Vida V1 Pro First Ride Review: Is It Worth The Price?

The Vida V1 is Hero MotoCorp’s first electric scooter, presented under a new electric mobility brand vertical, Vida. The Vida V1 is being offered in two variants, the Vida V1 Pro and Vida V1 Plus, each variant nearly identical, save for the battery packs and claimed maximum range. The top-spec Vida V1 Pro has a segment-best claimed range of 165 km on a single charge, and it promises performance and features to take on the very best rivals in the electric scooter segment. 

You can check out our video review of the Vida V1 Pro here

The Vida V1 Pro is priced at Rs. 1.59 lakh (Ex-showroom), and comes with a claimed range of 165 km on a single charge. It's one of the priciest electric scooters in its segment.

Also Read: Everything You Need To Know About Vida V1 Electric Scooter

Even the Vida V1 Plus promises 145 km range on a single charge. But with prices beginning at Rs. 1,45,000 (Ex-showroom) for the V1 Plus, going up to Rs. 1,59,000 (Ex-showroom) for the V1 Pro, is the Vida V1 seem worth its price? That’s what we tried to find out during our brief first ride experience at Hero MotoCorp’s Centre for Innovation and Technology at Jaipur. 

We spent some time with the Vida V1 Pro at Hero MotoCorp's test track at the company's Centre for Innovation and Technology, on the outskirts of Jaipur. 

Also Read: Vida V1 Electric Scooter Launched At Rs. 1.45 Lakh 

The Vida V1 Pro will easily hit a top speed of over 80 kmph in Sport mode. The surface of the test track though didn't offer the right conditions to gauge ride quality since most of the test track is over smooth surfaces. 
 

Performance

Our first ride at Hero MotoCorp’s test track is brief, and as first impressions go, dynamically, the Vida V1 is quite promising. The riding position is neutral and comfortable, throttle response is smooth and linear, and straight-line stability is immediately likable. With a claimed 6 kW peak output (approximately 8 bhp), the Vida V1 isn’t exactly performance-oriented, but the instant torque and the smooth power delivery makes it an easy and friendly electric scooter.

Also Read: Vida V1 Vs Ather 450X Vs Ola S1 Pro Specifications Comparison

The Vida V1 Pro doesn't have back-slapping performance, but throttle response is smooth, and it will hit 60 kmph without drama. Although from 60-80 kmph it does take a little time to achieve.

On the straights, the V1 Pro will hit over 80 kmph top speed quite easily and can maintain between 70 and 80 kmph effortlessly. We saw a speedometer-indicated top speed of over 84 kmph on more than one occasion, and you can sit quite comfortably at 60 kmph all day long, with some extra spark for overtakes and the like. Yes, the 60-80 kmph acceleration feels a tad sluggish, but nothing alarmingly slow, and overall performance is quite impressive.

Where the Vida V1 is extremely impressive is in its dynamics. Its sharp handling will provide easy direction changes out in the real world, and a sense of balance and stability is immediately apparent.

Ride & Handling

The test track has smooth surface all round, so we won’t be able to comment on the actual ride quality, but from our brief ride at the test track, we have no reasons to complain about the Vida V1’s ride and dynamics. Despite its 126 kg kerb weight, it’s light on its wheels, and easy to manage, and gives the rider the confidence with its nice balance and stability. The V1 Plus will be 2 kg lighter, but overall the V1 is a nimble scooter, handles pretty well, and you can change directions quite easily, without losing composure or balance.

The Vida V1 maintains composure, and its overall dynamics are quite impressive. Brakes are good, riding position is easy and natural, and it's well-balanced and stable.

Negotiating a set of corners, the Vida V1 offers very good dynamics and handling. It maintains composure, even when leaned over around the corners.  And even if you won’t push a scooter this hard in the real world, the V1 remains composed, and in control, even when scraping the centre stand when pushed hard. As far as performance and dynamics go, there’s nothing to find fault with the Vida V1.

Also Read: Vida V1 Electric Scooter Specifications, Features Explained

The Vida V1 does have a somewhat quirky design. Its proportions though are quite sorted, and the design, though unique, does begin to grown on you.
 

Design & Features

The Vida V1 has a unique design; it has an apron mounted LED headlight, and the bodywork is a combination of several plastic panels. Now, this could be an advantage in case of minor nicks or a fall, so that you can just get away with changing one panel, instead of having to replace an entire chunk of bodywork. The design isn’t exactly what I’d call sporty, although it has some nice touches like the LED headlight and the switches. 

Telescopic front suspension, Bybre disc brakes on the front wheel offer good stability and braking.

The design though is quite unique, and for someone looking to make a statement with something “different” the Vida V1 does have that. But more than that, it’s a design which you get used to, more time you spend with the scooter. But design is a subjective thing after all, so we’ll let you be the judge, whether you like it, or not.

Also Read: Vida V1 Electric Scooter Underwent Over 2 Lakh Km Of Testing

The 7-inch full-colour touchscreen instrument console offers smartphone connectivity, but on our pre-production test units some features were not available.

The 7-inch touchscreen instrument console though offers a long list of features. There are four riding modes, Eco, Sport, Ride and Custom, with Custom giving you the choice to limit the speed, or increase the range, as per your riding requirements. The full-colour screen also has features like brightness control, smartphone connectivity, and even a document storing facility, apart from over-the-air software updates. There’s a handy “park” mode as well, which you can use to reverse or park in tight spots. Underseat storage of 26 litres is plenty enough, to store a full-face helmet.

The removable batteries offer the convenience of portability and easy charging, either overnight at home, or at the workplace.

As for the batteries, the Vida V1 comes with removable batteries, and you can charge the scooter in three ways. You can charge it through a DC fast charger, using the Ather Grid, or Vida’s own fast-charging network. You can also hook up the scooter to a conventional power socket, which will take about 5.5 hours to charge fully. 

The Vida V1 can also be charged without removing the batteries, either through a conventional power socket, or through the DC fast charger through the Vida network, or the Ather Grid.

Third option is, the batteries are removable, so you can carry these batteries to your home or office, wherever you may be, and leave them charged for about 5.5-6 hours to charge them, The best part is, there are two batteries, so you can also run the scooter on one battery, and leave the second on charge during the day while you use the scooter. Of course that would mean the range will be halved if you do so.

Also Read: Vida V1 Pro Vs Rivals Price Comparison

Verdict

On the face of it, the Vida V1 does look like a slghtly pricey proposition. And the finishes and quality levels of the pre-production models that we got to experience didn’t quite give an instantly likeable premium feel. But when you think about making a purchase decision, that’s when the Vida V1 starts making sense, at least somewhat, compared to its rivals.

The electric motor is IP68-rated and has peak output of 6 kW with 25 Nm torque. 

Before you buy it, you can check out the Vida V1 and test ride it for three days, and then take an informed decision whether you want to go ahead with the purchase decision. And even if you do end up buying it, the company will buy it back at 70 per cent of the cost, within 16 to 18 months. So, those two considerations certainly make the Vida V1 a compelling choice, the slightly higher sticker price notwithstanding. 

The Vida V1 is offered with three-day test rides, and a buyback offer with 70 per cent of the cost within 16-18 months of purchase.

And then if you consider Hero MotoCorp’s brand and network strength, and the network and fast-charging grid planned for Vida, the V1 does begin to look attractive. Our first ride though was brief, and we’ll reserve our final judgement on how the Vida V1 is till we get to spend sometime out in the real world, in traffic, over potholes, broken roads and to get a sense of real-world range as well. For now, our first impressions are positive, but eventually the Vida V1’s success will also depend on consumer interest, considering it’s still one of the most expensive products in its segment.

(Photography: Prashant Chaudhary)