Mahindra Gusto 125 First Ride Review

How does it ride?

The proof comes the moment you roll the Gusto 125 off the stand, thumb the starter and open gas. And immediately it feels like the 110. Okay, it’s quieter, smoother even, and to be fair, the Gusto 125 does seem to have more of a spring in its step compared to the 110 version. But, it doesn’t feel as quick as the Suzuki Access or the Vespa 125 or in fact as quick as a 125cc scooter should.

Now we rode the Mahindra Gusto 125 in and around Lavasa, which for the uninitiated is a man-made hill station on the outskirts of Pune. It’s kilometres of twisties with huge change in gradient. Now I haven’t ridden a scooter here before but I can tell you this, the Gusto 125 isn’t going to make you go wow! every time you begin climbing a flyover. Less so with a pillion, because with a total payload of 150kg, our test Gusto was really struggling.

The Gusto 125 has its positives, nonetheless. Mahindra says the 125 has been designed to return real world fuel efficiency that’s closer to 110cc scooters and not 125s. And to do that the Gusto uses friction-reducing components, a variable load sensing ignition curve and low friction piston rings. Now, we couldn’t test the economy of the scooter but given the way it delivers its power (unhurriedly), we are tempted to indulge Mahindra on this one, at least for now.

In terms of cycle parts, the 125 uses the same chassis as the 110 suspended on telescopic forks upfront and a monoshock at the rear. The wheels are 12in steel units shod with 90/90 section MRF rubber. And like the 110, the ride on the Gusto 125 too is pliant, absorbent and comfortable. The Gusto handles well too. It feels light, flickable and neutral around corners. And you can continue to lean it till the scooter happily goes about scraping things. Even then, it doesn’t disturb the scooter’s balance one bit. The MRFs don’t seem to run out of grip either.

Anything else I should know?

The Gusto 125 looks identical to the 110cc version, barring the dual tone paint job and some stickering. We are no fans of the Gusto’s styling; it isn’t chic or futuristic, or retro or mass market. But, it is distinctive we will give it that. Moreover, it has good paint finish, and the chrome bar ends and the brushed alloy levers look nice. The unpainted plastic bits however look tacky. Plus, the panel gaps all over are inconsistent.

As far as features go, the adjustable seat height, the flip key that gets the scooter to chirp, and the underseat storage is identical to the 110cc version. The upright and roomy seating, the ergonomically placed side stand, and the instrumentation continue unchanged as well. And the Gusto still runs drum brakes at both ends. The rear one works fine, but the one up front feels wooden and completely lacks bite.

Should I buy one?

Not if you want to set the quickest time to reach the top of a flyover. Otherwise, Mahindra will only launch the Gusto 125 in February and even if we consider that the scooter will be well priced, it still doesn’t make a very good case for itself. Compared to its twin, the Gusto 110, the 125 doesn’t offer much extra in terms of performance while it will most certainly be less efficient and pricier. Compared to the other 125s in the market, it might cost less and it might be more efficient (our guesstimate), but the whole essence of having a larger capacity, quicker scooter is lost, for the Gusto 125 just doesn’t pack in enough punch to match its rivals.

Where does it fit in?

As far as specs go, the Gusto 125 will compete against the likes of the Vespa 125, the Suzuki Access and the Honda Activa 125. All well established and all with a certain niche to call their own. The Gusto 125, however, might come with a lower price tag. Even so, it won’t have it easy…at least to begin with.

Photography by Sanchit Arora