Smart Fortwo review: the smallest car in Bahrain and one of the hardest to keep running
2.5/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
The Fortwo is a genuinely charming solution to a problem most Bahrain drivers do not have — a total lack of parking space — and its turbocharged three-cylinder is more eager than its size suggests. But Smart never built a real Gulf presence and has since retreated to electric-only models elsewhere, leaving this petrol generation with no dealer, a tiny parts pool, and a resale market that barely exists. Buy it as a curiosity for a dedicated city dweller, not as a practical daily for most families.
Pros
- Tiny footprint parks nose-in almost anywhere in old Manama
- Turbocharged three-cylinder is genuinely eager for its size
- Very low fuel consumption and cheap running costs in town
- Turning circle makes U-turns and tight manoeuvres trivial
Cons
- No Smart dealer or factory presence anywhere in the GCC
- Parts for the rear-engined layout are scarce and usually shipped from Europe
- Only two seats and minimal cargo space rule out family use
- Resale market is essentially nonexistent in Bahrain
Everything about the Fortwo is built around one idea: a car short enough to park nose-in to the kerb where a normal car would park parallel. At 2.7 metres long it does exactly that, and the turbocharged 0.9-litre three-cylinder, mounted over the rear axle, makes it genuinely eager around town despite the tiny displacement.
Why it barely exists in Bahrain
Smart never built a meaningful Gulf presence, and the brand has since pulled its petrol models from most markets worldwide in favour of electric-only successors built with Geely. That leaves this 453-generation Fortwo as a genuine rarity here — most examples arrived as personal imports rather than through any dealer, new or used. Parts, particularly anything specific to the rear-engined layout, effectively mean ordering from Europe and waiting.
The upside is real: fuel consumption is low, the turning circle makes U-turns trivial on narrow streets, and the tiny footprint solves Manama's worst parking problems better than almost anything else on sale. The five-speed manual and light controls make it genuinely fun in slow traffic, which is where it spends nearly all of its life.
This is not a car for the causeway or a family's only vehicle — it is a dedicated city runabout for an owner who has already accepted the parts-sourcing reality and wants nothing else that this car does uniquely well.