All-electric smart fortwo is a Porsche killer in the city [VIDEO]

TORONTO—Want to beat a Porsche Boxster in a drag race for a fraction of the price?

Buy a smart car.

At least that’s the implied recommendation of a new ad campaign launched by smart Canada for its fortwo electric drive model, which shows the 35-kilowatt microcar lining up against a trio of cars, including the Boxster, Audi A5 and Ford Mustang, for a trip down a quarter-mile strip—and losing.

Back the (smart) car up for a second.

Before we move on it’s important to note that, yes, the fortwo electric drive loses—quite handily, it should be added—against all three competitors in 400-metre sprints.

Where the torquey little two-seater comes out on top, according to smart’s clever new ad campaign, is in the city, where apparently only the first five metres count.

When the tape is slowed down, the smart pulls off the line with instant torque, well ahead of all three sports cars it is lined up against—if only for a fraction of a quarter-mile dash.

The fortwo is, of course, a city car, and whether you’re looking to get around a stopped bus off a light or sprint ahead of a cabbie who has inconsiderately pulled ahead of you to grab the next fare, the electric-driven smart has all the go you need for urban driving.

Oh, and it has a combined city and highway fuel consumption rating of 1.8 litres equivalent per 100 kilometres thanks to its magneto-electric motor and 17.6-kWh battery that provides a manufacturer-estimated 138 kilometres of driving range on a full charge.

I probably wouldn’t want to take the electrified fortwo too far into the sticks given its lack of range.

But with a sub-$30,000 sticker price, the fortwo electric drive could be a fun way to have a laugh at the bigshots on Bay Street—if only for the first five metres.