Ather Rizta

After nearly six years since its first product debut, Ather finally introduced a scooter that is deviates from its existing 450 line. Not only does the Rizta boast a new name but it also has new styling. The Rizta is clearly being positioned as a family scooter, unlike the youth-oriented 450X, 450S, and the 450 Apex. But how significant is the Rizta’s impact on the current electric scooter market, and does it live up to Ather’s claims? That is what we tried to find out.

The Rizta's family scooter aspirations are more than just marketing rhetoric. Ather has opted for a completely new design that prioritizes simplicity and practicality over excitement. The Rizta gets a simple, clean and boxy bodywork, reminiscent of traditional family scooters, with a touch of modernity. The front portion with the horizontal LED headlight, and the rear end with the horizontal LED tail light all exude a feeling of minimalism. Then, the Rizta doesn’t get a lot of cuts and creases, and since it uses single piece panels for the most part, it appears bigger.

Its aspect of practicality and inclination towards function in terms of space is quite evident. The Rizta’s seat is roomy enough to accommodate two adults and their bag packs. Moreover, the floorboard is decently sized for a small bag. The underseat storage is what we think is the highlight. The Rizta gets a handsome 34-litre boot but it is compromised by the rear wheel arch, so it gets a little tedious to house your necessary items unless they can be squeezed around.

In terms of quality, we like the panel fitment, the paint finish, the clean integration of the grab rail cum backrest and the seat cover. However, the panel around the instrument console could have had a better finish and some of the switches on the cubes could do with more feedback and clicks.

In a typical scooter fashion, the Rizta too gets a neutral riding posture. Seated midway on the single-piece seat, your hands rest comfortably above waist level on the handlebar. The posturing is commanding and gives you enough leverage for steering without any discomfort. At 5’10, I could easily flat-foot while riding. However, after a little while of riding non-stop, the seat becomes slightly uncomfortable and I found myself moving around to ease my bottom. But as mentioned, the real estate of the Rizta offers enough for you to move around.

But it isn’t all smooth sailing. The Rizta’s limitations surface when navigating broken roads, especially with a pillion. More on it in a bit.

The Rizta is equipped with a 4.3kW motor which is the least powerful in Ather’s scooter line, paired with a 2.9kWh unit. Owing to its docile nature, the Rizta’s acceleration feels very mellow and gentle, lacking the sudden rush of power or jerk associated with more potent scooters. So, if you expect the performance to be exhilarating or punchy, well, then that would be above the Rizta’s pay grade Notably, the Zip mode feels similar to the 450S's sports mode, while Smart Eco's acceleration is decidedly tame to maximize range.

I remember the first time we got our hands on the Rizta. My colleague Pratheek and I took it for a spin around the block and the one thing we immediately noticed was the bouncy rear spring at slow speeds, which becomes slightly irritating after a while but gets even worse at high speeds and broken roads. The monoshock bottoms out, sending jolts to your back.

At 119kg, the Rizta feels quite agile and easy to maneuver. We rode it for almost 80km on the highway and in peak traffic without issues. It might be large in proportion but can easily cut through the traffic as intended. And even when you are moving it around a tight parking space, the Rizta is as easy as it gets.

Its hardware is simple and reliable through and through. The front disc and rear drum brake setup catches speed and stops the scooter just in time. You don’t have to squeeze the brakes in. Rather, an adequate pull from two fingers works just fine.

As mentioned earlier, the Rizta is a fairly simple scooter. All it gets is LED illumination, a 7-inch TFT, two ride modes, a reverse and parking mode, magic twist, skid control, auto hold, dashboard brightness adjustment, fall-safe and more. However, a lot of these features are only offered with the Pro Pack and not on the standard variant. The Pro pack will cost you anywhere between Rs. 13,000 to 20,000, depending on the Rizta version you buy. Is it worth it? Yes, because the added features make it convenient and enhance the overall user experience.

Throughout our test, the Rizta returned an average range of 95.5km. This includes an overnight discharge of 2 percent and the scooter being able to crawl for 500 metres with zero percent battery charge. Compared to the claimed figure of 105km, the real-world range is quite close and impressive.

Ideally, when you are purchasing a two-wheeler, along with its practicality and functional aspect, the scooter or motorcycle also has to have an aspirational value. It could be the design, performance, or even features. However, the Ather Rizta is a different case for a few reasons. Its design is far from aspirational, and so are the performance numbers. However, the utility aspect of the Rizta has been in focus as a family electric scooter and it checks that box just fine.

The Rizta’s angular body panels, neat and clean lines, large proportions, plenty of boot space, long seat, spacious floorboard, good handling and docile performance make it an easy-to-live-with electric scooter. Right from a first-timer to a slightly older rider, the Rizta would welcome all. But what it wouldn’t do is leave you grinning in the helmet or impress with a spritely dash of acceleration. The Rizta is meant to be gentle and easygoing.

But what would make it even better is good finishing around the edges, including the panel around the console, a few switches, and more suspension travel. The last one is crucial given the Rizta is a commuter and riding it in cities with broken roads may not be comfortable, especially for the slightly aged ones. But apart from that, Ather has offered a decent package overall. However, its asking price of Rs. 1.41 lakh (ex-showroom, Bengaluru) with the Pro Pack is a little steep and difficult to justify.

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi