Despite only having driven the car for a month, I've already grown very attached to it. Ours is the confusingly named Roadster-Coupe version with a full-length fabric sunroof and removable side roof panels for the full targa effect. It's not quick by most people's standards, and in comparison with the rest of the Fast Fleet it's positively slow, but it's still a hoot. From the chattering of the turbo wastegate to the growl of the three-cylinder engine to the heroic grip it generates, this car certainly provides bags of fun. And because the Brabus only has 101bhp, it means that the fun can be sampled at sensible (i.e legal) speeds, which is just as well with my driving licence now showing six points.

The great thing about the Brabus is that it's so small and nimble you really feel confident hustling it along a twisting B-road, the high level of grip afforded by the wide 225/35 Michelin Pilot Sport tyres giving you an air of invincibility.

Although the headline performance figures are nothing special (0-60mph in 9.8sec and 121mph top speed), you always feel as though you are travelling much faster than you actually are thanks to the little three-cylinder engine screaming away behind your back - and the fact your backside is a matter of only inches from the road.

So the Brabus is an entertaining driving companion - and it's also one that attracts a lot of attention. Girls simply love this car and wherever we go together the fairer sex always turn their heads to check the Roadster out (I'm assuming it's the car and not me they're interested in).

So it's entertaining to drive as well as being a big hit with the ladies, but there are downsides; namely the ride and the seats. Thanks to those 17in wheels and the low ride height, the Smart is incredibly stiff, which is great for cornering feel but very bad news when it comes to ride quality. Over the majority of roads I travel the experience is in the main uncomfortable and, in extreme cases, downright unpleasant. Hit a pothole or rut and the whole car shakes violently, sending the shockwave right through to the seats.

The seats in turn are rather uncomfortable and offer little in the way of support. After a few miles behind the wheel I find myself slouched down, and I have to haul myself back into place and push the small of my back into the seat to get comfortable again.
But even that's not enough to dim my affection for the Roadster. The next 12 months are going to be fun.