Ather Konarc S Review: The King Of Performance Goes Down The Practical Route

Ather's been on a performance kick lately with the 450 series, so the Konarc feels like a change of pace, literally. It's the first scooter off the brand's new EL platform, and it's clearly aimed at buyers who just want an EV that does the job every day without any fuss.

We spent a short time with the Konarc S 125, the mid-spec variant with a 2.7kWh battery and a claimed IDC range of 125km, riding it around Bengaluru's Whitefield area to see how it held up.

Ather Konarc S Review - Design & Features

The Konarc is the first Ather scooter to get metal body panels, a departure from the plastic panelling on the 450 and Rizta ranges. It's also the least aggressive-looking scooter Ather has built so far. Where the 450 series goes for a sharp, sporty stance, the Konarc is rounder and simpler, built to look at home outside a family's front gate rather than at a signal.

The colour palette follows the same no-nonsense brief. The S Line comes in five shades, the Z Line in four, including combinations like Quartz White/Blue, Majestic Grey/Black, Celestial Gold/Blue and Lumen Copper/Black. Nothing here is trying to grab attention.

Ather has given the Konarc a 14-inch front wheel, the largest fitted to any of its scooters, paired with a 12-inch rear, and a 1,352mm wheelbase, the last being the longest for the brand.

The Konarc is really practical as well. There's 31 litres of underseat storage, enough to skip a top box entirely, along with an underseat lamp and an 18W USB Type-C port. The pillion gets a height-adjustable, cushioned backrest and a padded grab handle, small details, but the kind that matter on a scooter meant to be a household's primary two-wheeler.

The standout feature though is the MagicKey. There's no button or knob to twist to wake the scooter up, it unlocks as you walk up with the fob and locks itself back once you walk away. A separate button on the fob pops the boot open on its own, and if you forget the key somewhere, the dash flags it instead of letting you find out the hard way.

The console changes depending on which Konarc variant you pick. The base Konarc S 100 gets a 4.2-inch LCD, while the S 125, S 161 and both Z variants step up to a 7-inch display running AtherStack 7, with turn-by-turn navigation, music controls, and SMS and call alerts.

The Z variants add Google Maps, WhatsApp, and even cricket scores on the dash when parked, features that feel more like party tricks than daily essentials, but they're there and we'll review them properply once the Konarc gets its higher variants off the production line.

Ather Konarc Review - Riding Impressions

We rode the new Ather Konarc around a small set route in Bengaluru's Whitefield which isn't the easiest place to judge a scooter's manners, between the open roads (thanks to the ride being on Sunday).

The Konarc S 125 didn't feel like a handful through any of it. Squeezing through gaps in traffic or filtering through a jam at a set of traffic lights came easily, and for the kind of office commute this scooter is built for, that ease of use counts for a lot.

Performance isn't the Ather Konarc's X-Factor and it doesn't pretend to be. The torque delivery lacks the instant punch you'd get from something like the Ather 450X series, particularly off the line. For regular city riding though, that's not really a problem, there's enough power on tap to keep pace with traffic without any drama. Switching to Power mode, one of three riding modes alongside SmartEco and Eco, sharpens things up if you want a sharper response.

The 31-litre boot is the Konarc's biggest practical win. It easily took a full size helmet and still had space to spare so it should be more than enough for backpack and a bag of groceries on your ride back home. The onboard charging system backs that up. The Konarc S 125 gets a 450W onboard charger that can be paired with an additional charger for faster top-ups, useful on days when a dedicated home charging setup isn't an option.

The 14-inch front wheel earned its keep on the rougher patches of road in Bengaluru, giving the scooter a planted feel over potholes and broken tarmac, helped along by the long-travel suspension. The front end absorbs bumps well, though the rear leans slightly on the firmer side, and sharper bumps do filter through on the worst-hit stretches.

Add a pillion to the game and the Ather Konarc holds up nicely. The long, well-padded seat and the S 125's cushioned pillion backrest make it a comfortable scooter to share, even over longer stints. Taller riders though should keep an eye on the handlebar position though, anyone around 5'10" or above may find it brushing against the knees during tighter turns depending on where you're sitting. It's not a dealbreaker, but worth checking on a test ride.

The Airwalk feature, which lets you push the scooter forward on its own up to 2km/h, worked well on flat ground and makes the Konarc really easy to park. However, it wouldn't engage on the slightest incline since the Autohold feature locks in instead.

Braking on the Konarc is quite nicely done as well, Ather's AeBS system brings you to a stop with ease and the regen also slows you down smoothly, though under hard braking with both levers pulled sharply, the front end does dive a bit.

Ather Konarc Review - Verdict

Nothing about the Ather Konarc S 125 feels sporty, and that seems to be exactly the point. Ather has built this one around comfort, practicality and everyday usability, and on the roads we rode it on, that character suits the scooter well.

The Ather Konarc S 125 isn't trying to be the quickest or most exciting electric scooter in its segment, and it doesn't need to be. The big 31-litre boot, the 14-inch front wheel, a genuinely comfortable pillion setup, and the flexibility of onboard charging (something we didn't really get to test) all add up to a scooter built around real-world usability.

The performance won't match the initial punch of the 450X and Rizta (and it doesn't whine like those two either), and taller riders will want to check the handlebar position before committing. However neither is a dealbreaker, but they're worth knowing going in.

If practicality matters more to you than outright pace, the Ather Konarc S 125 is a sensible, easy scooter to live with, and one we'd recommend for anyone shopping in the family EV space.