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From cafés to college to even office, this scooter is sure to turn heads wherever you ride it to. It can be your ticket to thrills (like a motorcycle), but does it have the utility of a scooter? I rode it for a full day in urban traffic, to a market, and then took it on a highway, racing cars and motorcycles.

What is it?

Possibly Hero MotoCorp’s biggest launch of the year, the Xoom 160 is a global product from the company, and it shows everywhere – from its adventurous design, to its refined engine, to its paint quality, and powerful performance.

How’s the design?

Inspired by adventure motorcycles (Hero’s own rally bikes), it has a muscular front apron, a tall windscreen, sharp LED lights, and chunky body panels, giving it a commanding look that sets it apart from traditional scooters. The seating position is upright, and there is a lot of space to move your legs around.

But the design is polarising – some people I talked to during the ride found the front fascia overdone, and despite it being a premium scooter, the switchgear looks basic and appears to be borrowed from Hero’s entrylevel scooters. For example, even when all phones have shifted to USBC charger, the Xoom 160 has that ancient TypeA connector.

It’s long, at almost 2 metres (1,983 mm), has a seat height of a comfortable 787 mm, and ground clearance of 155 mm.

How’s the engine?

It’s supremely refined, so refined that when I started the engine in traffic, I couldn’t even hear the sound or feel the vibrations.

It’s 156cc, liquidcooled, and produces 14.6 bhp and 14 Nm torque. Transmission is CVT automatic.

How’s the ride?

While it starts quiet, it growls when you twist the throttle – and races ahead like a sporty motorcycle. It’s light (at just 142 kg), and that makes it nimble navigating traffic despite its size.

On highways, I was able to comfortable cruise at 80100 km/h, and its 14inch tyres helped with straightline stability. Telescopic front forks and twin shock absorbers at the rear let me ride smoothly over bumps and potholes, but on really broken roads, I could feel a lot of vibrations – possibly because the suspension is on the firmer side, not softer.

Alternative to motorcycles?

While it can match up to 150200cc bikes at speeds of up to 6080 km/h, motorcycles have manual gearbox that gives them better topend performance (by shifting to a lower gear). The Xoom 160 starts fast, but the power delivery seems to taper as you cross 80 km/h. Motorcycles also have longer range because of their bigger fuel tanks of 12 litres and above, but the Xoom 160 has a 7litre fuel tank, which means you cannot take it on long rides without stopping for refuelling. I couldn’t test it for fuel efficiency, but it’ll be in the range of 4045 km/litre.

Should you buy it?

It has its limitations. For example, I couldn’t carry groceries in a bag between my legs – as is possible in regular scooters – because it doesn’t have a flat floor (there’s fuel tank cap there).

Prices of the Xoom 160 start at 1.48 lakh, exshowroom – competitors are Yamaha Aerox 155 (Rs 1.5 lakh), Aprilia SXR 160 (Rs 1.45 lakh), and the far more affordable TVS Ntorq 150 (Rs 1.19 lakh).

It’s definitely a superscooter, but doesn’t have the utility of a scooter, and is unlikely to attract motorcycle enthusiasts who demand a much more engaging riding experience.