TVS X First Ride Impressions: An ‘X’ Worth Chasing?

Rs. 2.5 lakh! An asking price that immediately puts the TVS X atop several other electric scooters and motorcycles in the country. While TVS has sort of reimagined how a sporty scooter of the future would look like, there’s no escaping the limitations of the chosen specs. So, when we did get to ride it, albeit for a very brief period, some very apparent takeaways back up what the spec sheet suggests and even some that you particularly wouldn’t envisage. Hence, here’s what’s good and not so good about TVS’ first sporty electric scooter.

NEGATIVES

Simply Not Thrilling

TVS has employed a mid-mounted motor with a gear drivetrain to propel the X. It is completely unlike the iQube and boasts better performance than its traditional sibling. 

However, it is far from matching up to its sporty looks. In fact, Xtealth and Xtride riding modes feel very numb and it is only in Xonic that the X feels somewhat exciting. The initial throttle response in each mode needs to be tuned for a more prompt response to give you that sense of off-the-line acceleration drama that electrics are known for. There is a distinct difference in every one of the three riding modes but you only get to experience that once the scooter is on the move. So, as it stands, Xonic needed to be a bit more supersonic.

Convenience Gone For A Toss

Practicality is usually at the core of every scooter in the country, irrespective of the method of propulsion. However, the X has different priorities as it aims to be a crossover of sorts between a scooter and a motorcycle. Hence, given its unique build, there’s no floor space to hold your knick-knacks. And even the under-seat area is just 19 litres. So, in case you are going to carry the charger on the go, you will have to limit your grocery shopping to a great extent.

That Price Tag!

At Rs. 2.5 lakh (ex-showroom Bengaluru), the X is certainly a pricey electric scooter. And it gets no FAME 2 subsidies as well. It might be built on a new aluminium twin-spar frame, cast aluminium subframe and have loads of cool futuristic tech on board but when you take a look at the motor and battery specs, they are honestly nowhere class-leading. 

The Ola S1 Pro Gen 2, which has nearly the same motor and battery capacity, plus a lot more convenience, is nearly a lakh cheaper. And if you want something that screams sporty, the Ather 450X with its more consistently thrilling performance package makes more sense at almost Rs. 75000 less. So, considering the performance it is packing, justifying the extra moolah seems very difficult. 

POSITIVES

Incredible Handler

What puts a smile on your face is just how rock solid it felt around the long parabola at the TVS test track. It was unwavering and razor-sharp. TVS’ racing lineage clearly shows its face here.

Attacking Riding Stance

You are put in a nice sporty stance that allows you to carry good lean angles and thanks to the unique frame, you can straddle the X as you would a motorcycle.

Sharp Brakes

Disc brakes at both ends with grippy rubber lead to phenomenal stopping power. Yes, you will have to be a bit gentle with the rear end as it tends to step out under hard braking. There’s single-channel ABS here to help your case but if TVS could also manage to add CBS, it would be a charm.

Loaded With Tech

You are greeted by the sight of a lovely, large and crisp 10.2-inch colour touchscreen TFT dash which can be tilt adjusted by up to 35 degrees. It has all the necessary data you would want on the ride plus the usual smattering of connected tech. What makes it one of the better experiences is just how nicely everything is laid out and the customisability of the entire home screen. Here are the key features that it packs:

VERDICT

The TVS X is one of the nicer handling electric scooters, one that you don’t mind getting your cornering thrills on. What doesn’t quite match up is the performance package that holds it back from being a thrilling e-scooter experience.

Hopefully, TVS does manage to find some magic between now and December, which is when the deliveries of the X are supposed to commence and provide a more exhilarating ride to the buyer. We should be getting a more comprehensive taste of the same in the coming few months and shall be bringing in a more detailed report of the same as well.

Photography By: Jitendra