Ather Rizta: Variants-wise Features Explained

Despite being a family-friendly, the Rizta is loaded with features, a lot of which you will probably end up using on a daily basis too

Ather launched the Rizta electric scooter earlier last week and it is India’s latest family-friendly electric scooter. And what we are happy about is that despite the Ather Rizta being relatively affordable (Rs 1,09,999 onwards), Ather hasn’t skimped out in terms of features. Here’s a quick summary of all the features that you get on the Rizta: 

The Rizta S variant gets the same 7-inch LCD console from the Ather 450S. We already mentioned in our first ride review that it’s a brilliant console. It doesn’t feel complicated like the TFT on the higher variants but also gets all the important features like turn-by-turn navigation, hill-hold assist, reverse mode, SmartEco mode and FallSafe (when the scooter falls on one side, it automatically turns the motor off). Other safety features include an emergency stop signal (when you brake suddenly, your tail lights will flash to alert the riders behind you) and even tow and theft alerts.

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As for the Z variants, they get the 7-inch TFT console from the Ather 450X, but with a different layout. First and foremost, you get full-fledged Google Maps navigation with this instead of just turn-by-turn navigation. That’ll give you more details about the route you’re travelling on and an experience that’s closer to using Google Maps on your smartphone. And talking about a smartphone-like experience, this dash facilitates a whole host of features for which you’d otherwise have to take out your phone. This includes WhatsApp alerts, call and music control, push navigation (push the location of your destination from WhatsApp on your smartphone and click on ‘send to scooter’, post which the location will directly show on the scooter’s maps) and even auto-reply on SMS, with which you can basically cut a call and send a pre-written SMS to the caller, informing them about the fact that you’re currently riding. 

Some other features exclusive to the Z variants include Ping My Scooter (easier to find the scooter in a parking lot with its flashing light alerts), document storage, live location sharing and an inter-city trip planner, through which riders can basically add stops to the full-fledged Google Maps system.  

Additionally, the Z variants also get the ‘Magic Twist’ feature, which is basically a reverse throttle. It’ll give the rider strong regenerative braking, meaning they won’t really have to use the brakes to slow the scooter down. Again, a very nice feature to have. There’s also a charging port in the boot to charge your Ather Halo bit (the Ather smart helmet through which you can connect with the pillion with a pillion intercom, music sharing and a lot more). The Rizta also boasts the 'Ather SkidControl' feature, which is essentially a traction control system, making it only the second affordable scooter to get traction control after the Yamaha Aerox 155 got it earlier this year. One final bit on the Z variants that we think is also very useful is the pillion backrest. Electric vehicles make all the torque all the time and hence the sudden pull can sometimes catch pillions off the guard. So having such a backrest is actually a very nice addition.  

Other nifty features that aren’t variant-particular and you can opt for them as an optional accessory include the 22-litre frunk (basically a front trunk), which is mounted on the front apron, ahead of where your knees would normally rest. It has multiple storage compartments and is a lovely addition for those who usually carry a lot of stuff on their daily commutes. Ather also offers an organiser for its massive 34-litre boot that neatly divides the boot into sections so that things stay in place. 

So if you really want to have a fancy-looking console (and don’t mind paying for it), you might want to get the Z series. But if you’re okay with an LCD console (which in our opinion is still a fantastically designed console), we’d advise you to save up money and go for the Rizta’s base variant, which still gets all the important features.