ON THE face of it, the Smart #1 is a funky newcomer to the electric crossover market, aimed at the young-at-heart (or merely young). It’s pint-sized, stylish and fast, and a talking fox lives on its touchscreen, amusing herself by balancing a beach ball on her nose.

Two versions vie for your wallet: a twin-motor Brabus edition offering sportscar performance – 0 to 100 kmh takes a scintillating 3.9 seconds – and the less wicked single-motor Pro+ featured here. The latter is still quick – clocking 6.7 seconds – and slightly more efficient, eking 420 kilometres from a single charge, 20 km more than the Brabus.

Chances are, you’ll forget all about efficiency when you blast up the road in the Pro+. It gathers speed with a steady whoosh, and the acceleration is amusingly intense when you engage the Sport driving mode. You can fiddle with the steering weight and regenerative braking, too, until you have the car exactly to your liking.