Your smart’s engine is its heart. It keeps you and it on the move, so it’s important to keep it in good condition. It’s eco friendly when in top form, but not so when it’s out of shape, so here are a few things you can do to keep your smart healthy.

Check the oil regularly

It’s a simple tip, but you’d be surprised by how many people leave their oil alone until either the light comes on or they take their car in for a service.

Over time the oil in your engine can lose its lubrication components and become sludge, which will damage your engine. Make sure to check it once a month, more if you’ve got a high mileage car. If it’s running low – top it up with the type recommended in your owners manual. If it appears dark and sludgy on the dipstick it’s time for an oil change and it’s probably doing more harm than good…

Keep your coolant levels up

Overheating can do some serious damage, so keep an eye on your coolant levels. It’s important you check it periodically to make sure you don’t run low – or you could be in a world of trouble.

Check the bottle is at the recommended level, if it’s not you need to get it topped up.

Keep those two in check and you’ll be laughing, but remember to make sure you get any odd rattles, shakes and warning lights checked out. Your smart’ll thank you.

After a gruelling six weeks, comprising of an early defeat from the Italians, explosive exit from the French, a losing battle by the English and last minute surrender from the Germans left Holland and Spain to fight it out on Sunday. An action-packed final left the Spanish victorious against a ten-man Holland team with the final score at 1-0.

At smart we have got into the swing of the World Cup and football has taken over at Mercedes-Benz World. Our smart drivers here at Mercedes-Benz created their own tournament with a supersize football, individually decorated smart cars and fortunately no vuvuzelas. It was almost like being in South Africa.

The sunshine has arrived and it is officially the start of the barbeque season. The hottest thing on the barbeque this summer is the hotdog.


The hotdog is the staple item of every kitchen throughout the summer. The hot dog reigns as the ultimate World Cup snack, King of festival food and a definite crowd pleaser for your last minute barbeque. Team with a bread roll and tomato sauce to get the taste just right. If you’re prepared to take it to the next level, throw in some fried onions and lace with mustard.


Make sure you don’t cook your hotdog for too long, because charcoal is not a good look this season.

The smart electric revolution is underway today as the first London customers receive their smart fortwo electric drives. Livia Firth and Nicola Giuggioli, owners of Eco Age, were the first to test drive the new smartfortwo accompanied by motoring journalist and TV personality, Quentin Willson.

60 residents from across London and the South East will be the first in the UK to trial the smart fortwo electric drive. The nationwide trial will soon be spreading to the Midlands and the rest of the country. With zero emissions, the smart will make the capital a much greener place, let’s hope smart can win them over.

Today’s Metro has caught Quentin Willson on camera: http://pictures.metro.co.uk/London/271378/Electric-drive-car-trial

smart are pleased to announce that the @smartfortwouk twitter account has reached a milestone of 1000 followers! The celebrated title of the 1000^th follower goes to @yamatogokoro_jp. Follow @smartfortwouk to keep updated with all the latest news and updates from smart UK.

To become part of the official smart community and get connected with the latest news, experts and other smart fans visit destination smart. Upload your smart photos and videos, share your smart experiences and show your face at the next smart event. You will also find a free smart car designer iPhone app, download it now.

This year’s Wimbledon tournament has made record-breaking history in its first week. Day three saw the beginning of something special in men’s single match with John Isner and Nicholas Mahut.

The match began on Tuesday and unbeknown to the players and spectators would continue for 11 hours, finally finishing on Thursday afternoon.

American, John Isner, defeated Mahut in the fifth and final set. Needless to get a two game lead to win the match Isner finally wore Mahut down after 138 games in the final set, an incredible feat with the final result ending 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 70-68. smart believes that both players should consider themselves victorious after the marathon match, burning a massive 16,000 calories between them.

The players also shared a mammoth number of 215 aces between them, cooled down by 80 bottles of water. A heroic effort from both sides of the net helped to break all previous records for the longest match, set and game. Now, where’s their smart car to take them home for a well-earned rest?

The summer is well and truly upon us, which means those of you that have a smart ForTwo Cabrio will be enjoying the sun with the roof well and truly down. Having a fabric roof is great, but it’s important to keep it in tip top shape if you want to keep it looking showroom fresh.

Here’s a few tips to make sure your smart’s roof is looking as good as it always has.

1) Don’t use traditional car shampoos to clean it
They contain waxes and silicones that make the car’s body look fresh and shiny, but they can damage the waterproof makeup of the roof fabric.

2) Don’t take it through a car wash
As easy as going to a petrol station car wash, if you’ve got a fabric roof it’s not the wisest of moves… The fast moving, hard bristles can damage the fabric, while the shampoos can ruin the fabric.

3) Use a brush and water
Yup, a normal brush (as you would for cleaning the kitchen floor, for example) and a bucket of water will sort out every day cleaning. It won’t (unless you’re violent with it) damage the roof and will keep day to day muck at bay.

4) Buy a specialist cleaning solution
There are plenty of products out there designed to keep your Smart’s roof fresh – if you’re looking to maintain it religiously a specialised product will save you lots of trouble.

Last time we showed you what you could do to save a bit of fuel while driving your smart fortwo, but as with most things you can always save more fuel by driving like an eco monarch. By driving in an environmentally friendly manner you’ll not only be saving fuel, but also doing your bit for Mother Nature too.

Whether you’re in a brabus, coupé or smart fortwo convertible, you’ll be able to use these tips.

1) Wear thin soled shoes
The closer your foot is to the pedal, the more control you have over it. It’s pretty simple really. A pair of wedges give you very little feel, whereas flatter shoes mean you can manipulate the throttle with greater accuracy. Be gentler with that and you’ll use less fuel.

2) Plan ahead
You’ll probably be concentrating while you drive. That’s just smart (no pun intended). However – look further ahead that you usually would. Anyone likely to pull out in front of you? Traffic lights about to change? The further ahead you plan the better – you can drive smoother and therefore more economically.

3) Slow down
This one’s pretty self explanatory – knock 5mph off your speed and you could save quite a bit on fuel. Shave 20mph off your speed (not in town though, eh?) you’ll get up to 40% better mileage.

4) Concentrate
If you’re really paying attention while you’re driving, you’re going to be aware of what’s around you and what you’ll need to do to keep driving smoothly. Keep your music turned down, your eyes on the road and your passengers quiet and you’ll be in the eco driving ‘zone’.

Happy driving!

For many of us it’s the highlight of the summer – we check weather forecasts, pack up our tents and sleeping bags and hit the road. However, in past years weather conditions have been known to let us down so if, like us, you want to make the best of a potentially wet and muddy situation, here’s how to enjoy your festival in comfort with our list of top five festival essentials.

1. Waterproof picnic blanket to create an instant chill out area outside your tent or to rest weary festival legs while watching the entertainment.

2. Blow-up mattress – it might sound like an unnecessary luxury but believe us you’ll be glad of it when night comes.

3. A torch – being able to see what you are walking in is always an advantage.

4. Sun cream to keep skin protected just in case the sun shines!

5. Wet wipes mean you can keep your hands germ-free, wipe toilet seats and simply freshen up every now and again.

So, if like thousands of others, you are festival bound this summer, which festival do you choose? Do you opt for the trendy Isle of Wight to see and be seen? Bestival for the incredible fancy dress? Latitude if you’ve come over all arty? Or do you go for sheer size and choose Glastonbury? Here at smart we feel that choosing the right festival for you is just part of the fun, although one date we’ve definitely already got in our diaries is the Smart Festival on 4th September.

For all you smart lovers out there, Smart Festival continues to be one of Europe’s biggest gatherings of smart owners and enthusiasts. We’ve got a great day planned with the latest smart products on show, alongside a host of smart-themed games, funfair attractions, entertainment and competitions. To register for Smart Festival 2010 and join in the fun go to www.smartfest.co.uk.

Fuel costs are spiralling and while the smart fortwo is a brilliantly economical way to move around the urban jungle, there are always means to get you more miles for your money. Here’s the first of a few blogs to get you to money saving nirvana.

1) Remove excess weight from your Smart.
It’s a simple one, this. Do you really listen to all the CDs clattering around the car? Or do you use your iPod? Take them out! Sam goes for footballs, coats and anything you don’t really need in there. They may not weigh much, but every little helps.

2) Got a roof rack? Take it off when you’re not using it.
It creates aerodynamic drag, which means the car needs to work harder to get you to where you need to be.

3) Keep your car well maintained.
Get it serviced regularly so the engine is running at full efficiency. Make sure your tyres are well pumped up, a few PSI low and you’re using more fuel that you really have to be.

4) Windows closed, air con off.
On very hot days this one may be a challenge, but there’s method to the madness. Air conditioning draws power from the engine, which means it uses fuel – so if you can get away with not using it you’re on to a winner. Having your windows open causes drag, as the air rushes into the car and basically turns it into a giant metal sail.

We’ll be bringing you more tips like this as the weeks go by and they’ll save you, and your Smart, a fair bit of stress.