Low CO2 fortwo lightshine

Smart has launched a special edition of what’s probably the most eco-friendly internal combustion car on sale.

The lightshine is based on the fortwo passion cdi turbodiesel coupé with softip transmission, which produces just 86 g/km of CO2. That means it qualifies for a 100% discount on the London Congestion Charge, as well as £0 road tax. Fuel economy is pretty impressive too, with a combined cycle rating of 85.6 mpg (3.3 l/100km).


There’s not too much to differentiate the lightshine, though. Apart from the light green matt body panels, it gets colour coded headlamp bezels, LED daytime running lights, special badging and the double spoke alloys borrowed from the pulse trim level. The interior is spruced up with a new 3-spoke steering wheel, paddleshift gear change and floor mats that feature a lightshine logo.

The downside? Smart has priced the lightshine at £11,405, which is £765 more than a passion coupé currently costs. Some might feel that it’s not worth paying such a premium for the special version, especially considering that the spec isn’t too dissimilar.

Otherwise, it’s the usual fortwo issues: Carrying more than two people is obviously impossible, performance from the 53 bhp (40 kW / 54 PS) diesel engine is best described as leisurely, and the automatic gearbox has been criticised in the past.

But the lightshine will certainly be exclusive, with only 86 - a nod to its CO2 emissions - destined to come to the UK.

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