Comparo – TVS Iqube vs Ather 450x Gen 3

Review

Comparo – TVS Iqube vs Ather 450x Gen 3

The new iQube carries forward the same design ethos as the outgoing version. The scooter comes with a horizontally placed LED strip at the front along with a small-smoked visor on the top. The design elements on the iQube are fairly subtle with minimal and clean bodywork.

The Ather 450X lies on the other end of the spectrum with a very aggressive and sporty design. The Ather 450X gets sharp body panels with an LED headlight at the front with LED indicators mounted on the handlebar cowl.

Design

The TVS’ design is rather conventional, with straight lines and largely flat surfaces comprising the bodywork. It, in fact, looks so simple, that it easily blends with the scores of ICE scooters on our roads. That’s until you notice the electric badge on the side panels or the green number plate. For those who don’t want a flashy scooter, the iQube is great to fly under the radar. That, however, isn’t happening when you are astride the Ather 450X. It feature unconventional scooter designs and the Ather looks particularly cool and futuristic, despite being the oldest design here.

Features

For the ST variant, TVS has upped the game with new features including smartphone connectivity, remote vehicle immobilization, 7-inch touchscreen, play/pause music, social media notifications, OTA updates, geo-fencing, anti-theft, live location tracking, navigation, 140 Km of range and More. Here we have the S Variant it shows only 105 km in a Single Charge. But You Cannot get the touch enabled function though. You have to access it with the joystick. The Major thing is comparing with Ather it gets the Fully Accessible Touch screen and Google Map. Iqube Does not Provide you a Dedicated Map Facillity you have to set your destinations with the TVS App.

Boot space and Floor Space is Decent enough for the Storing items, thank fully iqube provides you a USB Charger.

The Ather 450X Gen 3, on the other hand, comes with a 7-inch touchscreen that lets you access all the tech. The scooter gets features ranging from navigation to Bluetooth connectivity as well as the documents, reverse mode, brightness adjustment, and errors, all the features are accessible from the screen. The Touch Screen is the one of the Key element of this electric scooter. We can Search and Set the Location or the Destination with the screen also provides the Auto Indicator Turn off Function and Smart Eco Mode that gives you much more range. Boot space and Floor Space is Decent enough for the Storing items.

Powertrain

TVS iQube S variant comes with TVS Motor designed battery specification of 3.4 kWh and delivers a practical 105 km on-road range per charge. TVS claims that the scooter can go up to a top speed of 82kmph. The Speed is limited to 50 kmph when the ride in Economy Mode.

It gets two ride mode eco and Power, the Eco Mode delivers 100 km range where as the Power Mode 75km.

Meanwhile, the Ather 450X comes with a 6kW PMS motor along with a 2.9kWh lithium-ion battery. The Ather tops out at 95kmph in the warp mode with a maximum range of 88km in eco mode. Charging the scooter at home will take 4 hours 30 minutes for a 0-80 % charge and 5 hours 40 minutes for a full 0-100% juice up. Fast charging at Ather Grids will provide a 15km range in 10 minutes. The upgraded version will offer five ride modes – Warp, Sport, Ride, SmartEco, and Eco. The maximum power output in Warp mode will witness a rise to 6.4 kW (8.7 hp) from the existing 6 kW (8.1 hp). The increase in peak output will help bring a marginal improvement in the Ather 450’s overall top speed.

Ride & Comfort

When Comparing both Ev’s both have its own characters.

The seat and Sitting is better on iqube, because the seats are flat for both ride r and pillion, but in Ather its Kind of a Split one, and you cannot sit back. The rider’s triangle is absolutely spot on, and it is evident in the TVS iQube . In fact, the iQube has the best seat for two-up riding. The decades of two-wheeler manufacturing experience that TVS have garnered has certainly helped them nail the ergonomics on their respective scooters.

The Breaking and Ride is better on Ather comparing with iqube. Ather Gets 4 Ride Modes where Iqube Gets 2.

The TVS iQube strikes a nice balance between ride and handling. Its telescopic fork has a soft set-up compared to the preload-adjustable twin-shocks at the rear. While the front end allows the scooter to soak up a lot of bumps and potholes, it also bottoms out a little too easily over bigger bumps. As for handling, it is quite predictable, especially once you get used to the sensation of an electric motor attached to the rear wheel.

Which is Better

The Ather 450X is easily the most fun to ride scooter here, and it scores big points in terms of its proven reliability, exceptionally trustworthy range indicator and improved range. At Rs 1. 60 lakh (on road,Kochin), it is the most expensive here, but as a well-engineered product, it justifies the price. The one thing that drags it down is the compromises you have to deal with in terms of its uncomfortable suspension and ergonomics, especially for tall riders. At the end of the day, these are urban runabouts and comfort is a very important factor.

Therefore, if you want a practical, comfortable EV from a reputable company with good performance and range, the TVS iQube S is a no-brainer. We’d like to see some improvements to its motor regen and TFT display, but that is forgivable, considering that it is the most affordable scooter here by a huge margin, at Rs 1.30lakh (on-road, Kochn, including the Rs 9,450 portable charger). In the rapidly evolving electric scooter market, these factors are enough to make the iQube S our pick at the moment.