Seat locking system
Seat Height adjuster
The side profile of the Gusto is neatly crafted and the moulded body panels look perfect – a balance of simplistic design and sharp styling. Move onto the rear and you are greeted by the solid grab rail, followed by the radically designed tail light assembly. The Gusto features integrated turn indicators and a chunky reflector strip along with the Mahindra logo right in the middle of the entire assembly. To make the scooter unique, the vehicle manufacturer has gone one step ahead and has developed new height adjustable seats. The newly patented design is simple to operate and adds value to it. Viren Popli, Chief of Operations, Mahindra Two Wheelers said that the two different height settings has been finalised after taking feedback from numerous female and male riders. The newly designed, supportive and comfortable seat has heightadjustment for 35mm up or down. Another clever feature on the Gusto is the self-locking mechanism on the seat that maintains the seat in an upright position without the rider having to hold it manually. The seat opens towards the back of the scooter, instead of the front. The stopper, built into the hinge to clamp the seat open when accessing the roomy storage bay below, ensures the seat will not fall over.
Gusto comes with an all aluminium M-TEC engine with a singlecylinder that churns out 8PS of peak power and 8.5Nm of maximum torque. The engine is equipped with a stronger crankshaft and bearings, high inertia magneto, an anti-cranking mechanism, a silent-chain, high venturi carburettor, high energy ignition coil and series regulator to deliver superior power, efficiency and reliability. The Gusto has a kerb weight of slightly over 120kg which makes it considerably heavier than its rivals. Despite that Gusto makes an ARAI figure of 63.5kmpl.
Gusto has 2 options to start the engine, self-start or kick-start. Unlike the competitors,’ the kick-lever on the Gusto has been positioned on the front so that the rider doesn’t have to get down from the scooter to kick-start it. It can be operated as in motorcycles. Riding position on the Gusto is upright and comfortable with ample amount of space on the foot-board. The space between the seat and handlebar is quite large and the rider’s knees have enough space to move around freely when turning.
Instrument cluster and quick storage
Understorage compartment and fuel tank
Once the engine is turned on, its refinement can be felt and the vibrations are kept to a minimum. Acceleration of the Gusto is a bit slow in comparison to its other 110cc rivals. But it makes up for a punchy mid-range as the engine crosses speeds up to 85kmph without much effort.
The Gusto features an under-born type tubular frame made of steel along with a wheelbase spanning 1275mm. Longer wheelbase along with higher weight of the vehicle makes for low gravity, which results in less skids. Suspension duties are managed using hydraulic telescopic forks at the front and a single hydraulic coil spring at the rear. The telescopic front forks and the 12-inch steel wheels with 90-section MRF Zapper tyres give the scooter good grip even on rough roads and potholes. The 130mm dia drum brakes at front and rear is not up to the mark and not too sharp in emergency situations. Overall, the Gusto makes a pleasant drive both in city and highway conditions. While overtaking, and taking sharp turns, the scooter provides good stability and agility.
On the whole, the Gusto performs well individually, makes the rider quite comfortable, like sitting on a motorcycle. With a host of features like remote flip key, find-me lamps, guide lamp, bright halogen head lamp with LED pilot lamps, easy front kick and a quick storage compartment there will be many takers for this new scooter in both domestic and international markets. The company has launched the Gusto at an attractive introductory price of Rs 48,600 (Ex-showroom Chennai) for the Hx variant and the top end Vx variant is priced at Rs 50,600. Pricing aggressively is Mahindra’s mantra as in the past it has played its cards right by pricing the Centuro quite aggressively in the commuter motorcycle segment. Now, if the pricing strategy again works for Mahindra, then Gusto will shake up the 110cc segment for sure. AC
One Comment