Hero MotoCorp Xoom

While Hero’s new Xoom scooter did impress us during our short first ride in Delhi, we didn’t get a chance to experience what it was like in the real world. We’ve now ridden the sporty scooter for a few hundred kilometres over a week and here’s what it’s like to live with.

The first thing I noticed after thumbing the starter button was that this particular model does not feel as refined as the one on our first ride. You can feel mild vibrations on the handlebar and the floorboard at idle, which only increase under heavy acceleration. It does subside as you pick up the pace or accelerate slowly, but it’s still quite evident, so much so that the flyscreen has started rattling and that is irritating while riding. It’s worth noting that our test unit had a service pending, so hopefully it will smoothen out a bit once that’s done.

Thankfully, what’s as good, if not better, than what we experienced on the first ride was the overall comfort. The seat is well padded and it isn’t painful even after long hours on the saddle. The ergonomics are comfy as well, but much like on the first ride, I found the handlebar fouling with my knees when making lock-to-lock turns in traffic (I’m 5’11”). But apart from this small issue for tall riders, it feels nimble on the move and filtering through traffic is a breeze.

What aids comfort further is the absorbent ride. While it did feel good on Delhi-NCR’s smooth roads, the real acid test was always going to be Mumbai’s bumpy streets. And I’m happy to report that it deals with most bumps with ease and the 12-inch rear wheel helps stability too. We also had a pillion on board briefly and they found the rear seat of the Xoom to be comfortable and spacious. Only taller pillion riders will find the foot pegs to be a bit too high.

The Xoom also scores high on the practicality front. Apart from a half-face helmet, you can also comfortably fit a small backpack in the under-seat storage. The only gripe here is that it doesn’t get a combination lock, so you have to take the key out to open the boot and refuel, and this is a convenience it really ought to have. There’s also two large cubbies in the front apron, which can accommodate one-litre bottles, with a USB port positioned between them. However, it would have been better if the port was under the seat or at least one part of the apron cubbies was lockable to provide protection from the elements and possible theft while your phone is charging. The Xoom also packs in a hook to keep grocery bags secure on the move.

Spending more time with the scooter also enabled us to put it through our rigorous testing process for performance and fuel efficiency. Hero claims a 0-60kph time of 9.35s, which it says is the fastest in the segment. However, we managed to better Hero’s claim as we were able to clock a 0-60kph time of 8.75s. The Xoom feels brisk up to this point, but after this, acceleration begins to trail off – it takes 19.77s to go from 0 to 80kph. It’s quick in terms of roll-on acceleration too, taking 4.41s to do 20-50kph and 11.87s to do 30-70kph, both of which are quicker than the higher-capacity, but much heavier Aprilia SXR 125.

When it comes to fuel efficiency, we managed to get 55.78kpl in the city and 58.33kpl out on the highway, which is acceptable for a 110cc scooter with sporty aspirations. Hero’s i3s start/stop system works decently in traffic, but it does take a good few seconds to turn off the scooter and, on occasion, it took 3-4 cranks before the scooter finally started up.

We also experienced the Xoom’s features in more depth, namely the cornering lights and the Bluetooth connectivity. The latter uses a Hero app to connect to the scooter, which then displays call alerts, phone battery percentage and network range. The cornering lights also did a good job of lighting up the edges of the road while making turns, but on the whole, it is not a feature that will make or break a buyer’s decision. Most streets in urban areas are well lit and the main headlamp is powerful enough as is.

To summarise, the Hero Xoom feels like an appealing package that’s suited to life in the city. For what it lacks in refinement and some convenience features, it makes up for with adequate performance, fuel efficiency and practicality in a striking-looking package.

Also see:

Hero Xoom video review