Bike and Car Mileage Reviews
Piaggio Vespa LX 125
If you are as old as me, then you would still feel nostalgic about those Bajaj and LML Vespa scooters of the 80s that in a way defined that era. Piaggio, the parent company that owns the Vespa brand is back in India focusing on the scooter segment – this time, of the premium kind. The Piaggio Vespa LX 125 was launched in April 2012 and is equipped with a powerful 125cc single cylinder 4-stroke engine that delivers close to 10.06 PS power and 10.6 Nm torque.
If you look at it, this is even more powerful than the Suzuki Swish and Suzuki Access scooters we discussed yesterday that too are in the 125 cc segment. You can buy a Vespa LX 125 at a price of Rs. 68,257 ex-showroom Delhi.
Official Claim on Fuel Economy
Piaggio is positioning the Vespa LX 125 as a premium scooter at a premium price. Given this, it is a given that the focus is more on the looks and features rather than on the mileage. But according to the company officials, the scooter can deliver as much as 60 kilometers on the liter. That’s better than Access 125 and comparable with Swish .
Customer Reviews on Mileage
Vicky.in has not reported a test drive of the scooter, but according to one early customer who purchased the Vespa, you can expect 43 kmpl on the city roads and 47 kmpl on highways. BharathAutos claims something similar. They note the average expected mileage on city roads to be something around 40-42 kmpl.
No numbers for the highways has been given.
Prodease in their review call the Vespa LX a ‘good looking’ scooter with ‘old world retro design’. While that definitely suits the premium market they are targeting, the mileage they quote is not impressive. The economy is around 41 kmpl on cities and 42 kmpl on highways.
While Motorbeam reports a mileage that is only slightly higher – at 45 kmpl – they are still mighty impressed with the scooter primarily because this mileage is pretty good for the performance that this bike delivers.
MaxAbout too gives a resounding thumbs up to the bike. According to their review, the Vespa LX 125 can deliver 45 kmpl on city roads that can go as high a the company claimed 60 kmpl on highway conditions.
But if you have to get a heads up on what the real world customers are feeling, you should check out MouthShut.com. There are 10 reviews on the site and the overall mileage rating for the Vespa LX 125 is 3/5. Quite evidently people are not extremely happy with the efficiency of the scooter. Looking into the reviews, the common refrain is that this bike is all looks and no substance. Or as one user puts it, it’s an overpriced for an under-spec’d scooter.
While we will leave that debate to the experts, all that can be noted from these reviews is that the real world city mileage of the Vespa seems to hover only around 28-35 kmpl. That’s just about half of what the company claims.
So that is where things stand. Of course, a lot of customers who have rode the scooter seem happy with mileage; especially seeing it from the light of the performance and looks on offer. However, people for whom commuting is the primary need, the scooter might disappoint. The reviews pointing to the 28-35 kmpl mileage under city conditions should not be ignored.
So our recommendation is to go for the bike if and only if mileage is not your primary concern. Here is a snapshot of what various people have told us about the scooter’s fuel consumption:
- 2004 Vespa Granturismo 200 – Used 2004 Granturismo 200 at Motorcyclist Magazine
- Vespa V – Fingerprint Reader
- Vespa S 150 cc Vespa Miami
- Piaggio Group: Eicma novelties Piaggio Group
- Used 2005 Vespa ET2 – Reviews, Prices and Specs at Motorcyclist Magazine
