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Ather 450S Review: No Babying Here
Ather Energy is a name synonymous with electric scooters in India. Before Ola came with all the noise, Ather's 450 series of scooters were smoking the revv meisters at the lights on our streets.
Over the past few weeks, the electric scooter fanbase seems to be running around like headless chickens, with the government dropping subsidy levels for EVs. However, Ather, it would seem, had its eye on the ball and, like a few other EV manufacturers, had a response ready.
The answer comes in the form of the all-new Ather 450S. But is the new Ather 450S the mad little hellion of a little brother to the 450X we always wanted, or are the compromises too much to live with at the Rs 1.30 lakh price point?
We go into the saddle of the all-new 450S in Bangalore to find out what the newest electric scooter from Ather was all about for ourselves.
Ather 450S Review: Design & Features - Almost Identical But With One Major Change
Looking at the Ather 450S, especially if you've seen Ather's other 450 series scooters, may give you a sense of Deja Vu, as the overall design hasn't changed, and the Ather 450S twins well with its elder 450X sibling.
You have to look hard to find any changes on the exterior body panels, with the only clue to this being a new scooter being the tiny sticker-like badges on the sides.
However, once your rump sits on the seat (still not ideal for taller riders) and you glance down at the display and the handlebars, the changes come into focus. So what exactly are these changes that differentiate the 450S from the 450X? Let me explain.
All the new switchgear on the handlebars is because the display is no longer a touchscreen unit. The 450S' non-touch display ditches the colourful TFT tech for an LCD setup controlled by the joystick on the left. Activating Reverse Mode is now done by a dedicated switch on the right side of the screen.
While the new display is the same size as the 450X (7 inches), it shows off data quite differently from the one on the older scooter. The centre of the screen displays the time at the centre, underneath which you'll find the speedo with the range remaining a rung below and the riding mode to the right.
The left side of the display gives you all the ride data and lets you know if someone is calling you or if you have a message. Other functions shown here include music controls and ride data. The right side gives you turn-by-turn navigation alerts. All these Bluetooth-enabled features are activated if you get the optional Pro pack that hikes the ex-showroom to Rs 1.43 lakh (ex-showroom).
The 'Deep-View' display features an auto-brightness function. During our testing on an overcast Bangalore day, we wished it would allow the screen to get considerably brighter, especially when the solar menace made its presence known from its hiding spot behind the clouds, but this may have just been us getting Bangalored by the reflective raindrop holders. The new switchgear was quite well-damped and easy to use.
Ather 450S Review: Specs & Riding Mannerisms - Gonna Miss The Star Trek References
The all-new Ather 450S sports a 2.9kWh battery pack, soon to come on with the larger 450X. In ideal riding conditions, this battery pack offers 115km of range.
Ather quotes a maximum riding range of 90km in Smart Eco mode, which drops to 85km in Eco, 75km in Ride and 70km in Sport mode. The few hours with the 450S didn't allow us to test those numbers, but we know that the new scooter will stick to those numbers, given Ather's track record.
The battery pack's charging speeds are not what we expected, mainly for the home charging setup. Going from 0-80 per cent charge takes six hours and 36 minutes, with a proper 0-100 per cent charge taking another two hours.
Ather's Grid is as quick as ever, adding 1.5km for every minute of charge. However, the 80 per cent cut-off can be a pain in the rear for those looking to take the 450S for longer journeys.
The battery pack powers an electric motor pushing out 7.24bhp and 22Nm of peak torque (Hmm, where have we heard those numbers before). Ather quotes a top speed of 90km/h and 0-40km/h time of 3.9 seconds for the 450S.
Ather claims the Eco and Ride modes on the 450S offer different throttle map setups to the 450X. Best when you're riding the 450S on the city streets, both riding modes felt linear on the go, making them perfect for gentler city rides.
Sport mode is as sharp as ever but drains the battery quicker than you can think of Warp mode. So yes, we are glad the 450S has dropped that Stark Trek mode if only to allow it to go slightly further on a charge.
But Sport mode, combined with the bespoke MRF rubber and the sporty suspension setup, makes the Ather 450S an absolute hoot on the streets. The front suspension is on the stiffer side of the scale, while the rear is slightly softer.
The overall combination is a predictable setup that allows you to easily cut through Bangalored traffic situations and push the 450S aggressively through the corners, a quality we've come to expect from Ather.
The 450S suspension setup isn't so hard that you crash over the bumps and ruts though the overall ride quality is still a bit on the stiffer side of the spectrum. The brakes are tight as ever, and the combi-braking system added in feels properly on point bringing the 450S to a quick stop whenever requested.
Ather 450S Review: Verdict & Final Thoughts - No Babying Done Here
The 450S is the new baby of Ather Energy's scooter lineup, but make no mistake, this is no baby mode scooter. If you're looking for an entry-level electric scooter, this is not the lane you need to tread down, as both the price and the riding capabilities demonstrate.
Instead, the Ather 450S is for those looking to avoid the madness of using touchscreens in the rain and the "Help Mama, I may fly off the scooter!" feeling, which is the unhinged Warp mode for first-time riders. It is a good stepping stone for those looking to switch to electric but not wanting to go the whole hog (Yes, range anxiety is still a thing for many people) on the first go.
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