ATHER 450X
The sportiest electric scooter in the country gets even better
THE ATHER 450 POSITIVELY disrupted the market when it arrived. Even two years since then, the Ather 450 continues to be the benchmark with a plethora of connected features, peppy performance and good looks. Now, Ather wants to freshen up the 450 with the almost identical looking 450X (save for the new colours).
New batteries and BMS
Ather has gone ahead and made their battery pack even better. Gone are the old 16350 cells and in come the new 21700 cells – with higher charge density – that even Tesla is using in its new Model 3s. The 450X subsequently has a higher range (as much as 10km). The motor has been improved upon and the updated power now stands at 6kW while the torque stands at 26Nm in the Pro variant. The new Warp mode unlocks the most performance from the drivetrain, and initial acceleration is better than any other e-scooter in the market (0-40kmph in 3.29 seconds).
Rides better?
Ather claims that the 450X has lost a large amount of weight (11kg) at the front, resulting in a front-end that is much sharper. The Ather turns in easily and the handling too inspires confidence when accelerating hard out of corners in Warp mode. The mostly-aluminium construction has resulted in a lightweight chassis that makes the 450X feel very agile indeed. The suspension is still on the firmer side but isn’t uncomfortable at all. In fact, it deals with bumps and undulations well.
Verdict
The Ather 450X has a number of incremental updates over the 450 and on the whole, it makes for a substantially better scooter. You can get the Ather 450X by paying `99,000 upfront and a monthly payment of `1699 or `1999 for the Plus (5.4kW power and 22Nm torque) or Pro variant. Or you can get the Ather 450X for a flat price of `1.49 lakh for the Plus and `1.59 lakh for the Pro. The high price is certainly a dampener, but the Ather 450X is clearly the best electric scooter in the market right now.