TVS X First Ride Review: What can India’s most expensive e-scooter do?

When TVS showcased its X electric scooter in Dubai, all the buzz around it was concerning its price. TVS went bold and priced it at Rs 2,49,990 (ex-showroom), making it considerably more expensive than other popular e-scooters in the market. In fact, it is the most expensive electric scooter in India right now. So, when I got a chance to ride the scooter, the question that I wanted to answer was whether one should pay the extra money and get the X or settle for the existing options.

TVS X: Design and build quality

Many times we see concept vehicles coming into production and losing a lot of the ‘cool factor ’ in favour of sensible and practical design choices.Thankfully, that is not the case with X. TVS had showcased the scooter as the Creon concept at the Auto Expo a few years ago and the production model is not too dissimilar. There is only one colour option as of now and it is a bright red mixed with some grey and black spread across various panels. The exposed blue subframe adds to the aesthetic appeal of the scooter. Its imposing front panel houses a unique vertical headlamp unit with a position lamp, two low-beam units and two high-beam lights. At the back is a similarly designed vertical tail light. The curvy and flowing panels make the X look much like the maxi scooters seen abroad.

While the finish levels are generally good, I did notice that the red panels do creek if you press them even though there is not much flex in them. TVS has given lever protectors on both sides and both the brake levers come with adjustment dials. The rider seat can be opened to reveal a 19-litre storage space which is decent enough. There is no room for storing anything in the floorboard area either as there is a thick spine taking up that space. The top of the spine houses the lid which gives access to the charging port.

TVS X: Feature-loaded instrument cluster

The highlight of the X has to be the large touchscreen that acts as an instrument cluster and also as an entertainment unit. This 10.2-inch unit is big! The touch response was good and the OS does respond quickly to most commands. One can also tilt the screen by about 35 degrees for better visibility. This operation is done by hand and you do not need any tools for it which is a good thing. There are lots of features that are based on connectivity including accessing scooter stats from your smartphone and also starting it. In fact, you can even start the scooter using the paired smartwatch. If you use the onboard navigation system, you get helpful data points like the estimated time of arrival and if you have enough charge to make the trip. You can also add charging stations to your journey if there is a need for one. The homescreen has widgets that can be moved around or swapped as per the rider’s preference. TVS has managed to make the UI feel close to that of a smartphone.

The screen also has a lot of entertainment-related options too. You can get live cricket scores, watch YouTube videos, Instagram reels and even play games. The functionality of playing games and watching videos is enabled only when the scooter is stationary. While these are nice and quirky features, I doubt how much they would really come in handy in day-to-day usage.
While the display is impressive, the UI inside could do with a few tweaks. There are five levels of regenerative braking but the option to change the levels is buried deep within the menu. It would definitely be better if there was a toggle on the main screen or even better, a dedicated switch.

TVS X: Ride and handling

We only got to ride the scooter for a brief period of time and that too mostly on smooth tarmac inside the TVS plant in Hosur. During my time with the scooter, I managed to ride it in all the three modes available – Xtealth, Xtreet and Xonic. The Xtealth mode is the most efficient one and limits the output too. However, even in this mode, I was able to get going from a standstill on an incline. Out on the track, the Xonic mode provided good and brisk acceleration. The X is certainly not going to shoot off like a rocket when you twist the accelerator as one might expect of a scooter that looks the way this does. TVS claims that the X can reach a top speed of 105 kmph but I managed to reach a speedometer indicated 111 kmph. Up until 90 kmph, the scooter is fairly quick but after that, the climb to triple-digit figures is a bit more slow. If you are a bit on the heavier side, the plateau in acceleration might arrive slightly earlier. Needless to say, the TVS X is going to be mighty capable around city streets and you can even take it on faster highway stretches.

Since I mostly rode on paved tarmac, I could not test the suspension thoroughly. I did go over a few speedbreakers and liked the soaking ability of the front telescopic forks. Out on the track, I could carry a good speed around corners but pushing too hard revealed the limit of the tyres. The slightly soft suspension setup does not do much to help the cause. All said and done, the scooter is fairly easy to flick from side to side and not as cumbersome as I thought it might be. As for braking, you get a 220 mm disc at the front and a 195 mm disc at the back. The highlight here is the presence of single-channel ABS which makes using the front brakes safer. While the brakes are not very sharp, they should suffice for general city usage.

TVS X: Charging and range

The TVS X comes with a 4.44 kWh battery pack that enables a claimed range of 140 km on a single charge. While the number is decent in itself, it is nothing special considering the price premium. Another problem with the TVS X is that it does not come with a charger as part of the cost. One has to buy either the 950 W or the 3 kW charger separately. The slower 950 W charger takes 4 hours and 30 minutes to charge the battery from 0 to 80% but using the faster charger will do the same in just 1 hour and 20 minutes.

TVS X: Verdict

It is clear that if you look at the raw specs in contrast to the price, the X does feel a bit too expensive. Players like Ola and Ather have scooters that deliver similar levels of range and performance while costing almost Rs 50,000 less. The base experience provided by X is rather good and that is something you would expect from a manufacturer like TVS. Knowing that this is a product from a well-established two-wheeler manufacturer also means that any kinks in the experience will quickly be ironed out. If you are someone who likes getting their hands on unique products, the TVS X will surely interest you.