68617
110cc to 125cc Scooter Shootout
Posted on 
Halfway into 2012 and the fast emerging scooter segment has already witnessed four new entrants. But which one of them will manage to rattle the cages of the long-standing king of the hill, the Honda Activa?
Fuel for Thought
When it comes to scooters plying in the Indian scenario, power figures on paper don’t really translate into great sales numbers. Instead what works is peppy and smooth power delivery coupled with good fuel efficiency and to top it all, strong engine reliability. And no points for guessing, it is the Honda Activa that clearly leads the bandwagon of scooters in the country. The 109cc engine which replaced the dated 98cc motor on the Honda Activa in 2009, has shown incredible refinement in its new form and provides brilliantly smooth power without denting the fuel efficiency. The deficit in engine capacity over its major 125cc rivals has helped the Activa return a class leading overall fuel efficiency figure of 46.8kmpl.
With regards to the balance of performance and fuel efficiency running a close second is the Honda Activa twin, the Hero Maestro, which employs Honda engineering under its Hero moniker but boasts a slightly different engine tune resulting in better mid-range grunt than the Activa. However, the chunkier mid-range has marginally affected the fuel efficiency as the Maestro ran 45.1km on one litre of petrol. Surprise of the lot was the new and improved Mahindra Rodeo RZ, which despite posting a brilliantly quick time of 8.94 seconds in the 0-60km/h dash, returned us a fuel efficiency figure of 43.7kmpl under mixed riding conditions to take the third spot. The 124cc engine powering the Rodeo RZ has always impressed us with its strong performance, but the earlier version of the Rodeo was mightily thirsty for fuel and that has been bettered in its latest avatar along with some other changes that we shall speak about a bit later.
The Italian wasp’s entry has rather shaken the scooter segment and while some consumers might have thrown a fit, most of them are looking at the gorgeous scooter as rich boy’s toy. But there is more to the Vespa than meets the eye and it has certainly energized the rather bland scooter sector in the country. And at its price-point the Vespa is certainly not placed alongside the leader Honda Activa or the latest entrant, the Mahindra Rodeo RZ. But plying in the same space of scooters, the Vespa rides like a dream with a very healthy seamless throw of power right from the word go and despite being the bulkiest scooter amongst the crop weighing 114kg, the Vespa did exceptionally well with regards to performance, posting a time of 8.94 seconds in the 0-60km/h run. But the energetic 124cc engine pumping out impressive 10.2PS of power and 9.6Nm of torque is not exactly frugal as the Vespa only managed 42kmpl during our test. Couple the fuel efficiency to the premium pricing and this Italian lad here is certainly not for the average Joe Indian commuter but for the spender with taste in everything exotic.
So while I pretended to enjoy most of the scooters, (I admit liking the Vespa on occasions because it made me feel like a flamboyant movie star), the Suzuki Swish 125 changed my very perception about scooters on sale currently in the Indian market. Over a second faster than its rivals, the Swish 125 recorded a blisteringly quick 0-60km/h time of 7.7 seconds! But the obvious victim of this performance gain of the Swish 125 has been fuel efficiency with an overall consumption figure coming considerably low at 38kmpl. Factor in the rising fuel costs and the Swish 125 is a difficult proposition for the mileage conscious Indian buyer.
SLIDESHOW:
Do you like this story?
- Previous Story
- Next Story
Sign up for our customized BIKER newsletter today.
Readers' opinions ( 36 )
Post a Comment
Post a Comment-
R. Pathak
Tvs wego is the best.
-
Venbas
The Rodeo is a hopeless bike with its front fuel tank throwing up after hitting the slightest bump on our roads. I sold mine after just 1 year for 15k rupees after multiple quality issues with this engineering disaster from Kinectic Sym now Mahindra Rodeo. In any other country there would have been class action lawsuit against the swindler Manufacturer of bikes like Rodeo. Just stay away lest you regret it for rest of your life
-
Chaitanya
TVS- Wego is better than Access 125 ,its pickup is better than Honda Activa
-
Pr
forgot some of the main scooters,New Dio, Wego and Duro!! and now there is Ray also!PLS UPDATE!
-
Rehan Conyers
Very well written by Varad. And Kunal, as always, gives us a plethora of pictures that has readers and viewers hooked more towards the gallery than the story itself. And for me, it's the Vespa. Yes, it may be the priciest of the lot, but it manifests such old-school charm that is irresistible. And if there was a second choice, then it has to be the Rodeo RZ. :-)
Honda Dream Neo 110cc bike Launched
Honda has launched its most affordable commuter...
110cc to 125cc Scooter Shootout : In Pictures!
by Photography : Kunal Khadse
Today there are rather impressive models in the...
2012 Honda Dio : ZigWheels First Ride Report
by Team ZigWheels
The all new Honda Dio is here, ZigWheels gives...
Here is the exhilarating clip of the 2010 BMW S1000RR being tested at the Portimao Racetrack in...
Bajaj unveils its new Pulsar 200 : ET Now Reports!
Bajaj has unveiled its next generation Pulsar 200 for India and has slated its launch sometime...
