The Drive Report: Ather Rizta is an evolutionary jump for the family scooter

When it comes to e-scooter launches, Ather has stuck to the EV rulebook. And the rules dictate that you enter the market with a premium halo product of sorts before moving on to a more practical, affordable option that appeals to a wider demographic. That’s precisely what the Ather Rizta does. This e-scooter, built in the mould of the Activa and the Jupiter, makes it clear that the company is finally turning its attention from performance and pizzazz to comfort and practicality.

This time, the focus is on the minutiae of comfort and safety. For instance, among other things, Ather has fitted the Rizta with a different set of tyres, featuring a special compound created by MRF to offer lower rolling resistance and, as a corollary, greater range. However, there’s a lot more that sets the Rizta apart, not only from Ather’s previous models, but from family scooters in general. And it’s largely down to the tech.

Brass tacks

The Ather Rizta is available in three variants. The base version starts at Rs 1.1 lakh and comes with a 2.9 kWh battery, much like the mid-level variant. The top-end variant, which costs a cool Rs 1.45 lakh, gets a larger, 3.7 kWh battery and more range. Oddly enough both variants are dubbed the Ather Rizta Z, but it’s the 2.9 kWh versions that will undoubtedly see more sales. And that was the unit we tested. The e-scooter’s size and seat make it heavier than the 450 X by 8kg, but the Rizta has a lower centre of gravity, making it feel very light and flickable. All variants make the same level of peak power (4.3 kW or 5.7 hp) and peak torque (22 Nm) but the top-end Z variant offers the greatest range, 159 km, as per the Indian Driving Cycle (IDC).

In terms of tech, there’s plenty. All three variants get a 7-inch TFT display sans touch operability. Instead you get a button pad and joystick that allows you to browse the screen. While the base variant runs on a different processor, the mid- and top-end variants get a Spandragon Quadcore 1.3 Ghz unit with 16Gb of internal storage. The Rizta also gets its own native app, which allows you to send Google Maps locations directly to the screen from your phone, allowing you to easily navigate to any spot instead of having to enter the destination using buttons. With the Ather 6.0 software upgrade, the Rizta will also have WhatsApp on the dashboard (not a particularly good idea), live location sharing and voice commands.

Taking calls (via a Bluetooth headset) and rejecting them is a fairly simple task, performed via the same button pad that takes care of the rest of the functions and regenerative braking can take care of nearly 75% of your everyday braking requirements. Regenerative braking recovers the energy from a moving vehicle for immediate use or stores it for later use. There’s also a “Ping My Scooter” feature that enables you to find the Rizta in a large parking lot.

Wide berth

The list of party tricks doesn’t end there. The Rizta has the widest seat of any scooter in the market, offering a solid 34 litres of storage space underneath the berth. The wide berth, combined with the back support bar for the pillion rider, really makes it look and feel the part—this is a scooter that can accommodate a heavy carriage. There’s also plenty of space up front, so it wins the storage round by a huge margin.

The ride

The key difference from prior Ather models is that there are essentially two riding modes: SmartEco and Zip. The former maxes out at 81 kph, while the latter is restricted to about 45 kph. Warp mode has little use in a family scooter, and so, has been removed. But the Rizta never feels out of step. It’s quick and the suspension has been calibrated to be more supple. Despite this, it doesn’t wallow. Cornering is sharp, and the low centre of gravity makes it feel surefooted.

Still, these are features even the cheaper and equally powerful TVS iQube offers. Where the Rizta darts ahead is with features such as SkidControl, which is essentially traction control that synchronises the rotational speed of both wheels. In addition, the rear lights begin to blink rapidly upon hard, emergency braking, warning the driver/rider behind. Should you fall, however, an accelerometer immediately detects it, cutting off power and keeping the rear lights blinking. These incremental safety features may not be the kinds that attract buyers in hordes, but they do go a long way in establishing the Rizta as a new benchmark of sorts. Another aspect that tips the scales in its favour is that with future upgrades, the Rizta will also offer coasting regen, helping increase the overall range.

Verdict

With the central government’s FAME II subsidies being rescinded, Ather Energy needs a whopper of a product to move up the e-scooter sales chart. The Rizta may not be a leap in that direction in terms of price, but it certainly is an evolutionary jump for the family scooter. The slick clockwise regen-initiating reverse throttle, the twist-and-go nature of its acceleration, pillion comfort and storage options make for a significantly better riding experience than any ICE competitor. Save your home and office location in your navigation setting, and go on that milk and egg run, because as far as two-wheeled commuting in densely populated urban clusters is concerned, the Rizta might offer the most practical package today.

However, the king of family scooters costs a princely sum (certainly at the top end) when you consider the fact that the likes of the Activa cost about half as much and other rivals such as the TVS iQube cost over Rs 15,000 less. But the Rizta does beat the TVS iQube in terms of pillion rider comfort, safety, user interface and storage. By a mile. If it’s an absolutely hassle-free and intuitive riding experience you’re looking for, the Rizta is the family scooter for you. Any premium it commands is well worth the laundry list of features it offers.