TVS Star City Plus: Real-world Mileage And Performance Numbers Explained

It’s a star when it comes to fuel efficiency, but not so much in terms of performance, here’s our analysis

We’ve tested the TVS Star City Plus recently and you can read the detailed review  it here. If you’re wondering about its real-world mileage and performance, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our analysis:

Fuel Efficiency:

A figure of 66.34kmpl on the highways itself is very impressive, highlighting the Star City Plus’ frugal nature. But the real shocker was a mileage of 83.09kmpl in our intra-city runs. Though this herculean task was achieved by dawdling along at a measly 20-30kmph to simulate traffic conditions, the fact that it’s a fill-it-shut-it-forget-it kind of motorcycle still remains true..

Acceleration:

The TVS Star City Plus is powered by a 109.7cc mill, the one we’ve seen in the TVS Radeon, pumping out 8.2PS and 8.7Nm. Surprisingly, the Star City Plus falls behind the Radeon in our 0-40, 0-60 and 0-80kmph runs by 0.38s, 0.85s and 1.18s respectively, which is quite a margin.

In terms of outright performance, the Star City Plus’ engine unfortunately fails to stand out in the sea of commuters. Moreover, the biggest miss in our opinion for the Star City Plus is its sub-par refinement. You can feel the vibes creep in from as low as 40-45kmph and even in the top gear at around 65kmph, there’s a fair bit of buzz from the footpegs, handlebar, tank and even the seat.

Roll-on Acceleration:

The Star City Plus falls behind its 110cc rivals like the Hero Passion Pro and Bajaj Platina 110 in the 30-70kmph roll-on acceleration runs. While the Hero does the 30-70kmph and 40-80kmph roll ons in 8.63s and 13.70s respectively, the Bajaj does the same in 9.18s and 14.09s. We wish TVS equipped it with a better bottom-end performance. 

Moreover, the gearbox on the Star City isn’t a particularly slick-shifting one. It lacks the ‘click’, when upshifting and downshifting and has a particular hesitation when shifting into the top (fourth) gear.

Braking:

The braking front has been a big disappointment on the Star City Plus. The 240mm disc up front with CBS as standard is an improvement over its predecessor’s free-standing 130mm drum, but the calibration leaves much to be desired. The rear brake, too, replicates this feat, where the ‘looseness’ (when operating the front brakes, courtesy the CBS), could lead to some unnerving moments. 

That said, it’s interesting to note that it actually does better than its direct rivals when it comes to braking distances. The Passion Pro takes 40.46m and 22.48m to brake from 80-0kmph and 60-0kmph respectively. The Platina on the other hand takes 40.55m and 22.98m to go from 80-0kmph and 60-0kmph respectively. That said, our test bike was the Platina 110 H Gear which comes equipped with a disc brake up front, while the Passion Pro makes do with a drum one.

A retail price of Rs 70,205-73,955 (ex-showroom Delhi) could possibly make us ignore the lack of performance and braking as it anyway offers excellent efficiency - something that’s very crucial in a bike in this segment. That said, the lack of refinement is a big let down, and taller riders will find it uncomfortable as its ergonomics is fairly cramped.