Mahindra Gusto 125cc – First Ride

Mahindra have been doing well in the scooter segment ever since the launch of their 110cc scooter the Gusto. The Duro and the Rodeo didn’t see high sales figures but all that changed with the arrival of the Gusto. Fast forward to more than a year later and today you have a new 125cc Mahindra Gusto.

The Pros: Good features and good bottom end grunt.

The Cons: Boxy design and low mid-range grunt.

The Crux: The Gusto has all the features you need but has an unusual design.

Design and features – The new 125cc Mahindra Gusto retains the same boxy design as its predecessor the Gusto 110. The front fender has an uncanny resemblance to the old Kinetic scooter but the plastic panel above that actually looks nice. The headlight still gets its LED pilot lamps and the pocket-like storage facility below the instrument console. As far as features go, the Gusto’s popular height adjustment feature, remote flip key, find-me lamps and guide lamps are all still there in the new 125cc Gusto. In fact all the features remain the same, but on the looks front you now get a few more options. The 125cc Gusto comes in four new colours, Orange Rush, Bolt White, Monarch Black and Regal Red.

Engine and Performance – The major change in the new Gusto is the engine. The old 110cc engine has now been replaced with a built up 125cc M-Tech engine that now churns out 8.7PS at 7,000rpm and 10Nm at 5,500rpm. Unfortunately if you go by the figures, there’s only an increase of 1Nm of torque and 0.50PS more than the old Gusto. Now that’s barely anything if you’ve pumped up the engine from a 110cc to a 125cc. Mahindra say that the new engine now has low friction piston rings, an offset crank with a roller rocker and a high energy ignition coil. They’ve even put a heavy duty low stall clutch, a larger carburettor and a silent chain. But does all this translate to a better riding experience? Let’s see.

Ride, Handling and Braking – Once you start going on the new 125cc Gusto you can feel that initial burst of power from the engine. The ergonomics and switches all feel familiar since they’re taken from the 110cc Gusto. But one major difference that you will feel while riding is the new handlebar dampeners that they’ve added. The feedback from the handlebar is much better now and the addition of bar end weights lends the scooter a sturdier feel while turning. The 125cc Gusto felt planted while cornering but the engine runs out of breath quickly as you start going up an incline. Now this is something we didn’t expect from the new engine but Mahindra say that they’ve added a load sensing multi-curve ignition system that has multiple settings and makes sure you get a good balance of power and efficiency. But if you are going uphill we would rather have power than bothering about mileage. This is one major point where the Gusto doesn’t match up to other 125cc scooters. On the other hand the engine definitely sounds more refined than before and has good bottom end grunt. Manouvering around on the scooter was easy and the suspension setup was just right. The brakes on the new Gusto had a more progressive feel than before and the large 12inch tyres offer sufficient grip on the road.

Verdict: Now this is only a preview of the new 125cc Mahindra Gusto as we only got to ride it for a little while. For now, we know it has a lot of useful features, handles decently and with the new engine it performs a little bit better than before. The new 125cc Gusto will be available in four new colours - Orange Rush, Bolt White, Monarch Black and Regal Red. They plan to launch the scooter next month and we’ll be back with a full review of it after it’s launched.