in conjunction with the hand brake as it’s known in Europe. The Crossblade also has a wider track than a standard Smart car so handling is much better. The panel in boot (trunk) lid was originally for the Smart cabriolets roof bars. you will have notice some checker coloured rods in there. These are for part of a temporary rain cover for when you park the car. The rain cover is obviously missing which is a shame. Oh and for anyone who thinks these are unsafe, I was in an accident in mine back in 2005. i was stationary and was hit from behind by a woman using her mobile. the police said from her skid marks she was doing in excess of 70mph at the point of impact (remember this was the speed the police gave that was used as evidence not something I have calculated). I drove the car home, about 150 miles so it shows just how safe it is. I still have my car and I think the longest journey I have done was about 17 hours and I was towing a trailer at the time as well, this was February in the UK and the temperature was below freezing LOL. I feel privileged to actually own one
greeting from a former Owner.... i loved mine too :-)
Something I also noticed was the weird storage panel at the top of the dash. In the regular model, that was a climate vent and climate controls
70 mph at point of impact and you drove it home? 😂 lmao yeah right buddy.
@@taurushill04 also the CupHolders left and right were usually Ventings.
Considering you drove it home after getting rear-ended at 70, it sounds like it might not have crumple zones, so is you hit a tree it's probably going to hurt alot.
Doug has driven every kind of hypercar and supercar but I've never seen him this happy when driving a car before! Considering how happy he was I'm surprised he didn't give it a 10 for fun factor
His voice sounds like he's 14 yrs old
i know!! his reviews and Dougscores are so incongruent. honestly, i think the only reason he keeps it is because of the hate he'd probably get for getting rid of it. but he definitely should. his passion is in cars, projects, weird things; not Excel spreadsheets.
You must watch him drive a TRABANT which is the worst car ever made. Doug is miserable for a change. His facial expressions of disgust and fear are classic.
I drove one of them. You giggle everywhere you go in this car 😂
Never driven a crossblade. But I do have a fortwo. You simply cannot drive these weird little boogers without a smile on your face. I would imagine this is SUUUPER fun to drive
My Dad just built a place in Naples Florida about just 2 miles outside the center of town and you’re allowed to drive specially converted Gas powered Golf carts on most of the roads there and I Imagine Electric ones that meet the necessary safety specifications of high enough speed to not interrupt the flow of traffic and this would be perfect for driving around town, going to breakfast, or even doing some shopping there.
This car reminds me a lot of the Citroen C1 for some reason.. probably the plastic finish and the minimalist approach while it still look somewhat custom to the car.
I own 6 cars, one is a Smart car. I’m 6’5”, 228 lbs, and the Smart has PLENTY of room for me, I love it!! People said it would be very unreliable……I’ve had mine for 7 years without any check engine lights, or ANY problems. It’s been a blast! Most Americans just don’t get the appeal, they think it’s cramped, dangerous, etc. Their loss.
You are right. I'm on my second one a 2015 EV. My 6' 5" brother in law has plenty of headroom in it.
My dad has an early Smart car and it's battered and unloved (not dinged, just extremely weathered). Has had some weird electric issues, however it's never had any real headache and still runs fine.
Less room than a honda N box
in America, this is dangerous
Plz buy as many as possible! We don't want them!
Thanks, Doug for shinning a light on this QUIRKY car. We hope the new owner has a blast!
Why does the Auction say " No Title "
Nice typo lol
@@2KidsConTent Going out on a limb to say because there....isn't a title.
Thank YOU for taking part in this. I hope to see more of your vehicles though Doug’s point of view in the future
@@2KidsConTent Because it's non-gendered
I really like driving the old smart fourtwo. In city traffic the acceleration feels quite nice, the short wheel distance makes the whole car yaw like it wants to do a wheely. it FEELS really nice. its not very fast acually, but it still is fun. and this version is even lighter, so I think those 10 extra horsepowers will make quite a difference. also it looks and feels like a street legal version of a kart usually used by turtleshell wielding plumpers and giant lizards.
Crazy, I clicked on this link over the weekend and that very same day I saw one in my village parked right next to me! I guess living in Netherlands gives more chances to see this crazy thing than living in the USA! It looked so much fun!
We had a whole fleet of Smarts for promotion purposes. On a sunny Friday afternoon the dealer called me that he had a special treat for me. He gave me one these for the weekend. We had a lot of fun with it. It came with a simple Smart branded rain cover for emergencies. Also we had to use motorbike helmets by law. On Monday when I came back to the dealer he tried to offload it on me. I could have bought it for far less than a normal ForTwo. Literally everybody loved it for a fun day, but nobody wanted to buy it.
In what country did you drive it?
How much was it?
@@TheCarpenterUnion I honestly can’t remember. I’m 20 years older now l hardly remember what I had for breakfast last night. But I remember considering it because for a Smart it was cheap. Very soon though common sense took over and I passed. I always liked the ForTwo and put serious mileage on them, even with plenty of more comfortable cars at my disposal. Unique little toy that Crossblade most definitely, but practically, no.
@@bansheemopar Belgium
If I had to wear a helmet driving this, then it wouldn't be worth it imo
This has to be one of the weirdest wheeled vehicles ever made.
What about the Polaris Slingshot?
It’s sold in Dubai as a mobility scooter
Someone needs to buy, and hot-rod it with a Hayabusa engine. Turbo'd.
Not that weird actually. In Europe there has been a trend for very small cute open cars since the 60's. They are popular amongst rich people to cruise around in Monaco and other fancy places on the coasts.
I don’t see anything weird about it.
I'm down near St Tropez on holiday this week so will be looking out for one of these.
Worth watching just to see Doug helpless with the giggles 🤭
i immediately hopped on a second hand car website since i live in Europe and i found nr. 1700 for sale, Doug. Those crazy bastards might've actually sold them all
No. 1964 sold on a US auction site in 2016
Yeah, I could easily see 2,000 or maybe even as many 8,000 people wanting this car as a fun toy. Too bad production numbers were so low.
Someone should create a registry.
Apparently there are 25 here in the UK
Dear Doug, these “three logos” in the center underneath the ashtray are actually accessories slots. You could buy additional storages items and lock them in the slots. Ex: a CD holder… if you had the CDplayer… etc.
thats interesting
Yes, I had a standard car from the next generation, and I remember a similar situation, and I think I had a CD holder, but this is more than 10 years ago so things get fuzzy...
A CD slot and tiny storage space (for coins and stuff like that) and a larger cup holder
I always come to the comments to find out the things that Doug didn't feel like googling
Like... a base for an umbrella?
About 20 years ago I lived in Switzerland and my neighbour had one of these. Didn't think too much of it as a kid, interesting to know that it is one of the rarest vehicles on the planet.
8:05 That´s where the climate controls and an air vent are located in the regular Smart car. ;) Easy to google, Doug.
I owned the 2009 Brabus Smart Fortwo and can shed some light on a few of the quirks that puzzled Doug.
The "robot" on the dash is actually where a few of the more standard features are usually mounted. The "eyes" are where the tachometer and clock would be, and the vertical black shapes on either side are where they would mount controls for the A/C blower motor for driver and passenger.
The front panel actually does come off on other Smart models without even needing a key, which is honestly really weird, so the Crossblade ironically offers an added layer of security by having those 3 screws on the "windshield".
If I lived near a beach, I would absolutely be putting a bid on this car. I owned the Brabus-tuned Fortwo for 6 years and I regret selling it every day.
I really loved the Brabus wheels and the exhaust pipe but found the rest a bit meh. Had loads of fun with the normal models though, would def get one again if I move back to the city.
as a former Owner of such a Car a few corrections:
- it actually HAS a Central locking System, it blocks the Sidebars. Maybe this one is defect. By German Law Doors of Convertibles have to be lockable, for Insurance Reasons, Even when you park the Car with the Roof open it´s defined to be "closed". Convertibles are by definition "closed" when the Doors are locked and the Windows up.
- the Seats are not Vinyl, they are NEOPRENE just like Diving Suits
- there were REALLY sold 2000 and demand was even higher!
- the Door-Bar lifter is NOT hydraulic its compessed gas filled
- the sequential Gearbox can be just parked in 1st Gear, just like any other car. No Parking Brake needed
- the "Robot Face" is actually a blinded Venting unit and housed two switches on top and two Vents - used in the normal Smart Car.
- the Engine / Speed of the Car was restricted to 135 km/h - normal SMART Cars could easy reach 180 km/h when the electronics was modded. Mine once hit 200 km/h after a few Tuning mods.
- the left Side "Fuel Door" is actually the Engine Air Intake, NOT A DUMMY !!! Open the Engine bay and take a look.
- the Rollover Bar is an integral Part of the so called TRIDION CELL of every Smart Car. It´s NOT Mandatory anywhere... Ralph Naders Bullshit is not valid in Germany. Rollover Bars on Convertibles are NOT Mandatory. It´s just the "leftover" of the Tridion Cell of the SMART Cars Frame.
Thanks for sharing! Now I feel like Doug should have done more research here
@@CarSpotter9 yes...
- Plenty of Stuff is also becuase of European "DOT" Laws or specific German ones. So the Car has a Heating - on the first glimpse useless, right? NO - 1. it´s by law and 2. .. ever driven a Convertible in the Morning or Evening. So even the minimal hot Air on your Feet will make you comfortable...
- Also for example the Wheel Arches - by German Law the Tireas have to have a certain percentage of Coverage....
- Or Luggage Space - by Law it HAS to be lockable and not aceccible through others. As the Car is open it HAS to be this way it is
- the Passenger Footwell is actually not "short" - as the Passenger sits a bit offset backwards to the Driver to avoid cuddling Shoulder by Shoulder it very comfortable. Also the tilted Surface helps you resting your Feet instead of a long, large flat "Tunnel". AND - in case of an Accident you likely will not slip from your Seat. Look into several Cars. The Footwell ends mostly tilted.
- the Front of the Car contains Brake Booster, Coolant Overflow Tank, Radiator, etc. The "Normal" SMART Car hast two access Panels for refilling Coolant / Washer Liquid and check Brake Fluid.
- The Ca ris actualle pretty fast in the City cause is low Weight and 6 Speed Gearbox. I smokes a few bigger and more powerful Cars in direct Competition.
Ideed the Car was never meant to be a Dragracer or whatever .... why do People always judge Cars by this Trope?
It was designed to be a kind of Beach Buggy.... a Fun Mobile...
I would highly Recommend NOT to drive without any Sunglasses which are rigid enough to protect you from small Sones or Bumblebees .... an Impact can ruin your entire day and end with a Visit to the ER ... i had a crack in my Skull Bone from a Impact of some Debris. Since then i was wearing wrap around OAKLEYs.
There used to be a specific Clothing Collection Line available from Smart, also a Cover fro the Car to protect it from the Elements. Google it.
I feel like doug should pin this! I dont need him to be ultra precise like an encyclopedia but this corrections are significant
I stayed out in Indian Wells/Palm Desert for awhile and could see this car scooting around town. Everyone drove their golf carts to the store or out to eat or whatnot. Lots of custom golf carts out there. This thing looks like you could drive it right out on to the course with an after market golf bag holder on the back. I doubt any of the clubs would even stop you.
grew up in Italy and saw a few of these. always loved it
I had a Smart Fortwo so I can help figure out some of the quirks:
5:00 on the European version this airbag doesn't exist since at the time the passenger airbag wasn't mandated, so there was a storage shelf that you wouldn't never use as items would easily roll out while driving. And, on top of that, the regular Smart has more legroom since the battery location is different
8:00 on the regular Smart car, that hole was actually the main climate vent and you can still see they covered the opening levers on the sides, and the circles are blanks for the tach and the clock that are two dials that, on the regular Smart, they stick out of the dashboard like lollipops
10:40 these cupholders have replaced the climate vents that you can find on the regular Smart, pretty strange!
20:00 this is NOT a dummy! It's the air intake for the engine
Thanks for coment
Good info I had a Smart Fortwo also and kinda loved it tbh
Does you miss your Smart? They're so dumb that I'm actually thinking about getting one...
@@derek10w not really, I'm 6'4" (1.94cm) so I barely fit in a ForTwo and I would hit the roof when I drove on potholes lol
But honestly it was so fun to drive and incredibly easy to park, since the car starts at your feet and ends behind your shoulders, and gas mileage was incredibly high
And I agree with Doug, the main issue with this car is the extremely slow transmission, but for city commuting it isn't that bad as you won't notice
@@derek10w I would recommend it if you're shorter than me and you don't care about going fast, the Smart Fortwo was designed for chill drive in town and it is pretty good at it, but I would suggest you to check on the second gen ForTwo as it has more legroom and a better transmission
My parents leased a basic smart car for a while, and I always thought it was kinda fun to drive. This thing looks like the perfect car for living in a busy beach town. Just cruise around and enjoy the fresh air.
Yeah would be amazing around key west
@@joeyjoejoejrshabadu you can absolutely use a smart car for groceries, that trunk will fit a decent number of bags. Not like most people in the market for a smatcar have large families. Also, that's why I specified a beach town, like the Keys.
@@Grimm-Gaming exactly where I imagine enjoying this thing.
"This was no _boat accident!"_
@@joeyjoejoejrshabadu that trunk would let you fit a decent amount of bags in there, wether it gets really hot in there I don’t know but if it does it wouldn’t be good for groceries
I've got some trivia, too. as others have stated, the thing in the left back is the air intake for the turbo. and yes, not everyone caught that, or read the manual first... the door bars are lifted with gas-pressure lifters, not hydraulics. though it sounds like that from their dampening.
the engine is a later model, from the facelift, and taken from the roadsters which were developed while the crossblade was made. any other tune-ups were made by customers, you couldn't buy new, tuned SMART from the dealerships back when.
the inside shell has been made by Binz, germany, a company that usually does ambulances and similar special vehicles. it's been made to be "sealed" (as in, one-piece), and glued to the modified original frame. it's actually waterproof to some extend, and the rest is sealed. and one motor journalist is rumoured to have donned a divers' suit and drive one Crossblade through a car wash... and it worked. the curious design of the top of the middle console piece comes from the normal SMART having switches and levers there for climate control. those would of course, drown, so the piece was modified. I'm not sure if the large speakers in front of the dash are actually there; maybe they aren't. and really, what music do you wanna hear over the wind? XD
the gear box and the way it swicthes have been controversial throughout the production, though what killed it usually were faulty cables within the very, very tight engine compartment. there are actually special screws to be inserted into the engine/rear axle helpframe to lower it some 30cm, making some repairs possible to begin with. but IMO screwing them was never fun...
you can actually make an early SMART's turbo whistle! make sure it's fully warmed up, then switch to handshift, and shift up at around 4000rpm with a swift push to the lever, while pressing the gas pedal into the concrete underneath. the gear will shift much faster, and suddenly the little bugger becomes FAST! :D
hey, love the way you get excited about this crate. :D (no idea how many were made; I do know that towards the end they had problems selling the remaining cars, and they had to be rebadged as the logos had changed...)
It wasn't Brabus tuned, that's the normal horsepower for the Roadster apparently.
Owned a 2009 smart until 2018. Anyway, I don't think I've ever seen Doug have so much fun on a review. Doug notes that it is factory - which means it also came with a warranty. Use by a beach crowd seems to be the correct niche for this vehicle. Maybe even some extremely light use as a dune buggy? While a helmet might not be an absolute necessity, driving glasses should be a "must" when using this - for the passenger as well.
There were/are a few massive RV's that had a garage for a Smart car. I'd imagine that's a good use case for the Crossblade.
I saw one with a mini cooper garage.
yeap, Dembell Motorhome has it for example.
Some yachts also had these as shore vehicles.
Can you imagine seeing Doug driving this randomly?
The perfect car for Doug
I can definitely see Doug driving a car like this, wouldn't even be a surprise.
That would be great 👍
Doug should actually buy this car since it’s on cars and bids but idk if it’s no reserve or not
@@drippgxd if it has a reserve he won’t bid on it because he obviously knows the reserve, he said he’d bid on cars if they’re offered without reserves so who knows we might get a video showing us his new car
When Doug mention this thing will do 87mph I just imagined some guy hurtling down the freeway screaming in terror but he’s late to work so he has to drive fast 😂😂
I am surprised there was not at least a back wind-screen/plexi. That would have surely helped, but cool little runabout!
The other “fuel door” is actually the engines intake:)
Props to Brabus for tuning this monstrosity and getting an extra 10 hp 😳
People who buy brabus tuned smarts are insane anyway
They made also a Brabus version and it had 100 hp and believe me, it was crazy
@@Fanboy1222 Brabus build 10 limited Smart Roadsters where they joined two 3 cylinder smart motors together with one crankcase and a biturbo which produced 125kw and 220Nm. Sadly only 3 are left today but a really cool little car.
+16% HP is actually not bad
@@benistingray6097 so like a V6 smart car?
Actually Doug , this car is very practical, parking , promotional it will get more looks than most cars . Fun summer car , fuel efficiency, I’ve considered one for a long while , I’m tall like you , so now seeing you in it I know I would fit
I did not know this car existed until I saw this video and guess what; I love it!!! I don't even mind that it doesn't have real doors or a roof. In fact, if that plastic "wind screen" thing when up about two or maybe three and a half more feet, I would have no complaints at all....
Doug has already presented everything, he just needs to do a review of a spaceship!
Doug explaining how the space vacuum toilet works.
Nissan S30 Z :OOOOO
"THISSSS! ... is the space shuttle Atlantis!"
Review his family
And THIIIIIS is the space Z rocket.
wow the peterson selling a car on cars and bids is pretty huge, congrats!
smart owner here.
the "robot" in the center control stack houses the A/C controls and the central climate vent on the regular versions. the power locks and hazard lights are also in this area.
it can do almost 140 km/h. it's just as terrifying as it sounds, and that's in the regular version.
I also love how doug loses it at 12:15.
I've always wanted to drop a Honda Goldwing power train into an 1960s Fiat Spider. It would drive very similar to this, except it would handle like a dream, be comfortable to sit in, and do wheel stands from zero to sixty.
It would also look amazing in the engine compartment when you opened the hood.
0:01 intro
1:57 styling
3:25 interior
12:21 exterior quirks
14:53 boot and engine
17:30 exterior
20:52 driving
25:28 conclusion
How...how did you watch 25 minutes in 7 minutes
@@mechanicalmonkee6262 got timestamps and now i am enjoying
Thank you!
25:45 Doug urinates
Nothing better to do with your life ?
Of course I know of its existence, it was in every car magazine back then here in Germany.
My thoughts to the fuel door situation: Most Smarts were turbocharged and had their air intake in that symmetrical plasticy thing, I’m quite sure it’s the same here at the Crossblade.
Some people even ripped off the plastic and tried to put fuel in the turbocharger 😄
Doug assumes everyone is as oblivious as he is.
@@mwendell He’s Murican so I don’t judge, I just don’t like clickbait titles. Still love his videos.
@@kampfmeersau It's not clickbait if you know it exists?
The first Smart Crossblade sold to Robbie Williams which was specially requested with chassis number ‘"008." The number 001 was auctioned and got $51,000 Euros. It was a "concept Car" which first appear at the 2001 Geneva Salon. The Smart Crossblade was considered a radical roadster targeting an exclusive clientele who attached great importance to personal freedom valuing style above everthing else. Actually the manual mentioned this "For your safety, wear a suitable pair of protective glasses when driving. A helmet with a visor will protect your head from airborne rocks and similar." (Page 6 and Page 7, even with a small image showing this). A Loudspeaker (sound package, Brabus involved) was also offered to help the speakers power facing them directly to the driver or copilot. They even mentioned the "Drain openings" or "holes" to ease rainwater freely flow out of the vehicle. A Smart Crossblade is a great memory and example from the early 2000s just starting the century and the millennium. Great car you had over there. Thank you for detailing it and sharing it to us. TKS and keep it up. :)
You gotta find a mid-50s Mercury Turnpike. I saw a showroom condition 55 or 56, can't remember which, and that car is Nuts! It has so many crazy options I have never even heard of before. We are talking fold out shaving set with a little sink and mirror, rotating antenna, the works!
This would actually make the perfect golf cart with some modifications
it was sold mainly in southern Europe in vacation destination (eg mediterrean islands) where it almost never rains
Like a modification for somewhere to put the clubs? Unless you play solo.
25:55 A Doug score for a Meter Maid?
Good catch, early ones look pretty cool.Later ones were more squared
we have miles of lanes throughout the farm. thru the woods, around ponds, and grain fields. especially in the evenings when it's cool, checking out your patch and chilling with the Ganga sisters. I can see this.
The "fuel door" on the drivers side is not for simmetry. Its actually and AIR INTAKE samr as in all other ForTwos or Cabrios. the Central "robot like" storage panel is actually from other models of smart and normally there is air fents there at the center and climate controls on left and right. Audio is just as you described 4 speakers, they normally reflect from the windscreen and give pretty good sound + there is a subwoofer under passengers sit. cup holders are also from other models and normally are air vents, which you can rempce and use as a cupp holder. In winter hot air can keep it hot and in summer air conditioning keeps it cold. The storage compartment door indeed is from cabrio version and there is place there where you can put metal arches which are "on top of doors" (I can only describe like that) to make it full cabrio rather then just big hatch. It also has separate rev display and swatch watch as an option. Reviewing ordinary Smart first would give you much more understanding of what is what in crossblade and why it there
I can confirm, i live in south of France and i've seen some Crossblades at the time. It seems like a modern interpretation of the Citroen Méhari, which you should absolutely love.
Or a modern Fiat Jolly
Renault Twizy comes to mind.
Here early. Cars and Bids listing went up first, lol. 🤟
Same 😂
@@VivaansWheels Loving the small car.
These were around £5k in the UK a few years ago, they’re now going for £15k-£25k. I would have loved one!
This is the perfect beach car!! When you got 2 arms full of awkward beach gear then a power button just for the boot absolutely makes sense.
Doug calls it insane, and struggles to think of who might want such a vehicle, but I think that it makes more sense if you imagine it as a four-wheel motorcycle (combined with the other city-focused practicalities of a normal Smart). If you compare it to a motorcycle, then many of its quirks just become commonplace (no roof, no doors, minimal storage, mirrors accessible from the exterior, etc.).
It ain't a five metric tons Chevy Suburban; poor Americans can't imagine that someone wouldn't want to ride in a 35 seat behemoth guzzling gasoline like it's going out of style.
We sold 2 in London in MB Knightsbridge. One to a guy who had a very large yacht. We attached a mount between the seat belt mounts so he could crane it onto a jetty. The other was to a guy who had a very large island.
@@AnnatarTheMaiaI know you’re probably from Europe, so you think you’re better than everybody else, especially Americans. But just so you know, Americans aren’t stupid (though stupid is everywhere). I drive the equivalent of the Suburban, an Avalanche, and it’s pretty easy to figure out why somebody would want a small car like this or a K Car (japan). Stop thinking you all are better than every American and stop acting like you know what everybody in America thinks. It’ll probably lead to a happier life 😉
A street legal golf cart, I love it! The wheels are so cool. They should’ve offered an optional room or made enough of these cars so aftermarket companies can make different mods/accessories like real doors and windshield. It’s neat but impractical as a regular car for an average person. I imagine it was expensive due to rarity.
@@JorgTheElder As I know th big "BRABUS"-Edition has had 100hp (Smart at this time were available with 3 regular Engines: 41hp Diesel engine, 61hp and 71hp gas engines) and changed the electronic speed limiter to a higher speed.
Smart Type 451 (the next generation smart) was available as 110hp Brabus.
I mention this because the Smart cars where electronical limited to 135kmh/83mph - even my Diesel Smart with only 41hp sometimes runs into the limiter, so the crossblade itself theoretical could drive even faster (from engine power).
ruclips.net/video/FCsyHOBQkts/видео.html
When was this ever designed to be a practical car for a regular person? It's unique. It's different. Regular people don't buy unique or different. So that's why it didn't sell a million units. Do you think Smart cared about that? No.
There were some RVs that incorporated smart cars garages into the RV itself. I imagine this would have been perfect seeing as how it would be even lighter than normal and would be less out of place in an already eccentric vehicle.
I owned a Polaris Slingshot (open cockpit) but it was mind blowing and fun! The way they engineered this is just too small and impractical for fast speeds. I also do wear a helmet in the slingshot mainly so I don’t get insects flying into my eye or face lol (or debris from trash trucks)
This car is what i would like to call a "doug car" as in i know these are extremely weird cars that only doug would be interested in😂
Half right: Extremely weird car, yes; only Doug interested, oh no no no!
Doug: "This is the most exposed I have ever felt"
All motorcycle riders: "Hold my beer"
Yeah, the whole time I was thinking "Has he never been on a motorcycle?"
@@jonc4403 does Doug seem like the type of guy that would ride a motorcycle?
because you don't have a cup holder? :P
I don't think ive ever wanted a car as much as I want one of these
driving this during winter must be a treat
Doug… Mercedes probably decided to really make 2000 of them.
The one you’re reviewing is 736 and I’ve seen nrs. 106, 183, 417(only 155miles/250km) , 881, 1015, 1045, 1204(driven 19k miles/30k km) , 1551, 1636 and even nr. 1700
They probably had to make a minimum quantity to use up all of the bulk metal and parts.
The Crossblade has always been one of my favorite quirky cars ever since I discovered it in the mid 2000s. Really awesome to see Doug review one!
Doug is his own laugh track that never stops.
With Doug never a dull moment!
You park it in R. The gearbox delay is not that bad when you get used to it. Try driving it in manual. Also, Doug, you should try the Smart Roadster, though it's not available in the US. I drive one for about 15 years now and I am in love since day one. :)
I love the styling of them, and it looks like it could tear up the track, with the wheels being so far out the corners with very low centre of gravity. Too bad it lacks power. Could the drivetrain handle an engine swap perhaps?
Yep I've got one too, I've also picked up a Barburis for4 to do an engine swap, I'd like to get the European hatch for mine also, I have a small collection of JDM Kei car's, Rj in Oz
@@UH1Phil, you can fit the 698 cmc with 110 HP from Brabus - with turbo (same engine is on the Roadster but with 82 HP stock). Or you can go electric...
Catalin : exactly. You park with R. When you get used to it you can drive it relatively fast (especially the roadster. A friend of mine owns a crossblade and has swapped the engine with the roadster brabus plus all the electrics of the roadster. Amazing result
@@LoftT I always parked in N, R makes more sense because you do not have to worry about rolling if your parking brake slips. You can’t start them in R, only N.
The roll hoop is actually part of Tridion safety frame which is on every smart, not only Crossblades.
That shows how much he knows about what he's talking about... but hey, 4.36M subs.
@@dalexa he's very intentional on what he says I'm pretty sure. Anything for views.
@@dalexa Lmao he didnt say that only the crossblades have them, he simply said that its mandatory for convertibles
It was built by Binz, a company that is known for converting Mercedes cars into hearses and ambulances.
Here in Marbella Spain on the beach during summer, this would be awesome 😎
So easy to tell how much fun Doug is having just by how high his voice gets:-)
It was like watching Glenn from Superstore drive.
The left fender cap has functionality actually, and an important one: air intake for the engine 😁
Yes that's correct. The turbo sits behind that.
Yes, how Dough could have missed it.
I saw several of these at the Geneva motor show. They also had neoprene suits to wear in the rain !!!
I got the #1883 unit for sale in Costa Rica, so, yes, I think that they actually made 2000 units. Very fun little car.
I didn't realize it until now, but Doug has spent the last 8 years building up his ability to sell us used cars.
Honestly I think him running a car auction website is a perfect fit and doesn't feel intrusive on the RUclips channel. Good job Doug!
@@eaaeeeea I'm just joking about it. It really is a great fit honestly.
“The door latch looks absolutely terrified “ lol, that was so funny...
@20:05 no, this is not for symetry. This is the air hood for the turbo charger. in later models this was changed to a more specific design because some people just ripped of these hoods and filled the turbo charger with gasoline ... YIKES
Hi There! I love the Smart Crossblade! Thank you so much for making this video!! 😊❤
Hope you can review a Smart Roadster one day Doug!
I actually own one and i can say thats the most fun car you can drive
Beta
@@AA-BB average cringe corvette owner comment.
@@AA-BB ewww cringe corvette owner with a tiny schlong still insecure about his purchase
Looks so cool also🙌🙌
@@AA-BB tie up those new balance shoes and sit in your lawn chair Vette master.
I actually had a 72th scale model of one of these. Thanks for reminding me Doug.
I own one. It’s everything Doug described. It’s incredibly fun. And the most adorable car ever. The only drawback: it attracts too much attention. So much so that mine only has 4K miles after 20 years.
If I had the money, I would totally buy it. I love the look, and I don't care that its a bit slow. I love that it's very rare and unique. I hope the new owner drives it a lot. This would be a great car to show up at "Cars and Coffee" in. Thank you.
I agree!
A bit slow 🤣
What about safety 😂
😂 unsafely slow
8:05
Used to have a 1st Gen smart, that "useless" comparement there is where the main climate vents normally are, and the 2 black strips surrounding it used to be the airflow levers, which allowed you to close off or open your vents. Between the "eyes" and "mouth" of the robot, there was the Hazard lights, A/C button, Rear-Defroster button, and i belive another button which I dont remeber.. quite a nice car tbh
I can totally see Doug rocking this in his personal collection. God I’d like to see him troll people in a Hayabusa turbo swapped one of these whilst providing commentary.
Doug continuously cutting away because he can't get out a sentence without laughing - very relatable