Smart #5 teased in new pictures ahead of global debut

Smart has given a glimpse of how its new #5 family SUV will look, ahead of the car’s worldwide reveal later this month.

The firm first teased the third model in its renewed line-up at the Beijing motor show earlier this year and new sketches suggest the production car is sticking pretty close to that concept vehicle.

Unlike the sleeker #1 and #3, the #5 looks to be a very boxy affair, with a tall upright front end and prominent lower grille. The latest sketches also show very pronounced wheel arches and incredibly short overhangs, along with the de rigueur black body cladding, roof rails and some interesting details on the glasshouse.

The #5 is targeting a whole new audience from anything the German firm – famous for its tiny ForTwo city car – has previously served. While the #1 and #3 are still relatively compact urban-focused models, the #5 is a full-size family SUV aimed at the active lifestyle market. At a reported 4.7m long, the #5 will be competing with the Ford Explorer, Skoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID.4.

Dirk Adelmann, CEO of Smart Europe: “With the smart #5, we have created our most spacious and versatile vehicle to date. The #5 is a great expansion of our existing portfolio and will make the smart brand an attractive choice for more and more customers in Europe.”

There are no exact technical details yet but Smart has previously confirmed that the #5 will sit on 800V architecture with a 100kWh+ battery. That promises at least 340 miles of range and a 10-80% recharge time of just 15 minutes.

We also know that it will be four-wheel-drive, which Smart claims will allow for adventure ‘even beyond paved roads’. Smart’s only current four-wheel-drive options are the Brabus editions of the #1 and #3, which uses two motors to produce 422bhp, but it’s not clear if the #5 will use this same setup. It’s also likely that cheaper two-wheel-drive variants will be offered at some point.

The #5 is scheduled to go on sale in Europe in 2025, so we’d expect all the technical details, pricing in the coming months.