TVS Ntorq 125 and Ather 450 are currently some of the zippiest scooters available in the country. However, both have chosen their own path to do the same job and both scooters also have a practical side, making them appeal to a wider audience.
While the TVS Ntorq 125 relies on the expensive liquified fossils for propulsion, the Ather relies on electricity, which most people consider as the future of automobile propulsion.
While Ather has the more advanced and future-proof powertrain, it is not without its disadvantages.
Over the years, Ather has been steadily developing in the country and the electric scooter is one of the best scooters available in India with top-notch quality and fit-and-finish.
Apart from Tier 1 cities in India, Ather has already expanded to multiple cities, including Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Tiruchy, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur, Kozhikode, Indore, and Nashik.
Speaking about the expansion, Ather Energy also opened the brand’s biggest showroom in Coimbatore. The Ather Space in Coimbatore is the brand’s third experience centre in Tamilnadu after Chennai and Trichy, and the southern state is also home to the brand’s state-of-the-art production facility in Hosur which is supported by the state’s EV policy.
1. Design
Design-wise, the Ather electric scooter looks sophisticated and futuristic with its clean and crisp lines. The sharp and tall front fascia of the Ather neatly integrates with the LED headlamps.
Moreover, the lack of exhaust and the presence of an exposed aluminium frame under the seat gives the Ather electric scooter premium and sophisticated look that is unmatched by any other conventionally powered scooter in India.
This sense of premium and sophistication is carried over to the rear as well with a simple yet neatly designed LED tail lamp that extends to the sides to form LED turn indicators.
TVS Ntorq 125 on the other hand looks quite conventional next to the Ather electric scooter, but TVS has done a remarkable job to help it stand out of the crowd with some snazzy graphics.
Apart from that, TVS recently launched Spiderman and Thor themed variants of the scooter. The Marvel superhero-themed Ntorq 125 scooters stand out from the crowd as they are adorned with colour schemes from their respective Marvel superheroes.
Apart from the obvious colour schemes, there are also Marvel superhero-themed decals on both scooters representing the respective superheroes. Previously, TVS had released three other special editions of its Ntorq 125 scooter based on Marvel superheroes.
2. Powertrain
Ather Energy currently sells two models in India. While the Ather 450 Plus is powered by a 5.4kW electric motor with 22Nm of torque, the more potent Ather 450X uses a 6kW electric motor with 26Nm of torque.
Apart from that, the Ather 450 Plus uses a 2.4kWh Lithium-ion battery pack which is good for 70 kms on a single charge and takes 10 minutes to add 10 kms of range while using a suitable fast charger.
On the other hand, the Ather 450X comes with a larger 2.9kWh Lithium-ion battery pack and it can do 80 kms on a fully charged battery pack. Moreover, the Ather 450X takes just 10 minutes to add 15 kms of range.
TVS Ntorq 125 scooter comes with a peppy 3-Valve,125cc engine. This engine produces 9.2bhp at 7,000 rpm and 10.5Nm at 5,500rpm. However, if you fancy a bit more power, you can go for the more potent TVS Ntorq 125 Race XP.
The TVS Ntorq 125 Race XP puts out 10.05bhp at 7,000 rpm and 10.8Nm at 5,500 rpm from its retuned 125cc powertrain.
3. Features
TVS Ntorq 125 comes with a long list of features such as Bluetooth connectivity, an All-Digital instrument console, LED headlamps and many more. However, it pales in comparison with the Ather in this category.
Ather come with a water-resistant 7-inch touchscreen instrument that uses an Andriod-based OS, 22-litres of under-seat storage, telescopic front suspension, 12-inch wheels, Google maps, reverse mode and many more. Apart from this, the Ather electric scooters also come with LED headlamps, LED taillamps and LED turn indicators.
Both scooters offer a dedicated mobile application for monitoring and accessing various functions and features of the respective scooters.
4. Suspension and Brakes
The TVS Ntorq 125 comes with telescopic suspension at the front and a coil spring unit at the rear. The 125cc scooter runs on 12-inch alloy wheels shod with 100/80 tyres at both front and rear. However, the Race XP variant comes with a wider 110-section tyre at the rear.
Braking duties on the TVS Ntorq 125 are handled by a 220mm disc brake at the front and a 130mm drum brake setup at the rear.
The Ather electric scooter on the other hand comes with telescopic suspension at the front and symmetrically-mounted mono suspension at the rear. The scooter also comes with 12-inch alloy wheels as the TVS Ntorq 125, however, uses skinnier 90-section tyres at both ends.
Unlike most scooters in India, the Ather electric scooters use disc brakes at both front and rear, measuring 200mm and 190mm, respectively.
5. Price
The Ather 450 Plus costs Rs 1,27,916 (Including FAME II subsidy) in Tamilnadu, whereas the Ather 450X costs Rs 1,46,926 (Including FAME II subsidy). The TVS Ntorq 125 prices start from just Rs 80,957 (ex-showroom, Tamilnadu) and goes all the way up to Rs 90,812 (ex-showroom, Tamilnadu) for the Race XP variant.
Thoughts About TVS Ntorq 125 & Ather 450
While both scooters are fantastic products from their respective companies, If you are living in a tier1 city or any place with easily accessible charging points and have a fixed commute distance on daily basis, then the Ather electric scooter will make more sense.