When the Smart ForTwo was released just over a year ago, critics, including Leftlane, quickly jumped all over the diminutive car’s awkward, lurchy automated manual transmission. Smart USA listened to critics and owners, however, and is now offering a free transmission upgrade for earlier Smarts that, according to the importer, will alter the software and provide smoother shifts.
The notice that current owners will be receiving in the mail says: “We will upgrade your transmission software to the new 2009 operating mode which provides improved shifting dynamics as well as instant changing between automatic and paddle shifting just by touching the up or down shift paddles.”
All 24,622 2008 Smart ForTwos sold in the United States are eligible for the transmission software upgrade. From what we can glean from the notice, the upgrade will not require the driver to put the transmission in “manual” mode to use the paddles. The transmission used in U.S.-spec Smarts is unique to the market. It works an automated clutch when in “drive” following a shift pattern optimized for efficiency; it can be defeated by using manual mode, but even then there is a long delay between shifts that causes the whole vehicle to visibly lurch.
