What are the brakes on a Smart car supposed to feel like?
April 13, 2025 2:38 AM Subscribe
I had cause to drive someone else's Smart car and the brakes behave very differently to every other car I've driven. Is this normal for the model, or indicative of a problem?
There's a lot more resistance to the pedal than I'm used to - I was physically using my other foot to brace myself against the seat so that I could exert enough force. You know how when you pump the brake to test the fluid pressure? It felt stiff as that but all the time. Made me feel very nervous pulling up to a queue and - while I didn't try - I wasn't confident in my ability to emergency brake.
On the other hand, the accelerator seemed really needy. As soon as I let up the pressure even a little the car would slow down much quicker than I'd be expecting. Like it was engine braking as soon as I let up on the accelerator.
It was a manual/automatic hybrid so I knew going in things were going to feel a little different (ex: no creep) but I'm not shy about driving either transmission and I tried driving it in both modes.
This felt strange enough that it made me wonder if there's actually something wrong with the car. A little googling suggests some people don't like the feel of the pedals, but what I experienced seemed above and beyond "feel". Or are all Smart cars genuinely like this?
There's a lot more resistance to the pedal than I'm used to - I was physically using my other foot to brace myself against the seat so that I could exert enough force. You know how when you pump the brake to test the fluid pressure? It felt stiff as that but all the time. Made me feel very nervous pulling up to a queue and - while I didn't try - I wasn't confident in my ability to emergency brake.
On the other hand, the accelerator seemed really needy. As soon as I let up the pressure even a little the car would slow down much quicker than I'd be expecting. Like it was engine braking as soon as I let up on the accelerator.
It was a manual/automatic hybrid so I knew going in things were going to feel a little different (ex: no creep) but I'm not shy about driving either transmission and I tried driving it in both modes.
This felt strange enough that it made me wonder if there's actually something wrong with the car. A little googling suggests some people don't like the feel of the pedals, but what I experienced seemed above and beyond "feel". Or are all Smart cars genuinely like this?
Driving a car when you're unsure of your ability to brake for an emergency sounds unsafe. If you need to drive that car again, please find a spot where you can test the brakes before you get on the highway; or similar).
Your unspoken question seems to be "should I do something about this?" I'd tell the owner of the car about your experience and encourage them to either get the brakes checked or to specifically warn people about this if they allow someone else to drive the car. It sounds like an unpleasant experience that's worth bringing up.
posted by demi-octopus at 3:35 AM on April 13
Your unspoken question seems to be "should I do something about this?" I'd tell the owner of the car about your experience and encourage them to either get the brakes checked or to specifically warn people about this if they allow someone else to drive the car. It sounds like an unpleasant experience that's worth bringing up.
posted by demi-octopus at 3:35 AM on April 13
Best answer: As a long time owner of a late generation ICE Smart 451 and with experience driving a plethora of Car2Go 451 and 453 models (and regular driver of rental cars), the brakes do not feel like that at all and aren’t any harder to use than the brakes of any other car. My partner wouldn’t drive our car if it was remotely like that. Something is clearly wrong and it should be taken in to be checked, preferably by a repair shop with experience with Smart cars (not that they are that exotic mechanically, but even some shops assume they are completely alien and guess that it is normal.)
I’m assuming it is a 451 since the description of the transmission matches (453 engines feature a regular non ‘sports car’ transmission), the 451 does slowly creep in first gear when in automated transmission mode, though not as much as other vehicles.
The smaller tire size and light weight does cause the vehicle to lose kinetic energy when coasting faster than larger cars, but it is maybe a 10% difference. It doesn’t feel like it is braking when letting up the gas and it will happily coast with traffic.
posted by rambling wanderlust at 4:13 AM on April 13 [4 favorites]
I’m assuming it is a 451 since the description of the transmission matches (453 engines feature a regular non ‘sports car’ transmission), the 451 does slowly creep in first gear when in automated transmission mode, though not as much as other vehicles.
The smaller tire size and light weight does cause the vehicle to lose kinetic energy when coasting faster than larger cars, but it is maybe a 10% difference. It doesn’t feel like it is braking when letting up the gas and it will happily coast with traffic.
posted by rambling wanderlust at 4:13 AM on April 13 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Brilliant. Thanks for the confirmation, rambling wanderlust. Sounds like a garage is the next stop.
posted by Lorc at 4:20 AM on April 13
posted by Lorc at 4:20 AM on April 13
Break thing sounds off, accelerator thing sounds normal. I’ve hated it whenever I’ve driven a hybrid or electric vehicle. As I understand it, any time you’re not accelerating, the car tries to harness its momentum for battery regeneration. (I personally hate it, as it makes me greatly change my driving habits from being laid back and coasting a lot to feel more aggressive with constant pedal pushing)
posted by itesser at 4:32 AM on April 13 [1 favorite]
posted by itesser at 4:32 AM on April 13 [1 favorite]
Discussing the brakes with my partner, who is petite and wouldn’t drive our car if it was like that, she pointed out that what she likes about the Smart brakes is that they are precise feeling. Driving a Toyota, the brakes feel soft and mushy and generally take a stronger push to engage fully.
I can’t speak for the electric models, but the car does coast normally. It is the same as comparing a Brompton to a full size bike, with a similar loss of energy for similar reasons.
posted by rambling wanderlust at 4:42 AM on April 13 [1 favorite]
I can’t speak for the electric models, but the car does coast normally. It is the same as comparing a Brompton to a full size bike, with a similar loss of energy for similar reasons.
posted by rambling wanderlust at 4:42 AM on April 13 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Just to be clear, it's not an electric vehicle in any respect. I only meant "hybrid" in the common language sense, since it's a manual with an automatic mode, what's sometimes called a semi-automatic or (I think?) AMT.
posted by Lorc at 4:51 AM on April 13
posted by Lorc at 4:51 AM on April 13
It sounds like the brakes might be a little bit on all the time, and could be in the process of failing.
posted by jamjam at 9:39 AM on April 13 [1 favorite]
posted by jamjam at 9:39 AM on April 13 [1 favorite]
Seconding "sounds like the brakes are stuck on a little." Is the parking brake all-the-way-released?
posted by adekllny at 4:52 PM on April 13
posted by adekllny at 4:52 PM on April 13
Sounds like brake booster pump died. There is a diaphragm in the booster that creates vacuum and amplifies the mechanical force of the pedal. That typically goes bad and needs replacement.
posted by artdrectr at 5:36 PM on April 13
posted by artdrectr at 5:36 PM on April 13
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posted by kickingtheground at 2:48 AM on April 13 [1 favorite]