smart fortwo BRABUS in stock for now, twinkling with luxury

smart USA has diverged from GM and Toyota in that it continues (for now) to focus on building a car that uses gasoline as efficiently as possible, rather than building out electric hybrids like the Prius and Chevy Volt. Mixing in the BRABUS brand name with its smart fortwo product line infuses a sense of luxury with an emphasis on performance and design.

BRABUS has long provided services as a Mercedes tuner, adding custom features for owners with bottomless pocketbooks. In a similar vein, smart will be offering customized versions of the fortwo with options for customers to change external and internal colors and accessories.

In the meantime, the existing smart fortwo BRABUS brags a sportier look, better suspension, and a brushed aluminum/leather interior. All of those features are packed into a tiny form factor 107.4 inches long, which also makes them affordable. The smart fortwo BRABUS starts at just under $18,000.

And if you can look beyond or embrace the petite size, it will serve you efficiently at around 54 miles per gallon. With the 2010 Toyota Prius clocking in at about 50 miles per gallon, the price tag and value proposition start to seems strangely appealing.

If we’re able to manufacture gasoline in a renewable way, say through algae production, then efficient cars like the smart fortwo BRABUS may provide a good alternative to the ubiquitous talk of electric hybrids. Realistically there’s a need for more than one solution at least in the United States until the electrical grid is updated and other renewable energies like solar and wind power become more widely available.

On driving the car though, smart has had to fight an ongoing battle to mitigate the perception that its vehicles are unsafe because they’re so small. Make no mistake, the smart fortwo will likely roll in most accidents with larger vehicles, and smart almost seems to confirm that with its “strongest roof” rating.