Hero Splendor 110 iSmart vs Suzuki Hayate EP vs TVS Victor: Comparison review

Looks & Styling

The Hero Splendor 110 iSmart and the TVS Victor score equal here. Both have the right amount of bulkiness, the presence of bigger fuel tank and a neat design language to make them likeable. In fact, the overall body proportions relatively resembles some of the 125cc motorcycles in the market. TVS has taken a slight aggressive approach while designing the Victor. There’s more than enough creases around the bike and it also wears the right amount of decals to give it a sporty look.

Hero on the other hand, has taken a very safe design approach for the Splendor iSmart 110. The overall design cues are quite sober. There’s no sharp creases or aggressive lines – just smooth lines and a little bit of bulkiness across the bike.

Somehow the Suzuku Hayate EP fails to appeal us. While the bike isn’t bad looking, it just doesn’t have the right set of proportions for us to have a second look. The lack of a bulky fuel tank and simple tail section doesn’t help matters either. It looks skinnier and that isn’t helping the Hayate EP.

Hero Splendor 110 iSmart: 4/10

Suzuki Hayate EP: 3.5/10

TVS Victor: 4/10

Ergonomics & Quality

The ergonomics of the Splendor 110 iSmart is the same as the other Splendors – upright and very comfortable. The seat height is lower than the other two bikes, making it accessible to a lot of customers. Centre-set foot-pegs, enough decent knee recess on the fuel tank makes ong hauls quite stress-free. Its long single seat does the job of keeping you relaxed throughout.

It’s the same story with the Victor. This motorcycle has a slightly taller handlebar, making it easy for taller riders to get comfortable instantly. But I’m not a fan of the Victor’s seat as it’s too soft. The Suzuki Hayate EP scores good points on the ergonomics front too. I loved the seat comfort on the Hayate EP. In fact, it’s the best of the three here.

All three bikes are going to be used for many years due to which the overall quality of the bikes have been taken care of really well by the manufacturers. The quality of switch gear, body components and even the instrument cluster are pretty good and has been designed to last long. Also, the paint quality on the Victor and the Hayate EP are top notch. But spend some time with the Splendor 110 iSmart and you’ll understand that this bike feels unbreakable.

Hero Splendor 110 iSmart: 6/10

Suzuki Hayate EP: 5/10

TVS Victor: 6/10

Features & Technology

The Victor despite being the oldest of the lot, has the most number of features. It gets the best looking and comprehensive instrument cluster that sports a tachometer, digital speedometer with two trip meters. The fuel level is also indicated digitally. There’s a service indicator too, which automatically comes on when the service is due. There’s also the Eco and Power mode indicators that turn green and red respectively depending on the throttle position. This is useful to extract the maximum fuel efficiency. Other bits like electric start, alloy wheels, tubeless tyres, hazard lampss and pass-switch are standard. But the presence of front disc brake makes the Victor a value for money proposition.

The Splendor iSmart 110 too is really well equipped. Auto headlamp on (AHO), integrated start-stop system (i3S), electric start, alloy wheels and tubeless tyres are standard. The instrument cluster on this is well laid out, but the blue backlight could be irritating during night riding. It’s too bright. But this cluster sports speedo, odometer and a one trip meter. There’s also a side stand and service indicators on the Splendor. But I wish Hero offered this motorcycle with a disc brake, at least as an option.

The Suzuki Hayate scores the least here due to lack of useful features. The instrument cluster looks basic and it’s all analog. The bike comes with alloy wheels and tubeless tyres as standard. Just like the Splendor, the Hayate EP doesn’t even get disc brake as an option.

Hero Splendor 110 iSmart: 5.5/10

Suzuki Hayate EP: 4/10

TVS Victor: 6/10

Engine & Performance

All three bikes here have almost the same displacement of close to 110cc. But the Victor generates the most power – 9.5bhp at 7500rpm and 9.4Nm at 6000rpm. And the power is quite evident as soon as the throttle is opened. The bike feels more eager to get off the start line, easily builds up the speed and there’s more than enough juice higher up the revs. This air-cooled engine is smooth, but there are minor vibrations present, even in the low revs.

Hero has done a good job with the Splendor 110 iSmart. This 110cc engine generates 8.9bhp and 9Nm. Just like the other two bikes in this story, the Splendor also uses a four-speed gearbox. This engine is all about low and mid-range torque and it performs quite well. The engine is refined and the ability to do 20kmph in fourth gear (with my weight) amazes me. Staying at 70kmph is quite easy on this bike, but going above that invites a lot of vibrations on the handlebar, foot-pegs and fuel tank.

The Suzuki Hayate EP is the least powerful out of the three but has a good power-to-weight ratio. The 110cc engine on this produces 8.6bhp and 9.3Nm and thanks to a kerb weight of 107kg, the difference in performance is quite evident. The mid-range on this is very impressive and this bike too can easily do 25kmph in fourth gear.

Hero Splendor 110 iSmart: 4.5/10

Suzuki Hayate EP: 4/10

TVS Victor: 5/10

Ride, Handling & Braking

The Suzuki Hayate EP is a clear winner, when it comes to ride and handling. The new diamond frame has kept the overall weight at 107kg, making it one of the lightest bikes in the segment. Flicking the Hayate EP in the city traffic is a lot of fun. The front feels light and the ability to make very quick directional changes is confidence-inspiring. The suspension setup is soft, giving a comfortable ride.

The Victor, too, has a plush ride and eats up the bumps and undulations way better than the Splendor. But when it comes to the braking department, nothing can come close to the TVS. The brakes on the Victor performs brilliantly, especially the front- thanks to the presence of a disc setup. The power, bite and the feel on the lever is excellent. The drum brakes on the Hayate EP and the Splendor 110 aren’t useless but thanks to the Victor, it has made it look that way. This is the reason why both the bikes lose some points in the braking department.

The suspension setup on the Splendor 110 iSmart is also on the softer side. But there isn’t the perfect sense of comfort as we saw on the other two. Also, the rear tends to unsettle if ridden over bad roads at high speeds.

Hero Splendor 110 iSmart: 5.5/10

Suzuki Hayate EP: 5.5/10

TVS Victor: 6/10

Fuel Efficiency

For a customer in the 110cc segment, fuel efficiency tops his/her requirement list. In our test cycle, the Hero Splendor 110 iSmart was the most fuel efficient at 68.81kmpl. The second spot was taken by the Suzuku Hayate EP at 64.64kmpl and the TVS Victor stood third at 60kmpl.

Hero Splendor 110 iSmart: 8/10

Suzuki Hayate EP: 8/10

TVS Victor: 8/10

Price & Warranty

The Hero Splendor 110 is priced at Rs 65,582, making it the most expensive of the lot. But offers an outstanding warranty scheme of five years or 70,000kms – the best in the industry.

The TVS Victor takes the second spot here. It’s the most affordable at Rs 63,051 (on-road Mumbai) and that’s for the disc brake version. The drum brake version is almost Rs 2329 cheaper at Rs 60,722 (on-road Mumbai). Warranty for this 110cc bike stands at 2 years or 30,000kms.

The Suzuki Hayate EP with a price tag of Rs 64,000 (on-road Mumbai) is the next most affordable bike here. It offers two years or 24,000kms of warranty.

Hero Splendor 110 iSmart: 8/10

Suzuki Hayate EP: 7/10

TVS Victor: 8/10

Desirability

The name Splendor is very strong in the Indian market – thanks to its sales performance over the last two decades. And especially, in the commuter segment, most of the Indian customers desire to relate to this brand by getting one of the Splendor bikes home. In case of this new 110cc bike, the desirability factor is quite high as compared to the other two. The Victor had a good brand recall value too, but when it was a 125cc bike. The new 110cc model has to make its own mark and I think it will over a period of time. The Hayate EP has the Japanese reliability to relate to and that always works in its favour. But due to lack of good sales and service reach, Suzuki hasn’t been able to take full advantage of their new mass market bike.

Hero Splendor 110 iSmart: 5/10

Suzuki Hayate EP: 4/10

TVS Victor: 4/10

Verdict

Rank 3: Suzuki Hayate EP - 50/100

The Suzuki Hayate EP isn’t a bad bike all. In fact, it’s quite a practical one. However, in the world of growing competition, this motorcycle hasn’t been able to do well in the features department. The quality of plastics too, isn't better than its competitors and there’s the pricing too. Suzuki is asking too much for the Hayate EP when it is unable to provide the right set of valuable features.

Rank 2: Hero Splendor 110 iSmart – 56/100

As you’ll see, this was quite a close call. The new Splendor 110 iSmart is a very good attempt by Hero MotoCorp to get some more market share in the 110cc segment. This bike checks all the right boxes, but unfortunately, the TVS Victor is competing in the same space that has made its life little difficult. The Splendor 110 offers the right amount of style, comfort, fuel efficiency and exceptional warranty but failed to appeal in the braking and ride quality department.

Rank 1: TVS Victor – 58/100

It’s increasingly becoming difficult for other manufacturers to take on the Victor. TVS has managed to crack this segment with the right set of features, performance and comfort, and that’s all what matters to the 110cc buyers. All these attractive price points maker the TVS Victor our winner here and yes, it is the most value for money 110cc bike one can buy in India.

Photography by Kapil Angane

Final Scores

Specifications