Hero was anything but a ‘hero’ in the 100-125 cc scooter segment. But the Destini 125, launched in 2024, started to change that. Even though it sells a fraction of Honda Activa sales, it started getting scooter customers into Hero MotoCorp showrooms.
The company has now launched a more affordable version – the Destini 110, priced Rs 72,000 (VX) and Rs 79,750 (ZX).
How’s the design?
While the profile is similar to the 125, the 110 gets a single-tone finish (the 125 has dual-tone options), and the top variant has a pillion backrest as standard (it being a family scooter). Seat (785 mm) is the longest in its segment, and the taillight has an H-shaped design that looks premium. The overall design has a retro appeal.
How does it ride?
Seat height is a comfortable 770 mm, and the scooter is light (114 kg, kerb), so it’s easy to balance. Start the 110.9-cc engine, and its smooth vibrations tell you it’s a world-class machine. The instrument panel is easy on the eye. The metal body feels robust.
Pick-up is good and acceleration is linear. You don’t feel harshness at high RPM, but you do feel a lot of vibrations on broken roads. Turning circle is small and navigating narrow streets is easy.
A lot of common sense has been applied – for instance, the fuel-filler cap is outside and you don’t have to raise the seat to top up the tank. But the under-seat storage is small, and may not be able to take stuff other than a helmet (or other stuff, but not a helmet).
Claimed fuel efficiency is 56.2 km/litre. The i3S technology (idle stop-start) takes some getting used to.
Areas of improvement
Hero could have innovated the way Ather has done with the Rizta, which has a boot storage organiser that doubles as a carry bag. Also, while the Destini’s analogue-plus-digital instrument screen is neat, it’s time legacy players start throwing in some colours on the screen.
Competitors & pricing
It’s got solid competition. The base variant of the Suzuki Access 125 has an appealing price of Rs 78,184. Coming to direct competitors, these are Honda’s Dio 110 (Rs 70,159 to Rs 81,836) and Activa 110 (Rs 75,433 to Rs 89,806), and TVS’s Jupiter (Rs 73,400 to Rs 86,900), and Zest (Rs 70,850 to Rs 75,750). Of these, the Activa and Jupiter have much stronger brand value, but Hero would expect that its small machine with a big road presence can write a bigger Destini.
