The Honda Cliq might be a unique take on the gearless scooter, but it still has competition. Given its Rs 42,500 ex-showroom Delhi price, the Cliq can be compared with the Hero Pleasure, the Suzuki Lets and the TVS Scooty Zest, all of which retail for around Rs 46,000 ex-Delhi.
Okay, so the three competition scooters mentioned here are all targeted at urban women while the Cliq is a product for the semi urban / rural families. But, given the similarity in price, the mechanicals and the product per-se, we thought it would be interesting to find out how they compare.
Cliq vs Pleasure
The Honda Cliq is based on the Activa powertrain. So, it gets the same 109.1cc single with identical outputs of 8bhp and 8.9Nm. But, unlike the Activa, the Cliq is a plastic-bodied scooter. As a result it is lighter and should be more efficient. The Hero Pleasure in comparison displaces lesser CeeCees and not surprisingly, it is down on both power and torque. But, since the Pleasure too mostly uses plastic panels, it is as light as the Honda.
The Hero displaces 102cc and is rated at 6.9bhp and 8.1Nm of torque. We however don’t expect a big difference in the riding experience of the two scooters with each promising light handling, low seat height and good low down pep. When it comes to storage and practicality, however, the Cliq certainly has an advantage. It has a wider floorboard, roomier under-seat storage and it comes with a decent selection of storage accessory options.
Cliq vs Let's
The Suzuki Let's is a bigger scooter compared to the Cliq, even though the difference isn’t huge. The Suzuki is longer, taller and it sits on a longer wheelbase. Moreover, it looks much better eclipsing the Cliq’s oddball look. It comes with a bigger engine and a slightly higher output too. The 112cc Suzuki engine makes 8.5bhp of max power and the peak torque is rated at 9Nm.
The Let's also scores for being lighter than the Honda. So don’t be surprised if the Suzuki proves to be the quicker scooter in the real world. Now, as with the Pleasure, the Let's can’t match the Cliq in terms of utility, but it does one better with a longer feature list. It gets a tachometer, which is missing on the Honda.
Cliq vs Scooty Zest
The Scooty Zest too is bigger than the Honda; longer in length and wheelbase, and higher in height and seating. What’s more, the TVS is lighter too. Now there isn’t much to choose between the Cliq and the Zest when it comes to engine specs – both displace around 110cc and make around 8bhp. But, given our experience with both the Scooty Zest and the Navi (on which the Cliq is based), the Zest should run away from the Honda, at least from the lights.
The Zest has another big plus, specifically when it comes to on-road duties. It uses telescopic forks upfront, which gives the Zest better damping over poor roads as well as higher stability while cornering. The setup also lends the TVS accurate and powerful braking, especially for the drum-equipped two-wheeler. However, the Scooty Zest provides a boot lamp and USB port as standard, while all the things that add to the practicality of the Cliq are options. This should make for an interesting price comparison once we've got the details.
One thing is clear, if it’s practicality and luggage hauling ability you want from your scooter, the Cliq seems best equipped in this bunch to do that.
