MAHINDRA GUSTO 125
Mahindra have lately been a two-wheeler maker on the move. In fact, the company’s movement actually started last year with the launch of their new scooter, the Gusto. Now, however, there is a new Gusto with a 125-cc engine. Here’s what it’s like from the
All the positives of the old Gusto now with a more powerful 125-cc engine
WHEN MAHINDRA Two Wheelers launched the Gusto in 2014, it brought a whole new set of ideas to the Indian scooter market. Among them, an unconventionally designed seat that could be adjusted for height and that opened from the front. Furthermore, there were a whole host of convenience features, including a cleverly placed cubbyhole behind the instrument cluster. Back then we had come back impressed by the Gusto’s ride quality, space and features. On the downside, the 110-cc engine of that scooter, though refined, was just about adequate for the job at hand — that of a city commuter — and handling was just par for the course.
Now, however, Mahindra seem to have answered our call for more gusto for the scooter that carries the same name and are all set to introduce a new 125-cc version with more power and torque on tap. We got astride a brandnew Orange Rush (this is one of the two new colours that the Gusto 125 will be available in) unit around the well-surfaced twisties of Lavasa, near Pune.
The first thing that you notice about the new scooter, apart from its colour, that is, is that it looks different from the regular 110-cc Gusto. Indeed, the face of the Gusto 125 is subtly different from the regular Gusto as you can see from the images. Does that mean that the Gusto 125 is better-looking than its smaller counterpart? Well, frankly, I still think opinion will be divided on the Gusto 125’s visual appeal but whether you like the look of a scooter or not is much about personal preference.
As you sit on the scooter you can’t help appreciating afresh the space on offer, the comfort of the height adjustable seat (the Mahindra Gusto, be it in 110-cc or 125-cc guise, continues to be the only scooter in its respective segments to offer this feature) and the convenience of the smartly placed stowage bin, which can quite comfortably accommodate a wallet and a mobile phone,
On the go, the scooter doesn’t feel lethargic on inclines like the 110-cc Gusto did
right behind the instrumentation. On the other hand, you do wish that the finish on the plastic of that same stowage bin and the finish on the mirrors were better. There are also a couple of chrome finished bar end-weights that aren’t really required but add some bling to the scooter’s styling none the less.
Start the engine with Mahindra’s signature flip key and the first thing you notice is that the new 124.57-cc aircooled four-stroke single-cylinder engine is fairly smooth. There aren’t too many vibrations to really break one’s head over. Now, mostly a refined engine should have given the edge to Mahindra but in this case the Gusto 125 will end up going head to head with the Suzuki Access and the Honda Activa 125 and both those machines are even smoother. In fact, on the refinement scale the Gusto 125 actually beats only one other 125-cc scooter: the Vespa.
On the go, the scooter doesn’t feel lethargic on inclines like the 110-cc Gusto did. And that’s a great thing, because one of the shortcomings of the smaller scooter was that it didn’t have the gusto to get going with any amount of urgency. On the Gusto 125, however, that has been taken care of. Does that mean that the Gusto 125 is exciting where the Gusto 110 wasn’t? Well, not quite. The excitement of a quick getaway from standstill is still not particularly apparent but now you don’t have to work too hard to get the inertia of motion back once you’ve lost and overtaking others is now easier. In effect, the Gusto 125 has become a better city commuter than the earlier scooter. Delivery of the 8.7 PS of peak power and 10 Nm of maximum torque via the continuously variable transmission (CVT) continues to be as linear as before.
On the handling front again, like on the smaller Gusto, the Gusto 125’s behaviour is par for the course. It isn’t particularly flickable either but ride quality is quite well sorted and the scooter handles rough patches with aplomb. The well-padded seat only adds to that comfort. Once launched, the Mahindra Gusto 125 will go head to head with the aforementioned Honda Activa 125 and the Suzuki Access (the Vespa, I would think is a little too pricey to be direct competition despite the similar engine capacity). Now, admittedly the Activa 125 hasn’t the cash registers singing for Honda in spite of being a sorted scooter. Suzuki’s Access has seen far better acceptance with the discerning Indian scooter buyer and in that sense the Gusto 125 will need to access the Access’ clientele. And for that to happen, Mahindra will have to price their scooter better than Suzuki have priced the Access, which at less than Rs 60,000 (on-road in Pune) sports a pretty competitive price-tag to begin with. Ergo? Mahindra will have their task cut out for the Gusto 125. All eyes on pricing now.