Vida V1 Pro Road Test Review: Might Be The Right Scooter For You

Vida V1 Pro: Design and build quality

The Vida V1 definitely stands out because of its colors and the headlamp has a very uniquely designed LED element which can also be seen in the tail lamp. The scooter is being offered in several matte color schemes with machine-finished alloy wheels. There is a split seat setup for rider and pillion. All the lighting elements on the scooter are LED units and the headlamp is very good with decent amount of throw and spread. Where the design looks great, the build quality is where the Vida V1 Pro falls a bit short. There are some plastic parts that are not marked. For example, the rear plastic panels, how the seats fit and the switchgear. Having said that, the scooter does not rattle when going through rough road patches and potholes.

Vida V1 Pro: Comfort and handling

Hero has done a great job when it comes to tuning the suspension setup. Despite the relatively simple setup of the telescopic fork and the single shock absorber at the rear, the scooter remains composed while traversing rough roads. While riding through corners and at speeds of 80 kmph, the scooter feels confident and stable. Handling is something that surprised us, especially the way the V1 Pro managed to hide its weight when riding in bumper-to-bumper traffic. This is despite the scooter using two battery packs that are placed vertically under the seat. Having said that, the seat is a little on the hard side and narrow but there is enough space on the floorboard. The riding triangle on the Vida V1 Pro is quite comfortable. The handlebars are well within reach and there is decent legroom.

Vida V1 Pro: Performance

Vida Electric uses a PMSM electric motor that can produce a continuous power output of 3.9 kW and a peak power output of 6 kWh. Torque output is 25 Nm. The throttle is very well calibrated, there are no sudden jolts of power and the electric motor is able to register throttle input even if the rider gives the slightest input. Speaking of the throttle, we found the throttle action to be surprisingly heavy so that the hand gets tired after a while. We suspect this should be an easy fix. Moreover, the rider can also increase the amount of regeneration by twisting the throttle to the other side and it comes slowly.

Another important thing to note is that Vida does not cut power when the rider applies the brakes. This may seem like a small thing but there are many electric scooters in the Indian market that cut off the throttle as soon as the brakes are applied. This makes riding in bumper-to-bumper traffic and making U-turns a bit cumbersome.

There are three riding modes on offer: Eco, Ride and Sport. All three have different throttle response and top speed. Eco has a top speed of 40 kmph, Ride has a top speed of 68 kmph and in Sport mode the scooter has a top speed of 80 kmph. We mostly used Ride mode as it is sufficient for normal city duties and the scooter is able to keep up with traffic.

Vida V1 Pro: Brakes

Braking duties on the Vida V1 Pro are handled by discs at the front and drums at the rear. The scooter comes as standard with a CBS or combi-braking system which means that when the rider applies one brake, the other is automatically applied. Now, what usually happens with CBS brakes is that the tires lock up but that’s not the case with the Vida V1 Pro. Even under hard braking, the tires on the scooter do not lock up so the brakes and CBS are calibrated very well.

Vida V1 Pro: Battery and Range

Vida is using two 1.97 kWh battery packs for the V1 Pro. The real world range of the scooter is 110 km and the range calculation is quite accurate. Once the battery gets too low the scooter will block the sport mode. On a full charge, the range of the scooter is 113 km in Eco mode, 85 km in Ride mode and 75 km in Sport mode. The scooter comes with a charger that can be stored under the seat but then it keeps pulsating. So, we would suggest getting a cloth bag for it.

A special feature of the V1 Pro is that the battery pack is removable. They are not very heavy and the whole operation of removing and re-installing them is very easy. So, if you live in an apartment or don’t have access to a charging socket near your parking spot, removable batteries come in handy. Moreover, the Vida Electric also supports fast charging using the ether grid but we were not able to test it.

Vida V1 Pro: Features

Vida offers a TFT screen for the instrument cluster that shows all important information to the rider. It is not a touchscreen but comes with an ambient sensor so that it can automatically shift between day and night mode. The scooter also comes with an app and Bluetooth connectivity with all the features built in. So, we could not really test any of the features offered by the scooter.

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Another feature that comes with the Vida V1 Pro is keyless entry. While the key fob doesn’t feel high quality, it works very well. The key fob stays in your pocket, the rider just needs to walk up to the scooter and press a button and the scooter starts. If you want to turn off the scooter, the process is the same. To lock and unlock the handle, simply push the handle to one side and hold the button. The under-seat storage is also very easy to access, just push a button and the storage is unlocked. Yes, you have to do a little twisting to open and close it because of the way the seat locks into place. There’s also cruise control on offer that can cope with heavy throttle but for most of the time, it refused to work for us.

Jeevan V1 Pro: Verdict

If you don’t have a suitable charging solution then the Vida V1 Pro might be the right scooter for you. This is because of how well the removable batteries are implemented. Yes, there are some drawbacks like features and build quality. But the scooter is quite easy to use, and nimble, the ride quality is also quite good and for city use, the V1 Pro is definitely worth checking out.

Date of first publication: 04 May 2024, 5:04 PM IST