Previewed: smart #1 Premium Interior – Beats Audio, 12.8” Display, and More

In case you missed it, the smart #1 has made its first public appearance late last month, albeit the car is due for launch later in Q4 this year. However, our initial report on this new EV SUV only touches on the exterior part, with the rest of the car’s details yet to be unveiled, until today.

To refresh your memory, the smart #1 EV SUV is borne out of a venture between Daimler Group (Mercedes-Benz) and Geely Group, where the former is in-charge of the design and styling aspects of the car, while the latter provides the mechanical bits and components. As a result, the #1 shares the same Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) platform as other Geely-affiliated models, while featuring design that somewhat akin to several Mercedes-Benz models.

Back to the main topic, the smart #1 Premium variant previewed here comes with a well-equipped cabin that features futuristic design and styling. Upon entering the car, passengers will be greeted by a welcome puddle light and illuminated door sills. As for drivers, the #1’s courtesy driver’s seat moves back automatically to allow easier entry and exit.

Once you’re inside the #1, you’ll immediately notice the familiar-looking T-shaped front cockpit design with dual-zone ambient lighting system, with over 64 colours available to choose from. Floating above the front dash is a sizable 12.8-inch infotainment display, powered by a localised UI system that features navigation system with charging locations display – similar to what we saw on the Android-powered infotainment system on the Volvo C40/XC40 Recharge EV SUV.

Drivers, on the other hand, will get a slim 9.2-inch digital instrument cluster that hides beneath the leather-wrapped steering wheel. Should that be too small for you, there’s a supplementary 10-inch head-up display, which features integrated navigation and ADAS-related displays, aside from the speed display. Elsewhere at the front, there’s two USB-C charging ports plus a 12-volt socket, a wireless charging pad, a bevy of cup holders, as well as a cooled centre armrest compartment.

As for the seats, all of them are wrapped in plush leather material, while the front ones get extra ventilation function, as well as power-adjustable via the aforementioned central infotainment display. The rear ones, on the other hand, can be folded down flat with 60:40 split configuration, while its backrests can be adjusted up to two positions. Aside from that, the rear part also comes with dedicated A/C vents, two USB ports (one Type-A, one Type-C), and a panoramic sunroof that goes from the front all the way back to the rear seats. 

On the practicality front, the #1’s 323-litre rear boot space comes standard with hidden storage compartments beneath it instead of a spare wheel – a standard omission in most EVs nowadays. This rather small space can be expanded to 411-litres when you slide the rear seats to the front, while the backrests comes with a hatch that allows space for through-loading long items.

Once these backrests are folded down flat, it’ll further expand the cargo space to 986-litres. Still need more space? Good news, as the smart #1 also comes with a small front-trunk (frunk) space of 15-litres – which is barely enough to store your charging cable, we’d reckon.

Aside from all those practical and premium features, the smart #1 Premium variant is also primed with a novel Beats audio system. With a power output of 640 W, this sound setup consists of 13 speakers including two subwoofers, while two exclusive sound signatures – Classic and Beats – are available for passengers to choose from.

While already making its first public appearance last month, the smart #1 has yet to officially make its entry into our local marketspace, which is due to take place some time in Q4 this year. As for other details of the car, you can check out our previous report on this EV SUV, where we’ve touched on its exterior, as well as the powertrain specs.

So folks, what do you think of the upcoming smart #1 EV SUV? With all its key specs and details already unveiled, how much would you pay for this premium EV SUV? As always, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below…