Hero's sporty take on the 110cc segment has its sights set on the college-goer
The 110cc scooter segment can be termed as a boring one with fuel efficiency being a core focus. Youth-centric products in the segment have been far and few in between. Hero MotoCorp enters this niche with its Xoom 110 which brings a lot more than eye-catching design. It brings in a few exclusive and segment-first features which sound enticing especially for the college-goer. However, there are a lot more layers to unravel to pull the audience to the showrooms.
An eye-catching design is a primary requirement when the youth is your main audience. Hero has done well then, with the Xoom 110 which features a sharp silhouette and premium design elements.
If you find the design to be familiar, that’s because the Xoom 110 shares some design elements with Hero’s first electric scooter, the Vida V1. While the design is not as outlandish as the electric scooter, the Xoom 110 will turn heads, especially with its sharp-looking DRLs and tail lamps and floating panels. It even gets five attractive dual-tone paint jobs and the higher variant goes a step further with diamond-cut alloy wheels. In terms of presence, the Xoom 110’s compact bodywork will divide opinions as most prefer a larger-looking scooter while some associate compact dimensions with easy-riding characteristics.
Besides sharp styling, the Xoom 110 comes with cornering lights an industry first for a scooter in India. These are not just a gimmick but use an accelerometer and a gyroscope to detect the scooter’s steering and lean angles to sense the direction it is turning in and activate the cornering lamps.
Besides cornering lamps, the 110cc scooter gets an LED projector headlamp and LED tail lamp as well as Hero’s proprietary i3S start-stop technology. However, it gets a smaller digital instrument console that’s smaller than the one on the Hero Maestro Edge 125. The screen is easy to read though, and features a real-time mileage indicator as well as Bluetooth connectivity that shows caller ID, SMS alerts, missed call alerts and your phone’s battery status on the screen. The higher variants also get a USB charger conveniently placed on the front apron along with deep cubby holes.
Power comes from a familiar 110cc air-cooled motor also shared with other 110cc scooters in the Hero MotoCorp family. It delivers 8.16PS and 8.7Nm. The scooter offers smooth acceleration and is quite easy to ride, making it ideal for the target college-goer. The motor offers good bottom-end performance which is a boon while commuting in traffic-infested cities. It does not feel as refined as its 110cc cousins though, with slight vibrations felt through the floorboard as engine revs increase. That said, the 110cc powerplant has been around in other 110cc Hero scooters and is a tried and tested powertrain. We expect it to deliver fantastic fuel efficiency as well.
The Xoom 110 gets telescopic front suspension with 12-inch tyres on both ends for a more stable ride. The higher spec variant also gets a wider 100-section tyre for better grip. The suspension is tuned on the firmer side and while it is not as jarring as the Aprilia scooters, I would have preferred a more supple ride. It feels composed over bad roads at high speed and the firm setup also helps make handling lively. Turn-in is sharp and the scooter feels stable in corners no doubt aided by the wider rear tyre. The front disc rear drum brake setup offers good bite though the levers surprisingly require a lot of effort to operate.
The Hero Xoom 110 has two significant attributes going for it. One is its Rs 68,600 ex-showroom starting price which is not just competitive, it’s aggressive! Then there is the styling and features list which will have customers flock to the showroom and that’s the game half won. Add to that the tried and tested powertrain and underpinnings which make the Xoom 110 a well-rounded scooter and a well-sounding, refreshing choice for the young crowd.
