TVS iQube ST Road Test Review: Fun & Practical But Expensive!

The TVS iQube ST stands out as a simple, family-oriented electric scooter with premium styling, good performance, and a modest set of features. We recently had a chance to test it, and here’s what we think about its real-world performance.

Design

The TVS iQube has a simple, family-oriented design and styling that incorporates many premium design elements. The well-integrated LED DRL on the headlight cowl and the simple LED headlight and turn indicator setup look quite neat. But what really stands out is the premium-looking metallic badging on the body panels. 

It is offered in 3 colours, Copper Bronze Matte, Titanium Grey Matte, and Starlight Blue Glossy. We received the Starlight Blue Glossy colour scheme, and the dark shade has a charm of its own. Out of the 3, this one is definitely our favorite.

The scooter overall looks quite good, but it is not something that draws a lot of attention from the public. But the premium bits used make a difference and make you feel good when riding it.

Ergonomics

The TVS iQube puts you in a very relaxed and upright riding posture, which is very comfortable. During my longer rides in the city, the upright riding posture combined with the well-padded seat made things easy.

The seat cushioning is quite good, and TVS has done a good job with the padding. For short city rides, this is comfortable. The spacious nature of the seat is also a big advantage, and this makes it easier for the rider and pillion to sit comfortably. Overall in terms of ergonomics, and comfort the TVS iQube ST has done quite a good job and there’s nothing to complain about.

Motor, Performance, and Range

The TVS iQube is powered by a 4.4kW motor which offers a top speed of 78kmph in the 3.4kWh variant and 82kmph in the 5.1kWh variant. The motor is quite smooth, offers a linear power delivery and is very easy going. This is something that you want on a family-oriented electric scooter. Another thing to note is that the motor is able to offer enough power and torque for quick overtakes. During my time riding it in the city, the scooter easily zipped through traffic, allowing me to plan my overtakes way ahead.

The e-scooter gets two riding modes: Power and Eco. In Eco mode, the acceleration is linear, but once you push past 30kmph the rate of acceleration is slightly slower. The speed in this mode is capped at 50kmph, which is reasonable as you won’t be pushing beyond that in city traffic often. What I like about the riding modes is that the torque is not capped, and in Eco mode, I was able to ride up inclines with a pillion on board. 

The Power mode unlocks the scooter’s full potential and is quite useful when riding on relatively empty roads. The city performance is good and the scooter can handle commutes well. During my time with the scooter, I had the opportunity to take some short rides on the highway. With the power mode enabled, the scooter was able to hold speeds of 65-70kmph without any issues. Overall, the scooter offers really good performance with its smooth acceleration. In the city, the iQube ST gives a tough time to petrol-powered scooters when it comes to outright acceleration.

In terms of range, the TVS iQube ST 5.1kWh variant is able to offer a decent claimed range of 100km in Power mode and 150km in Eco mode. We haven’t been able to test the true range yet, but so far the scooter has been able to handle my daily commutes of 20km. Riders who have a daily commute of 20km can ride the scooter for 5 days before having to charge the scooter again.

Handling & Ride Quality

With the kerb weight of 119kg, the TVS iQube is quite a light e-scooter and is easy to manage. Moving it around in the parking lot is quite an easy affair, and most of the time I never really felt the need to use the reverse mode or parking assist that the scooter gets as standard. When riding in the city, the scooter feels quite agile and nimble. Which makes it quite easy to cut through traffic.

When it comes to ride quality, the suspension setup is set towards the stiffer side. So while riding over bad patches of road, you will feel a lot of the bumps and potholes. One of the good things about the TVS iQube is that it offers preload adjustability at the rear, so riders can easily tune the suspension to their desired setting. Now, one of the biggest advantages that the stiffer suspension offers is amazing handling. The scooter feels quite stable when riding at higher speeds, and the suspension also keeps it stable when leaned over. So sportier riding is quite easy.

Speaking of braking performance, the front disc brake offers a good initial bite and feel. The rear drum is also good, and most of the time you won’t have to press the front brake to slow down or brake, thanks to the CBS system that works well. Under emergency braking conditions, a combination of both works well. During my rides, the brakes did inspire confidence and I didn't have to worry about emergency braking situations. Overall, the TVS iQube ST handles quite well, offers decent ride quality and the braking performance is good. 

Features

The TVS iQube ST features a 7-inch instrument console with a clean layout. The analogue style speed readout is a nice addition and I really appreciate it. The adaptive brightness setting manages to ensure that you can easily read the screen under different lighting conditions. That said, one of my major issues with the console is that navigating through the menus causes it to glitch sometimes, both when using the joystick and also when using the touchscreen. This is not a major issue, but can be quite annoying at times.

Other than this, the console offers smartphone connectivity and related features like turn-by-turn navigation and call/SMS alerts. That said, we wished the scooter had got full-fledged navigation via Google Maps like some of its competitors. One of the features I really appreciated on the iQube ST is the tyre pressure monitoring system, which makes it easy to check whether or not I need to get the air filled.

Coming to the practicality features, the scooter has quite good underseat storage capacity of 32-litres which makes it really easy to fit in groceries or bags. The floorboard is also decently spacious, but can feel a bit cramped when you have a large bag or groceries stowed. With the storage space it has, the scooter can easily handle most family needs.

Should You Buy The TVS iQube ST?

The TVS iQube ST is a really good electric scooter and one which is able to meet all of one’s family needs. The scooter has a good design and premium looking styling, combined with good performance and handling. The scooter is also a good handler, but what really makes it stand out is amazing performance. That said, the TVS iQube ST is a bit expensive. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the prices.

The scooter has a lot to offer, but overall it doesn’t stand out as something special. Sure, the scooter is good, and definitely worth considering if you’re someone who is looking for a family electric scooter that can do it all. When compared to its rivals, it feels like it misses out on a few connectivity features like full-fledged navigation via Google Maps, and only features turn-by-turn navigation. Otherwise, the TVS iQube ST is quite a good package overall.

Now, If you are looking for similar or better performance and a decent set of features like large storage space, but in a conventional petrol-powered package. Then the TVS Jupiter 110 will be an option worth considering.