Hero Xoom 160 first ride review: Is this the ultimate maxi-scooter for the masses?

Just last week, I was telling you about how performance and scooters in India weren’t really a thing until the TVS Ntorq came around. An even rarer prospect is the idea of an adventure ready scooter. That was until we laid our eyes on the Hero Xoom 160. While the manufacturer isn’t exactly calling it an outright adventure scooter, it tells us that the Xoom 160 is the kind of scooter that will be happy to take you where other scooters won’t. Well it certainly has the styling to convey that message, but does the rest of the scooter comply? Is this then a proper do-it-all scooter, or one of those pseudo SUVs that are all show and no go? Let’s find out.

Hero Xoom 160 styling

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but, for me, the Hero Xoom 160 is arguably the best looking scooter on sale in India right now. The design is spot on as are the proportions. At the front, you have the twin headlight setup almost resembling the face of some transformer. Above, you get a windscreen and below you get a chunky 14-inch, 120-section tyre. Look at the scooter from the side and you can see that this is a proper maxi-sport style scooter with the spine that runs from the front apron to the seat.

The seats are wide and well-cushioned for both the rider and the pillion alike. The rear section of the scooter is as handsome as the front and it culminates in the sharp taillight, which like other Heros from recent times, has an H motif. Overall the scooter looks very well-designed with the only odd elements being the traditional bulb-style blinkers instead of LED units and the seemingly very basic looking negative LCD screen. The build quality and switch cube setup are another thing that Hero MotoCorp needs to rectify to make the visual experience that much better.

Hero Xoom 160 engine and performance

Powering the Xoom 160 is a new 156cc, 4-valve, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that puts out 14.6bhp at 8000rpm and 14Nm at 6250rpm. The engineers tell us that the engine is far from its highest state of tune and that’s what results in its claimed high levels of refinement and thermal efficiency. Riding it around Pune at a multitude of speeds, I can gladly confirm that the claims are true. Thumb the starter and you’re greeted by a very traditional scooter sound. Get going and acceleration is brisk. Up to 60-70kmph the Xoom 160 doesn’t feel supremely quick and a quick look at the specs will confirm that the Xoom 160 is in fact a smidge slower to 60kmph than the Ntorq 150. Nonetheless acceleration feels quick and after 70kmph is where the Xoom comes into its own. The acceleration continues to feel potent all the way up to around 100kmph. With my heft, on a relatively short stretch of road I managed to do 110kmph (speedometer indicated) and the scooter seemed like it had more to give. Even at these speeds there were no vibrations to speak of at all. And the liquid-cooling system will ensure that the performance will stay consistent.

The low and mid-range acceleration is also very strong. Essentially you can roll on the gas at any rev and the Xoom is ready to haul! One complaint, which is pretty minor, is how you need to harness the power – the throttle. The turn of the throttle seems a few degrees more than it needs to be and getting to full throttle from zero will require you to adjust your grip mid turn. It is probably also what masks the fact that it is a quick scooter with you needing to turn to throttle a lot more than you would expect to get to a desired speed. Aside from this, Hero has an absolute winner of an engine on its hand with this 156cc mill on the Xoom 160.

Hero Xoom 160 chassis, ride and handling

Underpinning the Xoom 160 is a robust tubular frame with a reinforced spine that runs through the footboard. The frame is suspended off of a 31mm telescopic fork at the front with 97mm of travel and a twin shock setup at the rear with 94mm of travel. Putting the frame to the ground are 14-inch wheels at either end with the front wearing a 120/17 tyre and the rear, a 140/60 section tyre. The block pattern tyres are the same MRFs that do duties in the Triumph Scrambler 400 as well. Get going and you do feel the heft of a chunky front tyre with a block pattern. Another thing that is very apparent is its 142kg kerb weight. The ergonomic triangle of the Xoom 160 is very sorted with a 787mm seat height that allows you to get your foot down comfortably owing to the fact that the scooter becomes thinner around the waist. Ensuring that your legs don’t splay too much once sat on the scooter. There are also two ways you can keep your feet on the floorboard – one being the traditional way and the other, with the way the floorboard runs up into the front apron, allows you to stretch a bit when you settle into a cruise. The handlebar is also nice and wide and that gives you all the leverage you need to navigate our cities.

Hero claims this to be a do-it-all scooter, not an outright adventure scooter. That being said, I expected to be blown away by the Xoom 160 but the ride quality was a big barrier in the way of me truly enjoying the scooter. Like the Yamaha Aerox, when it initially launched in India, the suspension is just too stiff for its own good. The roads need to be really good for the scooter to feel planted and comfortable. Small bumps, big bumps, undulations and other elements on the road are very immediately felt and in an almost jarring manner. Because of this, even when attacking corners, it will feel stable as long as the road surface is great. But get a bump or two in the middle and things don’t feel particularly fun. Over bad roads, the ride quality takes a real hit with the setup showing no sign of settling down, irrespective of the speed you ride at. This means going off-road will require some serious commitment from you as the rider. Commitment to riding the scooter and to visit a chiropractor after. The tyres are another let down offering just about acceptable levels of grip in the dry. In the wet, it feels vague and steering also doesn’t feel the sharpest on the whole. Braking performance is solid with a single-channel ABS enabled 240mm disc at the front and a 140mm drum at the rear. The only hiccup here is that the levers are quite hard and to get to the braking performance, you need to press quite hard. All in all, the Xoom 160 will entertain you quite well on good tarmac. But the second that runs out, it’s not fun and games anymore. Quite disheartening considering ride quality is something Hero invariably gets right all the time.

Hero Xoom 160 features

On the features front, the scooter gets a negative LCD screen which seems seriously outdated in today’s day and age. Yes it does have Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation, but even the most basic scooters get that and are starting to get more premium feeling colour LCD or TFT screens. The scooter also gets a keyless ignition system that works rather well and that’s about it. On the practicality front, there’s 22 litres of under-seat storage and a small compartment at the front apron that will be able to accommodate and charge your phone and a wallet and such. That’s about it on the features front.

Hero Xoom 160 verdict

The Hero Xoom 160 is priced at ₹1.48 lakh (ex-showroom). That makes it a properly expensive proposition. In terms of styling, Hero has absolutely nailed the brief. On the engine front, again, the engineers have done a really good job of making a potent and super refined power plant. Where the Xoom 160 really falls short is on the ride and handling front and overall features and build quality. It’s really unlike Hero to not have a good ride setup. But the Xoom 160 is just not where I hoped it would be. Then there’s the weight. And all of it comes back to the price as well. For the price, it’s only fair that we get a scooter that rides as well as it looks and has features that at least put it at par with the industry, if not better. I really do hope that the engineers figure out a solution and fix it. Because if that’s sorted there’s a real winner of a scooter here.