smart#1 Brabus moose test: when power is enhanced, but chassis isn't

smart#1 Brabus fails the moose test, only comfortable doing it at low speeds.

There's been a lot of hype surrounding the smart#1 Brabus, as it is the performance version of the regular smart#1, beefed up by renowned tuner, Brabus.

However, a recent moose test carried out by km77.com has somewhat shown a chink in its armour as the more powerful smart#1 can't seem to swerve or change direction quickly to avoid an obstacle.

According to the test, the 434 hp model is totally uncontrollable when it tries to swerve between cones at 77km/h. Test drivers kept on testing it and kept reducing its speed and found that the EV was only comfortable doing the moose test at speeds of under 65km/h. 

To put this into context, motor1.com said that "larger and less sporty models such as the Hyundai Tucson PHEV and Kia Niro were both significantly faster and safer in the manoeuvre, putting the so-called Brabus to shame.

One of the major reasons for this is due to the nonexistent tweaks to the chassis and steering on the performance model, which should have been carried out to cope with the extra power. 

Jumping from 268hp to 434hp is quite a big a hop, and it's quite surprising to see smart and Brabus not beefing up the suspension at the very least to cope with the newfound performance. 

Even the 19-inch wheel size is the same, so it seems like they have not thought about handling whatsoever.