Brabus upgrade worth it?

[dancote]

Took my '08 Passion in for the 2.0 upgrade.

While I was there, I test-drove a Brabus coupe. I was hooked.

I looked into converting mine with all the Brabus pieces and found that I could trade it in for roughly the same money.

I also wanted to keep my yellow car so the dealer did a panel swap as part of the deal.

We now have a better looking, better handling, better riding car with a new warranty. We're very pleased with our decision.

Regards,

Dan

[rushfan]

Owned both also. Had an '08 passion- traded for 09 brabus cab.
Brabus does corner better (I no longer hate the hardly used roundabout by my house)- but another difference is the power steering. At very low speeds, comes in handy. Wheels are easier to clean than passion wheels.
Color choice wasn't important to us, as we like black cars anyway.
Biggest difference though, is on a windy day on the highway. This car holds the road better in a crosswind.
At the end of the day, the choice is up to you whether that 4K is worth it, but we are very happy we made the leap.

Side note: We also took in our passion for the 2.0 upgrade and ended up with a brabus. I see a pattern.....
Brian

[pmolink]

Originally Posted by jetfuel

cpear451...totally disagree with you on that thought...if you did not feel a difference between the Brabus ride compared to the Pasion then I do believe you need to have the seat of your pants calibrated....even my bride...who is not into car like some of us are, turned around and told me "it does ride better than mine"...and this happened before we even got to the end of the street...

jetfuel...a different ride..

I agree with Jet. After I bought my Passion, my business partner one-upped me by buying a Brabus. By the time he bought his, I had already done some performance upgrades to mine (cold air intake, ECU remap, exhaust system).

My first impression driving the Brabus was: man... this thing is really gutless. My second impression was: ... but it sure does ride nice. That is what motivated me to buy some up-sized wheels and tires (Genius wheels, Yoko S-Drives) for my Passion. So far, I have left the suspension stock because I am very happy with the ride as it is now.

Is the Brabus worth it? I would have to say yes. The Brabus wheels alone run $2,500 on the after-market. The Brabus exhaust is nothing special, but the body kit is perfect. Add that up with the other little goodies you get, and the Brabus is a good deal. It does, however, need more power.

The perfect nearly out-of-the-box smartie?... A Brabus with an after-market turbocharger mounted up. And, of course, Amsoil in the crankcase.

[SmartDrive]

The Brabus is nice, but it's just too easy to replicate the 'extras' in the Brabus in a Passion with a few choice aftermarket add-ons, and a much wider choice in wheels/tires. Aftermarket springs? Lots of choices at reasonable prices. Interior? You can get leather on a Passion easily. If the Brabus actually had a different (higher performance) engine then there would be a good reason to get it, but basically it's some ground effects, wheels, suspension all easily gotten on your own and with more customizing options for the money. To me it just looked like a bunch of window-dressing...not enough added value for the cost....plus, it's fun to customize.

[cpear451]

Plus a Passion is easier to finance, at least in my situation.

[GHammerly]

Not worth it to me, I like the way it looks, some of the details inside and out, and the sportier suspension but overall not enough to make it worth the extra money for me.
I have no problem with those who think it's worth it to them, people value things in different ways. The aggressive, almost cartoonish look of the Brabus is a strong selling point for many. It is a cool looking little car!

[jetfuel]

...the Brabus suspension is not easily duplicated by after-market springs...or so I was told by a very professional vendor from our community.."the ride will be a bit harder and rougher than the Brabus, if you like the ride don't go after-market"..for his sincere opinion as a true sportsman and not a salesman I believed him...

jetfuel...smooth riding

[IH8OPEC]

To anyone considering a Brabus.

No the U.S. version of the Brabus was not worth it!

Euro and Brazilian Brabus Smarts have the turbo but the U.S. version owners got hosed big time by the turbo not being available, so save your money and get a regular Smart and put what you would have spent for the Brabus towards aftermarket springs and wheels!

[IH8OPEC]

Copy of the email I recieved from Smart Brasil.

Foto: Divulgação
modelo 'bravinho' chega em novembro por mais de R$ 90 mil (Foto: Divulgação)



A versão ‘apimentada’ do carrinho smart fortwo ainda não foi lançada, mas o G1 já deu uma volta na novidade. O Brabus Xclusive chega em novembro e mesmo sem preço divulgado pela Mercedes-Benz, que fabrica o modelo, deve ficar acima dos R$ 90 mil, uma diferença de mais de r$ 30 mil para a versão coupé do microcarro.

Siga o G1 Carros no Twitter

O motor 1.0 que já era turboalimentado, foi preparado especialmente para o ‘foguetinho’ e gera 98 cavalos (14 cv a mais do que o modelo de fábrica). O torque pulou de 12,2 kgfm para 14,3 kgfm e segundo a marca ele vai de 0 a 100 km/h em 9,9 segundos (1,1 segundo antes) e chega a máxima de 155 km/h (limitada eletronicamente).

Foto: Divulgação
Pneus estão mais largos e calçam rodas de 17'' na traseira e 16'' na dianteira (Foto: Divulgação)



Uma pisada de leve e o ronco do escapamento já convida o motorista a pisar mais fundo. Convite aceito, o passeio vira uma aventura. Tudo no carro ‘cheira’ a velocidade. Os bancos , os pedais e a manopla do câmbio são esportivos, o volante (revestido em couro) é mais encorpado e garante uma ‘pegada’ melhor. As rodas de liga leve de 17 polegadas atrás e 16” na frente estão calçadas em pneus mais largos, o que contribui para melhorar a aderência ao piso, o chamado grip.

A suspensão da versão ‘bravinha’ também foi recalibrada e reconfigurada para rebaixar a carroceria em 10 mm, deixando o carro mais a mão. Aquela sensação de fragilidade fica um pouco de lado e o condutor sente segurança para fazer manobras em boa velocidade. Durante o teste, em um trecho inacabado do Rodoanel, com a pista molhada, contornamos com tranquilidade as curvas a 130 km/h.


Volante revestido em couro é mais esportivo e garante melhor pegada (Foto: Divulgação)




As alterações mecânicas renderam 10 quilos à versão preparada. A média de consumo também foi alterada. Passou de 24 km/l para 19,2 km/l de gasolina, mas continua com uma baixa emissão de poluentes: 124g/km.

Esteticamente, o Brabus se diferencia das outras versões pela saída dupla do escapamento, spoiler integrado, aberturas de ar maiores, faróis com moldura inferior na cor titânio e o logotipo da Brabus na grade dianteira e dentro da cabine.

O tamanho não mudou. São 2,69 metros de comprimento, 1,56 m de largura e 1,87 m de entreeixos. Os defeitos e pontos altos também são os mesmos. A transmissão automatizada sequencial de 5 velocidades tem respostas lentas e os trancos nas trocas de marchas incomodam. Na versão mais espertinha tirar o pé na hora da troca deixa de ser uma alternativa e passa a ser a melhor escolha. As borboletas atrás do volante permitem ‘brincar’ durante o

‘foguetinho’ = Turbo

[jetfuel]

...sorry OPEC...add up wheels+tires+body kits/mods+suspension....=?$...and still you will not have a Brabus ride

jetfuel....Brabus looks...Brabus ride...