TVS iQube S Reviewed Through 10 Images
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Let’s see if this electric scooter is practical enough to replace your everyday petrol-powered scooter
TVS offers both electric and ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) scooters in its portfolio. You have the Jupiter, a well-established, practical family scooter that’s been giving the Honda Activa a run for its money. However, its ‘long term sensibility’ quotient is under threat, thanks to the ever-increasing fuel prices. So is this where the updated iQube S can take the baton and act as the ‘electrified’ Jupiter? We had a chance to ride it and here’s what we thought, through images:
Performance & Range
The iQube S seems to be tuned to deliver most of the torque at any given moment irrespective of the riding mode you’re in. The torque delivery in the Eco mode is strong enough and switching to Power mode just makes things better and it even allowed our rider to reach a speedo-indicated top speed of 86kmph.
While the performance is adequate, it’s not exciting. That said, it’s in no way a deal breaker,and if you like your electric scooter to be undramatic, then you will find the iQube to be more than enough. The claimed real-world range is 100km in Eco mode. We, on the other hand, were able to clock 114.76km in the same mode in real-world city conditions, which is enough for most of the users.
Design
While the iQube is neat and simple, it’s not eye-catching or head turning like the Ola S1 or the Ather 450X. For a mode of transport that’s considered to be the future, the iQube’s boxy design doesn’t grab your attention, and is quite…unmodern. We would’ve loved it if the S variant also came with some brighter colours like the base version.
Underpinnings & Handling
The telescopic fork and dual shocks are tuned to handle our miserable roads well, so most of the bumps are kept at bay. While the rear shocks rebound harshly over the sharpest bumps, this can be solved by adjusting the preload, which can be done without any tools.
The braking and grip from the tyres is all good enough for your everyday city rides. That said, the lack of ABS means you will have to brake carefully in panic situations.
Switchgear & Instrument Console
While the quality of the switchgear is pleasing, the joystick feels rather flimsy.
Certain key functions like the tripmeter are also not as easily accessible as we would’ve liked. We also wish the scooter got map-based navigation and smartphone screen mirroring, given its other contemporary features.
Underseat Storage
Further affecting the scooter’s practicality is the puny 17-litre underseat storage. It’s not generous and having to carry the chunky charger doesn’t help either. Another small yet inconvenient niggle is the lack of illumination in the boot.
Verdict
All in all, the TVS iQube does a good job of being a practical, family scooter. The range is reasonable and performance is enough for the city rides. Most of the niggles can be sorted out via Over-the-air updates. Going back to the question. Could the iQube Electric be called the Jupiter of electric scooters? The answer to that, is a resounding yes!