Test Ride Feedback of Mahindra's new scooter- Gusto

1. MAHINDRA
GUSTO
TEST RIDE
REPORT
AMIT DWIVEDI
10/10/2014

2. Mahindra Gusto
The name and the design of “Gusto” both possess the Italian touch
literally meaning- enjoyment and enthusiasm in execution. But also it
sounds more like a gust of breeze
Again the tag line “Break Free” recalls the good old memories of “Bolero
break free”, which might, as well, be good-luck charm to replicate the
success story.

3. Styling and
Looks

4. Sales Pitch
• The exclusive website www.mahindragusto.com offers a very
simple test ride booking option by just providing one’s name and
mobile no. Later an outbound call from the call centre collects
relevant details and suggests the nearest dealer for test ride
• In this case the showroom visited for test ride was Pandey Motors,
Adarsh Nagar, Unnao
• The sales pitch by the showroom staff was two fold-first
focus on the innovative features and second the comparison
of the scooter vis-à-vis competetion mainly Activa and Maestro
• Although the sales man was not interested for a test ride but was
more keen on emphasizing the comparative chart along with the
demonstration of the USPs like- Height adjustable seat, Front kick
and “Centuro” like features
• The test ride was given on a patch of side road with brick laid
lane to verify the company’s claims of smoother riding experience

5. Riding Experience
 Mahindra’s refined and silent engine combined with the front
telescopic suspension delivers a really smooth ride even on bumpy
brick laid ‘in-road’ of the town.
 The 12” tubeless tyres and the extra ground clearance also plays an
important role when encountered with pot-holes on a bad road.
 Stability and Maneuverability is also quite good given the long wheel
base and front telescopic shock absorbers which transmit minimum
vibrations from the road to the handle.
 Engine is refined and smooth while revving at a speed of 40-
50Kmph. Very little vibrations are felt even while throttling from
stand still.
Although the pick-up seems to be lower than other scooters.
 Seating position is upright and comfortable due to broad seat
cushion design. The seat length is also more than sufficient for a
pillion. Sufficient leg room is available for tall riders also.
 Braking is somewhat below expectation as the response is lower in
proportion to the effort when compared with Maestro/ Activa.

6. Distinguishing Features
Height Adjustable Seat
GUSTO is India’s first scooter to offer a Height Adjustable Seat
enabling the riders of different heights to use the scooter
comfortably.
The feature is something quite common in cars but definitely a very
innovative and useful feature for a family scooter.
The scooter (Vx variant) offers two seating positions 1 & 2 (saddle
heights- 735mm and 770mm)
Height can be adjusted by simply pulling a latch and raising or
lowering the front seat rest
1
2

7. Distinguishing Features
Front Flip Open- Non Return Seat
The seat is unique and flips open from the front, unlike traditional
rear flip open seats of automatic scooters.
Another ease factor is that the seat once opened for accessing boot
space/ filling petrol need not be held with caution to stop falling
down due to the self locking mechanism.
A spring loaded stopper self-locks the seat in up-right position and
prevents it from falling back until and unless it is pushed back to its
normal position.

8. Distinguishing Features
Easy Front Kick
GUSTO comes with a smartly designed motor-cycle styled kick
which offers the rider ease of starting the scooter while being
seated. A smart innovation indeed.
Effectively, the rider can kick-start the Gusto while seated, without
having to get down and kick start as is the case traditionally in
automatic scooters. This according to Mahindra, gives Gusto riders a
sense of novelty, like that of kick-starting a motorcycle

9. Distinguishing Features
Remote Flip Key
This is a feature which Mahindra has already introduced with the
launch of Centuro. The stylish key opens like a switchblade. Along
with the “find me lamps” button it is adorned with a blue LED light
to illuminate the key-hole in the dark.
The second key is a normal duplicate key as usual.

10. Distinguishing Features
Find Me Lamps
Another feature inherited from the Centuro which in-turn borrowed it
from cars is the call out beep thru remote for finding your vehicle in a
parking place.
There is also an option of silent search i.e. by just blinking the turn
signal lamps without the alarm sound so as to spot the vehicle in dark

11. Distinguishing Features
Guide Lamps
Coming of age the scooter has also adopted guide lamps from
Mahindra’s 4-W inheritance.
The guide lamps remain lighted for almost4-6 seconds even after the
ignition is killed, showing the path ahead.
A not so useful yet smart distinction among the class.

12. Distinguishing Features
Telescopic Shock Absorbers
Another first in class offering in the segment which gives advantage
over competition is the front telescopic suspension with air springs.
It not only absorbs bumps fairly well but also improves handling. The
suspension also negates out bumps to the handlebars, giving rider a
feel of stability and control.
Activa 125 offers the same suspension but with a “step-up” cost.

13. Distinguishing Features
12-inch Tube less Tyres
A feature which literally places the Gusto higher in the class is its large
12” tubeless tyres both front and rear. It also justifies the seat-height
adjusting feature to overcome the extra saddle height.
Large tubeless tyres gives not only improves ride quality of ride in
tackling pot-holes and improving maneuverability but also gives the
Gusto the highest ground clearance in its segment at 165mm.

14. Add On’s
Styling and Looks
• Italian styled and developed at Mahindra Two Wheelers’ R&D
centre at Pune “Gusto” boasts of a distinctive and bold looks.
• Although a thorough look at the scooter gives a feeling of
resemblance to the Piaggio stable; a fusion of Vespa and LML
of days bygone.
• Front wing like grills give an attractive look to the scooter
combined with the “mahindra” emblem like that in 4-wheelers
• Tail lamp console is also a very eye-catching view of the
scooter with “mahindra” prominently appearing in the centre
of the integrated side indicators.

15. Add On’s
Sleek Design
Sleek and aerodynamic design in addition to long wheel base of 1275
mm gives advantage of better control and maneuverability to the
scooter adding the comfort of adequate leg space to tall riders as well.
To improve the heat transfer rate of the air cooled engine the rear inner
body the step thru leg space is given air-passage ventilators for better
air flow around the engine.

16. Meter Console
Add On’s
Having an abstract design and analog meters, the console looks
appealing. Speedometer comes with usual Eco zone feature.
The other two screens split apart shows the turn indicators and
High/ Low beam.
The distinguishing feature here is the retractable “Quick Storage”
space to hold small items like loose papers, Mobile, coins, keys etc.
Turn signal
Indicator
High / Low
Beam Indicator
QUICK STORAGE SPACE

17. Technical Specifications
1.) ENGINE:-
All Aluminum engine with single cylinder 4 Stroke, Air-cooled Engine
with patented M-TEC engine technology that features a strong
crankshaft and bearings, a high inertia magneto with high energy
ignition coil, roller rocker arms for valve actuation as well as a silent
chain rather than a regular roller chain and an efficient series
regulator which is said to have superior power, efficiency and reliability,
to increase refinement throughout the rev range.
A large venturi carburetor and one of the largest diameter CVT
clutches means that the Gusto can deliver more power, thereby
providing significantly better acceleration
Displacement:- 109.6 cc
Max Power:- 8 bhp @ 7500 rpm
Max Torque:- 9 Nm @ 5500 rpm
Ignition System:- Digital CDI ignition

18. Technical Specifications
2.) ELECTRICALS:-
Battery:- 12 V, 6 Ah (Vx variant)
12 V, 4 AH(Dx variant)
Head Lamp:- 12 V, 35W Halogen integrated with LED pilot lamps
Brake Lamp/ Tail Lamp:- 12 V,
3.) TYRE and WHEEL
Tyre Type :- Tubeless
Tyre Size ( Front ):- 90/90 -12
Tyre Size ( Rear ):- 90/90-12
Wheel Size :- 12 inches

19. 4.) CHASSIS :-
Frame:- High Rigidity Underbone tubular steel type
Dimensions ( lxbxh):- 1825 x 697 x 1188 cu mm
Wheel Base:- 1275 mm
Ground Clearance:- 165 mm
Kerb Weight:- 120 Kg
Saddle Height:- 770 mm in Higher seating position (Dx variant- single
position only)
Saddle Height:- 735 mm in Lower seating position (Adjusting option in
Vx variant)
Technical Specifications

20. Technical Specifications
5.) SUSPENSION:-
Front :- Telescopic with Air Spring
Rear:- Coil type, Hydarulic
6.) BRAKES:-
Type:- Drum Brake
Front:- Drum size 130mm
Rear:- Drum size 130mm
7.) OTHERS:-
Fuel Tank Capacity:- 6.0 Litres
Fuel Efficiency (ARAI):- 63 Kmpl
Top Speed:- 80 Kmph

21. Pricing
The scooter is competitively priced by Mahindra to attract the
customers. The Ex-Showroom prices for the variants are as given
below-
Mahindra Gusto Vx: Rs 48,822
Mahindra Gusto Dx: Rs 44,822
Colours
The scooter comes in six exciting colors although only three were
available at the dealership as on date.
For Vx variant For Dx variant
Iceberg White Arctic White
Raven Black Galactic Black
Magnetic Magenta
Volcanic Red

22. Comparison with Competition
An extract from Mahindra Gusto’s official marketing hand-out
portraying superiority with peers

23. Comparison with Competition
But what is smartly slid under the carpet are some really useful features
which are missing in Gusto like-
 Brakes seems to be a bit hard and less effective at higher speeds.
Combi brakes which is a very good option for effective, low effort
and balanced braking is what a Maestro or Activa rider will badly miss.
 Boot lamp is another utility feature which is missed provided that the
scooter is adorned with a number of lamps like LED pilot lamps, guide
lamp and flip key light.
 Mobile charger is another basic utility which is left out that too when
almost every other scooter in the segment is having the feature.
 Gusto over-weighs its competitors in terms of Kerb weight (120 Kg)
also which is not an advantage in the league where light weight is
always preferable from both the user and the manufacturer’s point of
view.

24. Thank You
AMIT DWIVEDI
9565033331
amitd07@gmail.com