In the 1990s, as India transformed from Chitrahaar to MTV, another change was taking place on the roads – youngsters were shifting from their father’s scooter (Bajaj Chetak) to their cool cousins’ wheels (Yamaha RX100 and Kinetic Honda).
Unlike the Chetak with manual gears and kick-start, the Kinetic Honda had push-button start, automatic gearshift, and colourful graphics.
Three decades later, Kinetic again aims to transform two-wheelers, but this time without Honda, and only on the power of electric. We rode it in Delhi traffic.
How’s the design?
The Kinetic DX+ (also available as DX) isn’t a copy of Kinetic Honda, but pays homage.
Similarities: The silhouette is similar; the three vertical vents at the rear end and gills under the seat have been retained; the amber turn signals are a nod to the OG design; and unlike mostly-plastic new-age EVs, the DX+ is made mostly of steel and looks solid.
Dissimilarities: It’s bigger and sleeker than the OG; the K-shaped DRL (daytime running lamp) looks blingy; but the biggest change is that the OG had a spare wheel mounted behind the seat, whereas the DX+ doesn’t have a spare wheel at all. Also, instead of analogue needles, it has an 8.8-inch digital display, and to start the bike you need to punch-in a numeric passcode.
How does it ride?
Seating position is upright, and the seat is comfortable for two adults. There are four riding modes – Range, Power, Turbo, and Reverse. My test unit showed a range of 88 km in the Range mode (which caps top speed at 50 km/h). I found the Range mode good for riding in traffic, but it doesn’t give you the electric blast for overtaking buses in the city. Turbo mode is fast, but the range of my test unit dropped to 68 km. The best mode, therefore, is Power – it gave me the electric acceleration, and range of 80 km.
The Kinetic DX+ is lovely to ride on straight roads, and is very comfortable overall, but doesn’t seem to have the agility of the Ather 450X – like when you suddenly need to dodge a pothole, the Kinetic DX+ gets a little jittery.
But as a family EV, it’s close to perfect – ride is comfortable, under-seat space is very good (I was able to keep two helmets), seat is well-padded and wide, and a user-friendly feature is hill hold – quite useful when stopping on flyovers or basement ramps without rolling back. Another lovely feature is the onboard charger – you don’t need to carry a charging cable all the time, as the retractable charging cable is built into the scooter and simply needs to be plugged into any 15A socket.
Should you buy it?
I rode the DX+ variant for this review, which is priced Rs 1,17,499 (or at an EMI of Rs 2,789). There is the DX variant also, priced Rs 1,11,499 (or at an EMI of Rs 2,475), but it’s avoidable – considering that the DX+ has the onboard charger, and Telekinetic features (such as Find My Kinetic, Track My Kinetic, Guide Me Home, Geo Fencing Alert, Data Analytics, and more). Both have a 2.6-kWh battery, but the DX+ has a range of 105 km, and the DX can go 102 km (claimed range, under standard test conditions).
Competitors
Ather Rizta:Â Arguably the best family electric scooter in India, the Rizta has two variants (S for Rs 1,05,157, and Z for Rs 1,23,156). But the Rizta has better software integration (Google Maps and WhatsApp on the screen).
Bajaj Chetak: Even three decades later, the Chetak is a competitor, and an advantage it has is sheer choice – there are five variants, starting from the C2501 for Rs 89,500, to the 3503 for Rs 1,02,500. The Chetak also has modern European looks.
TVS iQube: It has four variants, giving you the best range choice – from the 2.2 kWh with a range of 94 km, to 5.3 kWh with a range of 212 km. It’s priced from Rs 1,10,785 to Rs 1,71,879. The TVS edge is a much larger dealership and service network. It’s also available under the Battery as a Service (BaaS) scheme, which shaves off almost Rs 40,000 on the ex-showroom price, but you have to pay the financier a few rupees per km of riding.
Hero’s Vida VX2: It has an eye-catching design, and there are three variants – the VX2 Plus (Rs 1,12,490), VX2 Go 3.4 kWh (Rs 1,02,990), and VX2 Go 2.2 kWh (Rs 87,740). It’s also available under BaaS that shaves off a substantial amount from the initial price. But its best advantage is its removable battery that can be taken to your apartment for charging, and you don’t need to rely on a dedicated charging point.
