The Ride
Astride the Aerox E, getting a flat foot isn’t difficult even for someone who is 5 ‘7, like me. But you do get the feeling that the scooter is cramped, with very little leg room between your knee and the apron. The spine in the middle also limits the amount of floorboard space you have to place your foot. This lack of space will be felt more by taller riders.
On the go, the scooter’s throttle calibration felt inconsistent at times, and holding a constant throttle was a challenge in Eco Mode. Speaking of modes, there are three riding modes on offer: Eco, Standard, and Power. In the Eco mode, the scooter felt very lethargic, and it doesn’t feel practical except for short trips around the neighbourhood. The standard mode felt more usable, with a linear acceleration. The power mode unleashes the full potential of the motor, but overall, the performance wasn’t as exciting as expected of a scooter bearing the Aerox name
What helps is that there’s a boost function, which can be activated by pressing a button on the left-hand side of the switch gear. This works in all modes and gives additional power, which is useful for making quick overtakes.
An issue we noticed when using the boost mode back-to-back, the scooter tends to go into limp mode. When you try to turn it off and restart, it stops reading the battery. After shutting off the scooter for a while, it started reading the battery packs. Right now, the software side of things is still a work in progress, considering these are pre-production scooters, and the finished product shouldn’t have these issues.
Coming to the handling and ride quality. The Aerox E is quite fun thanks to its agile and nimble nature, similar to the Aerox 155. It feels light on its feet and tips into corners effortlessly. The tyres also offer good grip and feedback, and inspire confidence for sporty riding.
The suspension setup, meanwhile, is tuned towards the softer side. Although this helps in absorbing most of the small bumps and potholes encountered on the road, the front end tends to bottom out when going over sharper bumps. The brakes are decent, but could use a better initial bite. Something which would have improved confidence when riding at higher speeds or while using the boost mode. That said, the safety net that ABS offers is welcome.
Practicality-wise, the scooter has rather limited storage space because of the dual-battery pack setup. It can only fit in the bare essentials, and doesn’t look like an ideal companion for your grocery runs. The spine in the middle of the floorboard also takes the option to stow luggage on the floorboard.
