In this week's issue:

• Renault Recalls 4,000 Cars after Nissan Defect
• It isn't Big but it is Quite Clever

  Renault Recalls 4,000 Cars

French carmaker Renault said it would recall some 4,000 cars featuring an engine that triggered a 2.55 million car recall by its Japanese partner Nissan.

Europe's fourth biggest carmaker said that it had not detected any problems with the engines, but that it had decided to recall all cars containing them out of caution after defects with the motor prompted a massive recall at Nissan.

"We will recall around 4,000 Vel Satis cars globally," said a Renault spokesman. He declined to say how much this would cost but said it would not be much.

Nissan, in which Renault holds a 44.4 percent stake, said on Thursday it was recalling 2.55 million cars at an estimated cost of 15 to 16 billion yen due to an engine fault. Renault and Nissan share car parts and platforms to save costs and boost efficiency.

  It isn't Big but it is Quite Clever

As I understand it, the first hit record isn't the tricky one. It's the follow-up that can make or break an act and there is a very long list of one-hit wonders to prove the point. Smart has recently followed up its own massive debut hit, the City Coupe, with the launch of a new model, the Roadster-Coupe.

With the benefit of hindsight, it's hard to see how the original Smart concept could have failed. In a world where urban chaos appears to grow worse by the hour, a small, economical and eco-friendly run-around (that also happens to be nippy, funky and easy-on-the-eye) was always going to be massively popular, wasn't it? Here is the three-and-a-half minute pop song re-presented as a car: simple, memorable and virtually as disposable with the same cross-over appeal as the biggest pop hits.

But what of the follow-up? Has Smart judged the mood correctly once again or has fashion moved on? The new model is certainly less radical than the original Smart car, providing more of an echo of a previous era rather than announcing the arrival of a new way of thinking. It is still distinctively a Smart but the styling evokes the spirit of sports roadsters from the Fifties and Sixties, relying on a combination of contemporary detailing and innovative materials to bring things up-to-date.

Blend of Past and Present

The Roadster-Coupe is powered by an 80bhp version of the same three-cylinder, 698cc engine to be found in the City Coupe. It is a motor that, on paper, appears to be more suited to powering a hand-held fan but since a Smart weighs less than a bag of fog, actually packs an entertaining punch. This is a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive coupe that, while obviously never offering the sort of power to be found in a genuine sports car, probably offers twice as much fun. It provides wind-in-the-hair motoring for a new generation and has a whiff of the raffish little British sports convertible about it. Think Triumph Spitfire and MG Midget, rather than E-Type Jag or Aston Martin Volante.

The Roadster-Coupe is a whole heap of fun because it has been designed to be so and in this regard is a brilliant study in blending traditional values (spirit, fun, individuality) with contemporary motoring requirements (eco-efficiency, economy, clever packaging). When searching for examples of how, it's worth using your ears rather than your eyes. While the Roadster-Coupe steers and handles sensationally, the thrill of the chase is complemented by a rasping little bark that wouldn't sound out of place on a race track. It quite literally amplifies the pleasure of hustling this latest Smart along, rapidly flicking up and down the Roadster's thoroughly modern sequential gearbox.

The Art of Shifting

Well, almost. The gearbox in the Smart has received much criticism for being anything but rapid and on first acquaintance, there certainly seems to be enough time for lunch as the gearbox ponders its next move. The shift action itself ­ forward for up / backwards for down - is satisfyingly instantaneous but the computer then appears to keep the information to itself, leaving the gearbox and car on momentary hold. It certainly isn't perfect, but neither is it the catastrophe that has been reported in some quarters.

The nature of this engine, and its relationship with the gearbox, is such that extracting maximum fun requires redlining the car in every gear, all the time. There is no problem with this, as the little motor revs so eagerly, albeit only to 5,250rpm. The driving experience is akin to short shifting, all the time; almost as soon as you've grabbed one gear, it's time for the next and there are six in all to play with! But once you become used to the momentary lag (and it is more prevalent in up-shifts than down-shifts) you can actually drive around the problem. It isn't complex ­ you just move the gear stick sooner than you ordinarily would.

Kit Car Look

Not that the Roadster-Coupe is a paragon of virtue. The two boots (one in the front and one in the back) are trivial whimsy and you can't wait at traffic lights with your foot on the brake while listening to Radio 5Live. The Hill Start Assist braking system interferes with AM stations, transmit an irritating clicking noise and while it's true that there is impressive legroom for the freakishly tall (me), you still need double-hinged knees to get in or out with any dignity.

Subjectively, I am not too sure about the car's looks. If you think it's for you, pick your colour carefully (red is good), as a few of the choices are just too anaemic to do the design any justice. I really want to love the Roadster's styling but overall I could not escape the feeling that it looked like a kit car. No hard feelings to the home-build boys but at this sort of money, I'm afraid this would upset me. And things don't improve inside. Like its City Coupe sibling, the interior of the Roadster-Coupe is well planned and offers implausibly spacious accommodation, given the external dimensions, but the quality of materials doesn't quite feel right. There's just no real sense of durability about it all ­ the Roadster could be a huge free gift that fell out of a giant packet of cereal.

Hit and Miss

While anyone with a soul couldn't fail to find the new Smart fun, it is the question of value that presents the most significant caveat against choosing a Roadster-Coupe. On the one hand, here is a rear-wheel drive, rear-engined open-top sports coupe with real-world benefits (economy, practical size etc!) that is built by Mercedes-Benz, for just £14,495. Yet it is also a tiny two-seater with next-to-no boot, flimsy build quality and slightly iffy home-made looks. For £14,495! Whereas the original Smart City car starts at not-a-lot over £6,000 and finishes at even less under £10,000 (for the Cabrio), the Roadster-Coupe could be considered to cost 'proper money'. At this price point, there is a lot of choice. A FIAT Barchetta, Mercedes A-Class and Ford StreetKa can all be had for less while another hundred quid will see you behind the wheel of a MINI Cooper S!

So is the latest Smart a hit or a miss? In the ruthless world of pop, there would be no in-between but in truth, the Roadster-Coupe is a bit of both. It is a riot of fun for racing around town and leaves you feeling virtuous at the same time but at this sort of price, there is definitely something missing. Smart is no one-hit wonder but, in pure pop terms, expect a lot less people to be buying the second single!