Mileage Reviews – Bike and Car Mileage Reviews

Hero Splendor iSmart 2014

Hero Motocorp introduced a new variant to its bread and butter model, Splendor earlier this year. Called iSmart, the bike is primarily made of the same components that have been used on Splendor for years. However one crucial addition is the i3S technology which stands for ‘Idle Start Stop System’. The objective of i3S is to help you save fuel when your bike stands idling at traffic signals. Typically, i3S enables the bike or car to shut off the fuel supply system when you press in the clutch at a signal. And when you want to start moving again, release the clutch to restart the supply – it’s a huge fuel saver. But on iSmart, things are a little more clumsy – you will need to bring down the gear to neutral in order to effect a fuel supply stop. When you are in slow moving traffic, it’s not always possible to bring the gear down to neutral, and so this diminishes the effect of the i3S technology. But if you obsess over fuel economy, this is one bike you should consider.

So, let’s get started on the specifications first. Like every other variant in the Splendor line, the Splendor iSmart is powered by a 97.2 cc engine that can power a maximum power of 5.74 kw (that’s 7.8 PS) at 7500 RPM. In terms of torque, this engine can provide up to 8.04 Nm at 4500 RPM. If you hadn’t guessed it already, it’s the same old 4 stroke single cylinder engine at play here. The bike measures 1965 mm x 770 mm x 1095 mm in dimensions, has a wheelbase of around 1235 mm and a ground clearance of 160 mm. The kerb weighs around 110 Kg with the fuel tank capable of holding 8.7 liters with 1.8 liter reserve. The starting price of the Hero Splendor iSmart (ex-showroom, Delhi) is at Rs. 47,550 for the Self Spoke model, with Self Cast costing a thousand rupees extra. Do note that the on-road price will be much higher and will include local levies, octroi, and other taxes.

Manufacturer Mileage Claim

Given that the Splendor iSmart is primarily no different from any other Splendor in the market; but with the i3S technology, one should expect the mileage to be typically higher than what other Splendor bikes offer. Although there is no claim about the mileage from Hero on their official website or in the press release, from what I have gathered from other websites, Hero is claiming a a standard mileage of between 85-90 kmpl on the iSmart. Note that this is not very different from the other Splendors. That’s because mileage studies are not performed under traffic conditions – the i3S kicks in only when there is heavy traffic (when you have to stop-start a lot). So there is nothing out of the ordinary here.

Reviews from Customers & Test Rides

OverDrive in their review call the iSmart “the best looking Splendor ever”, although the i3S decal in the middle of the tank may seem like an eyesore. In terms of fuel efficiency, the i3S appears to save under 5% of fuel over a 50 km test run. With i3S disabled, the reviewer clocked 46.25 kmpl in peak hour Mumbai traffic on the iSmart. When it was enabled, the mileage increased to 48.46 – it might not seem like a lot, but if you are someone who has to endure long traffic signals every day of the week, you can realize that the benefits can easily add up.

In the review on TopGear, reviewer Christopher Chaves commends the “funkier-looking” headlight cowl on the new iSmart, the comfortable seating and the close handlebars that allow for upright riding. In terms of mileage, the reviewer was able to extract 64 kmpl from the bike, although this appears to be at a speed of around 50 kph on the highways. The review from MotorBeam, on the other hand, is much more positive about the mileage. The writer says that this bike is “99% sure” to deliver a 70 kmpl mileage – sounds like a lot and I presume they are talking about the bike’s performance on the highway.

Motoroids is equally excited about the bike. They point out that they tried their best to emulate a typical highway riding scenario without focussing on extracting maximum mileage. Even with that, they noticed a mileage of 67-69 kmpl, which is commendable and on par with what has been said in the earlier reviews.

Finally, let us see what the regular customers have got to say. Sadly, MouthShut doesn’t even have a category for iSmart yet. However, there are a couple of reviews from real customers on BikeWale – the reported mileage from these people is between 70-72 kmpl which is quite impressive. However, one customer points out that the i3S technology sometimes causes the engine to stop when riding at the 40-50 kmph mark. I could not find similar comments elsewhere, but if this were true, Hero seriously have an important task at hand to fix the problem.

So there you go. As usual, here is a summed up version of mileages as reported by different reviewers. Do let me know what you think in the comments below.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Manufacturer	–	85-90
OverDrive	48.46	—
TopGear	–	64
MotorBeam	–	70
Motoroids	–	67-69
Bikewale	–	70-72

Yamaha Ray Z Vs Honda Activa

With the launch of the Ray Z, Yamaha has created a variant of the Ray 110cc scooter targeted at men. This scooter is extremely similar to the original Ray and comes with more ‘masculine’ features that includes new exterior shades. One of the biggest competitors to Yamaha in this segment is the evergreen Activa from Honda. This is a scooter that has been in the market since 2000 and has seen consistent new upgrades and improvements made over time. In this article, we will review the features and mileage of the Yamaha Ray Z and the Honda Activa to see which has a better deal. Read on.

Technical Specifications Comparison

Both the scooters we are studying today fall in the 110cc segment. The Honda Activa has a 109cc single cylinder 4-stroke engine that is capable of delivering close to 8.1 PS power and a torque of close to 9 Nm. In comparison, the Ray Z comes with a larger 113 cc single cylinder engine that delivers a power of just about 7.1 PS at 7500 RPM and a torque that is close to 8.1 Nm. So as you can see, there is a very visible difference in the power that these two scooters can generate. The price of the Ray Z too is slightly on the higher side – the ex-showroom price at Delhi is around Rs. 49105 whereas the corresponding price of the Activa is Rs. 47254.

Spec	Ray Z	Activa
Displacement	113cc	109cc
Max Power	7.1 PS	8.1 PS
Max Torque	8.1 Nm	9 Nm
Price (ex-Delhi)	Rs. 49105	Rs. 47254

Mileage Comparison

With the launch of the new Activa, Honda claims that they can deliver 15% more mileage as compared to what the Activa traditionally delivered. In absolute terms, this means a figure of around 66.7 kmpl. Do note that this is under standard testing conditions where the roads are all hunky dory unlike the real world road and traffic that you as the customer would be riding on. The Ray Z doesn’t seem like a great deal even from the perspective of the company’s mileage claim. According to Yamaha, the Ray Z should deliver around 53 kmpl under similar test conditions.

What about the fuel efficiency in the real world? Let us start with the reviews on MouthShut; the user reviews website. There has been no new review since the last time I checked. According to the one customer who has reviewed the bike, the Ray Z should be delivering around 41-42 kmpl mileage. Do note that this report was made just after 300 kilometers of ride before the first servicing. So there must have been a visible improvement after this. In comparison to Ray Z, there are more than 350 reviews of the Activa – admittedly most of them are of the earlier models. But checking for the reviews from recent buyers, the generally reported figure lies in the range 45-55 kmpl. This is slightly better than Ray Z but not good enough.

Let us next look at MaxAbout. On the Ray Z review page, the website notes that the bike does look appealing to the male audience with their “sharp and aggressive” body lines. On city roads, the reviewer was able to see just about 40 kmpl whereas on the highways, the FE shot up to around 62 kmpl. However, Activa despite a better claim on fuel consumption fares no better according to the MaxAbout review. The website reports a city mileage of 40 kmpl again on the Activa. The difference is stark on the highways where the reviewer says he was only able to see around 45 kmpl.

The Yamaha Ray Z has also been reviewed by a couple of other websites like the BikeWale and IamaBiker. Both the websites report a number close to 43 kmpl on city roads. This is not very different to the reports from other sources. In comparison, the reports on Activa are pretty varied (and mostly better). Reviews on websites like BikeSpace, MyIndiaGuide, IndiaMart and BharathAutos are all mostly positive and they all report a city mileage of over 50+ kmpl on Activa. ZigWheels in their review though report a lower, yet respectable figure of 46.8 kmpl on the new Activa.

There are a few outlying reports though. An example is the report on the IndiaGarage forums where the reported mileage is only about 35 kmpl. Most other reviews conform to the range defined by sellers on Olx where the reported FE is between 40-50 kmpl.

The comparison between the two scooters is tabulated below.

Source	Ray Z	Activa
Official	53	66.7
BharathAutos	–	53.5
BikeSpace	–	54
BikeWale	43	—
IamaBiker	43	—
IndiaGarage	–	35
IndiaMart	–	55
MaxAbout	40	40
MouthShut	41-42	45-55
MyIndiaGuide	–	52.2
Olx	–	40-50
ZigWheels	–	46.8

The verdict is clear. The Ray Z performs only as good, if not worse than the Activa on all common points of reference. From sources that do not have reviews of both the scooters, the Activa seems to perform better. Also, given the fact that Activa has a marked higher power compared to the Ray Z, I would pick the scooter from Honda over the one from Yamaha in this comparison.

Yamaha SZ-R Vs. Honda CB Shine

Yamaha SZ-R and the Honda CB Shine are bikes in two entirely different engine ranges. However, I decided to put this comparison up here because I noticed a lot of people looking for this specific comparison. The Yamaha SZ-R is just slightly different from the Yamaha SZX – except for a few changes in the way the bikes look and the accessories made available, both bikes come with a 153cc four stroke air-cooled engine, a power of around 12.1 PS at 7500 RPM and a max torque of 12.8 Nm at 4500 RPM. In comparison to these specs, the Honda CB Shine comes with a 124.7cc engine that delivers 10.3 PS power and a torque of 10.54 Nm.

Specs	Yamaha SZ-R	Honda Shine
Engine displacement	153cc	124.7cc
Max Power	12.1 PS	10.3 PS
Max Torque	12.8 Nm	10.54 Nm
Price (Ex-Delhi)	Rs. 57500	Rs. 54782

Mileage Comparison

The manufacturer claim on mileage is always to be taken on an optimistic note. That’s evident because these claims are tested under “standard test road conditions” which are very different from the regular city roads and traffic we actually ride the bike on. According to Yamaha, the SZ-R is capable of delivering 62.4 kmpl FE. In comparison, the Honda CB Shine with a lower engine displacement is claimed to deliver 65 kmpl. It doesn’t seem like a big difference considering that the power offered by the Shine is noticeably different from SZ-R.

To see what the bikes actually deliver on city roads, let us look at the various test-ride and customer feedback reports. On the IndiaGarage forum, the SZ-R customers report a decent fuel consumption of between 43-55 kmpl. In comparison, the Shine customers on the same forum report 50-55 kmpl on city roads and 58-62 kmpl on highways. So as we can see, the city road performance of both the bikes is not very different.

Let us take a look at the MaxAbout reviews. The website claims that the SZ-R has a pretty good performance on city roads. They claim a figure of between 55-60 kmpl on the Yamaha bike. The report on CB Shine is not too different either and they report 58 kmpl on city roads.

The similarity in mileage delivered on the two bikes is also noticeable on the BikeAdvice reports. A report from one of the SZ-R customers on the website reports a city FE of around 45-49 kmpl. Another reader, who owns a CB Shine reports 50 kmpl – marginally better but not enough difference to make a 125cc value for money compared to the 150cc alternative.

MouthShut has always been a popular place to check out user reviews of bikes. For the SZR, the customers posting on the site report a city fuel consumption of anywhere between 40-52 kmpl. This is a huge range and is not sufficient to draw a conclusion on the bike performance. In comparison, the reviews for the Honda CB Shine are at a more consistent range of 50-55 kmpl. I guess this is the only comparison that makes the CB Shine look like a better bike from a mileage perspective compared to the SZR.

There are several other reports for both the bikes. For the SZR, MotorBeam reports a city figure of 55 kmpl while for the CB Shine, the Yahoo user reviews, the reported number is between 55-60 kmpl. All the reported figures from various sources are tabulated below.

Source	Yamaha SZ-R (kmpl)	Honda CB Shine (kmpl)
Official	62.4	65
IndiaGarage	43-55	50-55
MaxAbout	55-60	58
BikeAdvice	45-49	50
MotorBeam	55	—
MouthShut	40-52	50-55
Yahoo	–	55-60

Overall, I think the mileage delivered by both the bikes is more or less comparable. Honda CB Shine is slightly better. But given that at a price of around Rs. 3000 more, you can get a higher cc engine with much better power and torque, the SZ-R seems to be a better choice. What do you think?

Bajaj Discover 125T

Bajaj has been focusing on reaching out to more customers with their Discover brand and the new 125T is a step in this direction. The new Bajaj Discover 125T was launched just last month and is a lower spec variant of the popular Discover 125ST. The biggest difference between the 125 ST and 125 T is the mono-suspension on the older bike which has been replaced with a simpler Nitrox twin shockers at the rear. So technically, the difference with respect to things such as the mileage should not be very different on the two bikes. If you are eager to read our mileage report on the Discover 125 ST, click on the link.

Let’s first talk about the specifications of the Bajaj Discover 125 T. This is a bike with a 124.6cc engine displacement that delivers a max power of 12.5 PS @ 9000 RPM and a torque as high as 10.8 Nm at 6500 RPM. You can reach a top speed of up to 105 kmph which is not much but very decent on a bike of this category. The bike has a 10 liter fuel tank with a 3.5 liter reserve. Measuring 2035x714x1070 mm in dimensions, the Discover 125 T weighs around 124 kg (kerb) with a ground clearance of 165mm. The bike is priced at Rs. 55,500 ex-showroom Delhi which is around 1000 rupees lower than 125 ST.

Manufacturer Mileage Claim

In our discussion on the Discover 125 ST, we had noted the manufacturer’s claim on FE to be betwen 65-70 kmpl under standard test conditions. According to Bajaj, the new Discover 125 T is built for great power without compromise on mileage. According to tests done in standard conditions, the manufacturer claim you should be able to see 77.1 kmpl. That’s quite a benchmark to beat if it were true. We will need to look at customer test rides and feedback to see if the fuel consumption in real world conditions match up to this.

Customer Feedback

Let us start with the review on IamaBiker. The author does not offer any independent review of the bike other than providing a gist of the basic features. So it is difficult to ascertain if he has tested it himself. As far as fuel efficiency goes, he claims 60 kmpl could be the norm on the city roads.

According to BikeDekho, mileage is an area where the bike performs best. According to their review, the Discover 125 T should be able to deliver 50 kmpl on city roads that can go as high as 60 kmpl on the highways.

We do not have reviews from too many other sources. We will revisit this page when the bike is a few months older and we have feedback from many more people. Till then, keep posting your feedback and personal reviews in the comments section below.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	77.1
IamaBiker	60	—
BikeDekho	50	60

Yamaha Ray Z Vs. Honda Dio

Both the scooters compared in this article are newer variants of scooter models that have been sold in the Indian market for a while now. While Ray Z is an improvement upon the 110cc Yamaha Ray, the new Honda Dio comes with a slightly larger engine and improved fuel efficiency compared to the older 102cc Dio that has been available for years. Let us take a look at the tech specs of these two scooters first.

First the engine. The Ray Z comes with a 113cc single cylinder 4-stroke engine that delivers a power of 7.1 PS at 7500 RPM. In terms of torque, this engine offers 8.1 Nm at 5000 RPM. In comparison, the Dio is a 109cc engine that cranks up 8.1 PS at 7500 RPM and 8.74 Nm torque at 5500 RPM. Clearly, the Dio is the more powerful of the two scooters. In terms of dimensions, the Ray Z is slightly longer (1835mm vs. 1788mm) whereas the Dio is a little wider (707mm vs 675mm) which I think will give Dio riders a much better balance and control over their scooters compared to the Ray Z. The Dio, at 110 kg, is also heavier than Ray Z by 6 kgs. The bikes are priced in the same bracket. While the Delhi ex-showroom price of Ray Z is Rs. 49105, the Dio is available at Rs. 47928.

Mileage Comparison

The new Ray Z is a model that is targeted at the male audience and given that Dio is a heavier bike, this is popular among men as well. According to Honda, the new Dio not only comes with a larger engine compared to the earlier model, but also offers 15% better FE. They claim that under standard conditions, one should be able to see 55 kmpl. The Ray Z on the other hand has a slightly lower manufacturer claim. Unlike the 62.1 kmpl claimed on the original Yamaha Ray, the male-targeted variant is expected to deliver 53 kmpl under standard road conditions.

As any one following this blog will know, the standard condition mileage reports are mostly for bragging rights and the fuel consumption on actual roads are starkly different in many cases. So let us take a look at what various test rides and customer feedback reports have got to say. We do not have too many common points of reference but MaxAbout has reviewed both these scooters and notes that the Dio 110cc can provide its customers an FE of between 40-43 kmpl on city roads. In comparison, the Ray Z will give 40 kmpl. There doesn’t seem much to choose from here.

Next up, the user reviews site, MouthShut. The customer who reviewed Ray Z on this website rated the bike 3/5 in terms of FE. He reports 41-42 kmpl pre-servicing. There are not too many reviews of mileage for the new Dio either but the user who did report this on MouthShut says he was able to see just around 30-35 kmpl. That is very likely an outlier and do not base your purchasing decision based on this number.

The Yamaha Ray Z has also been reviewed by a couple of other websites like BikeWale and IamaBiker. Both these bikes unanimously report a figure of around 43 kmpl on city roads for this scooter from Yamaha. The Dio on the other hand has received fuel reports from websites like ZigWheels, Top Gear and BikeDekho. ZigWheels reports a number close to what MaxAbout had quoted: around 40-43 kmpl. BikeDekho on the other hand reports the highest figure of over 50 kmpl under city conditions which I think is extremely optimistic. Top Gear reports a lower, still positive rating of 48.5 kmpl on city roads. It is not a good idea to trust customer reports on websites like Olx and Quikr since the sellers here have an incentive to crank up the actual mileage offered. Surprisingly, Dio owners here quote a number between 40-45 kmpl on city roads.

The bottomline is that except for a couple of websites like ZigWheels, most reports of mileage hover between 40-45 kmpl for both the scooters. I have tabulated all the reported figures below.

Source	Honda Dio 110 (kmpl)	Yamaha Ray Z (kmpl)
Official	55	53
BikeDekho	50+	—
BikeWale	–	43
IamaBiker	–	43
MaxAbout	40-43	40
MouthShut	30-35	41-42
Olx/Quikr	40-45	—
Top Gear	48.5	—
ZigWheels	40-43	—

Overall, all other factors like after-sales and personal preferences being the same, I think Dio is a slightly better scooter than Ray Z. It is priced a little lower, has a much more balanced framework and offers a mileage that seems slightly better than the Ray Z. What do you think?

Yamaha Ray Z

Yamaha launched a new variant of its popular Ray 110cc scooter earlier this year in May. You might remember that in our comparison of the best scooters for women in India, the Yamaha Ray came third in terms of the median city mileage at 46.5 kmpl. The Japanese company has now used that positioning to build a similar scooter for the male audience.

In terms of the underlying engine, the new Ray Z is very similar to the Ray. However, the exterior is more masculine with exterior shades that will appeal to men. Like the older variant for women, the Ray Z too comes with a 113 cc single cylinder 4 stroke engine that delivers a power of 7.1 PS at 7500 RPM and a torque that goes up to 8.1 Nm at 5000 RPM. The Ray Z measures 1835mm x 675mm x 1090mm and has a wheelbase of 1270mm with a ground clearance of 128mm. Weighing just around 104 kg, this is not a very heavy scooter for men. The Ray Z can hold around 5 liter of petrol at any time. According to the company website, the Ray Z is now available at a price of Rs. 49,105 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

Manufacturer Mileage Claim

Given that the underlying technology behind the Ray Z is not too different from the older Yamaha Ray scooter, one would assume that there would not be a great variance in the fuel efficiency – at least under standard test conditions. However, according to the company, the Ray Z can deliver a fuel efficiency of 53 kmpl (compared to 62.1 kmpl claimed on the original Ray). I am really not sure why there is this big variation but there you go. In any case, the real world mileage of the original Ray was only around 46.5 kmpl and it is to be seen if Ray Z matches this figure.

Customer Feedback & Test Drive Report

Let us start with the review of the Ray Z on MaxAbout. According to this website, the ‘sharp and aggressive lines’ on the body of the Ray Z can distinctly appeal to the male audience. However, the absence of disc brakes on the front and the price point are some things that can go against this scooter. The website reports a fuel consumption figure of 40 kmpl on city roads and 62 kmpl on highways.

IamaBiker offers a pretty comprehensive review of the bike. They note that the Ray Z is a compact bike that feels super light. Despite this, the scooter has sufficient leg space to accomodate a tall rider with a pillion which is an extremely important criteria for a scooter targeted at the men. In their test ride, the reviewer was able to report 43 kmpl under mixed riding conditions (city and highway) which they say is slightly better than what they could find on the Ray.

Most of the popular automobile websites that you would seek out to while checking on a bike review have merely parroted the company claim on the mileage. Given that this is a new bike in the market, there have not been too many reviews on MouthShut either. There has been just one review of the Ray Z and this customer has rated the scooter 3/5 in terms of FE. According to him, Yamaha could do better on the pick-up. However, after riding 300 kilometers and with the first service pending, the scooter offered 41-42 kmpl. This is likely to go up after servicing.

Bikewale does not have a review of the bike yet. However, in their specification sheet, they have also mentioned the mileage offered by the Ray Z. According to this, the fuel consumption of the scooter is likely to be around 43 kmpl. But I am not sure if this is a figure they obtained by test-riding it, or if it’s sourced from elsewhere. Anyway, just note that this is not a customer report and so you may not rely on this.

So here we go. With a number of popular bike review sources yet to report a mileage, this is what we have got till now. I have summarized them in a table below. The average seems to be around 40-45 kmpl which is not entirely bad at all. What do you think?

Source	City (kmpl)	Highway (kmpl)
Official	–	53
Bikewale	43	—
IamaBiker	43	—
MaxAbout	40	62
MouthShut	41-42	—

Honda CB Trigger

The CB Trigger is one of the latest entrants to the 150cc segment. This bike was unveiled just around April this year and was launched a month later. Positioned by Honda as a premium motorbike, the CB Trigger comes equipped with a 4 stroke 149.1cc engine that cranks up a power of up to 14.2 PS at 8500 RPM and on a curve, can travel at a max torque of 12.5 Nm at 6500 RPM. The bike is built with an advanced design diamond frame with telescopic front suspension and a monosuspension at the rear. The CB Trigger measures 2045mm x 757mm x 1060mm with a wheelbase of 1325mm and ground clearance of 175mm.

In terms of fuel capacity, this 137 kg bike can hold hold up to 12 liters at any given point. The new Honda CB Trigger is available at a starting price of Rs. 67384 ex-showroom, Delhi. The on-road price translates to Rs. 74828. The price mentioned here is for the STD variant – the DLX and CBS (Combi brake sytem) variants are available at an additional cost of a few thousands.

Manufacturer Mileage Claim

The power delivered by the CB Trigger puts this right in the middle of the 150cc bunch which has bikes delivering power of over 17 PS as well as those that are under-powered at around 12 PS. In terms of fuel efficiency too, Honda says that the bike lies somewhere in the middle with a claimed mileage of 60 kmpl. In comparison, one of the highest FE is claimed by Bajaj for the 150cc Discover (72.3 kmpl).

Test Drive Report & Customer Fuel Consumption Feedback

Let us begin with the review on Overdrive. As the author notes, the Trigger is targeted at the younger customers looking for a stylish 150. The CB Unicorn Dazzler was supposed to be targeted at this group but considering its poor traction, the company has replaced it with the new Trigger. While the reviewer himself has not reported a tested mileage, the commenters who have tried the bike report to be seeing around 50-56 kmpl on city roads (if lower, you should see this post the first servicing) and around 63 kmpl on the highways.

Let us take a look at MaxAbout next. In their review of the Trigger, the website calls the bike the ‘advanced version of the outgoing CB Dazzler’ in terms of style and design. That was expected considering both these bikes are targeted at the same segment. The review also notes the ‘slow performance’ although I feel accelerating from 0-60 kmph in 6 seconds is not too bad. Speaking of fuel consumption, MaxAbout reports 45 kmpl on city roads and 60 kmpl on highways.

MotorBeam in their review commend the bike for its aesthetics and dynamics while noting that the absence of DC lighting is a dampener on the coolness factor. The mileage reported by the website is between 50-55 kmpl and most of the commenter agree. The reported FE by Trigger customers commenting on the website ranges between 48-55 kmpl under city road conditions.

Technology Heat is all praise for the power, aesthetics and braking system. On the topic of mileage, the reviewer reports a city road figure of 45 kmpl which can go as high as 60 kmpl on the highways.

Finally, let us talk about what MouthShut has got to say. Considering that this is a new bike, there aren’t too many reviews – just 6 of them to be precise. These reviewers have given the bike an overall 4/5 for fuel consumption. Some of the points mentioned by the reviewers about the bike are “powerful pickup”, “awesome” brakes and a complete value for money. While most reviews are positive with respect to mileage, one reviewer reports to be seeing only around 25 kmpl on his newly purchased Trigger. Other reviewers are reporting somewhere between 45-55 kmpl on city roads which is totally in synch with reports from the other sources we have till now.

Overall, I think the reviews are mostly positive – both about the fuel consumption as well as the bike in general. I have summed up the reported FE from various sources below. Are you planning to get a Trigger? Tell us what you think of the bike in the comments below.

Source	City Mileage (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	60
MaxAbout	45	60
MotorBeam	50-55	—
MouthShut	45-55	—
Overdrive	50-56	63
Technology Heat	45	60

KTM Duke 200

We have hardly discussed power bikes on this blog considering that the customers of these bikes are not really mileage conscious. If I remember right, the only 200cc+ bike that we have ever discussed on Mileage Info is the 225cc Hero Kariza ZMR. Today we will discuss another 200cc bike – the KTM Duke. We are writing about this mainly because the manufacturers are calling it a ‘low fuel consumption’ bike despite the power engine range it belongs to.

Let us scan through the specs of this bike first. The KTM Duke is equipped with a single cylinder 4 stroke engine that has a displacement of 200cc and drawing a max power of 25.8 PS – do note that this is way more than what the ZMR can achieve (17.8 PS). The Duke has a pretty broad wheelbase of 1367mm and a ground clearance of 170mm. Weighing just over 129 kg, the bike can hold up to 11 liters of fuel at any point. The KTM Duke is available at an ex-showroom price of around Rs. 1,30,219 in Delhi. The price elsewhere could be higher.

Official Manufacturer’s Claim

As I have noted earlier, most manufacturers do not bother marketing the fuel consumption factor for a bike in this range. However, well knowing the Indian market, KTM has used the mileage as a point to showcase in their marketing material. According to them, you can drive well over 300 kilometers at full tank. That translates to a mileage of 27.27 kmpl. At face value, this seems pretty lower than the 51 kmpl marketed by Hero Karizma. But do note the higher power that this bike garners and as I have always said, with greater power comes a lower mileage and this is something you just cannot escape with motorbikes.

Customer Feedback and Test Ride Reviews

ZigWheels has the KTM Duke among its top 5 bikes in the 200-250cc in terms of mileage. According to the reviewer, this bike can reach the 100 kmph speed in just about 8 seconds and can deliver 363 kilometers on a liter of petrol. That makes it FE just around 33 kmpl. I have doubts on if this was tested on road or has been sourced from elsewhere. But in any case, that’s the claim.

MaxAbout is effusive in its praise for the bike’s naked looks which the reviewer notes is “extremely new” for Indians. Unlike ZigWheels which claimed a 8 second lead up to the 100 kmph mark, MaxAbout claims this can be done in 9.2 seconds. In terms of fuel consumption, the review reports a figure of 28 kmpl on city roads and 34 kmpl on the highways which is where this bike belongs.

MotorBeam in their review of the KTM Duke 200 have not included the mileage factor. However, one commenter there has posted that he can do 35-40 kmpl after second servicing. Now don’t quote me on this since the veracity of the claim cannot be validated.

Another KTM Duke owner who was interviewed by BikeAdvice claims that he can see a mileage of 41 kmpl. Now while I don’t doubt the owner’s claim, please do note that this figure was reported on the bike console and so may not be accurate. As a number of comments in the post have noted, if one were to do a “full tank”-to-“full tank” calculation, you could see a more realistic mileage of between 21-25 kmpl.

BikeDekho in its review says the looks of the KTM Duke 200 is “straight out of a Hollywood sci-fi” which I think is a little exaggerated but you can understand why. We have not seen a similar looking bike on Indian roads before. In terms of FE, the website gives a figure of between 28-35 kmpl on city roads which I think is a bit on the higher side.

There are seven reviews of the Duke 200 on MouthShut and these users have given the bike an overall fuel rating of 4/5 which is extremely impressive for a bike in this range. While the reviews are very useful from other aspects, only one review talks about mileage and the claim there seems too optimistic. The reviewer reports a figure of 30-35 kmpl on city roads and 40 kmpl on highways. I am not refuting this and you could possibly see this on your bike as well. However, for new buyers, do note that you may not always see this figure on your bike and so take this claim with a grain of salt.

So there you have it. Do you think the KTM Duke is value for money? Do tell us in the comments.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	27.27
BikeAdvice	41	—
BikeDekho	28-35	—
MaxAbout	28	34
MotorBeam	–	35-40
MouthShut	30-35	40
ZigWheels	–	33

Volkswagen Polo (Petrol)

One of the premium hatchbacks in town, the Volkswagen Polo was launched in February 2010. Over the past 3 years, the car has been one of the hot-sellers for the company in India. The latest variant, the GT TSI was launched in April this year. In terms of specifications, the Polo comes equipped with a 3 cylinder 1198cc engine that delivers a max power of 75 PS at 5400 RPM. This translates to a torque of 110 Nm at 3750 Nm. The Polo has a decent acceleration that can help you reach 100 kmph in just around 14.2 seconds at a max speed of 162.9 kmph. The overall dimension of the car is 3970mm x 1682mm x 1453 mm with a wheelbase of 2456mm. At a kerb weight of 1020 kg, the Polo is heavier than Brio which also has a smaller wheelbase and a higher power. The Volkswagen Polo comes at a starting price of Rs. 4.89 lakhs ex-showroom.

Manufacturer Fuel Claim:

We have discussed a few 1200cc cars on this blog. The Brio was one that the manufacturers claimed would deliver 19.4 kmpl which is the highest we have seen so far. The petrol variant of Maruti Suzuki Ritz on the other hand came at a lower 18.5 kmpl while the Suzuki Swift and Renault Pulse claimed to deliver 18.6 kmpl and 18.1 kmpl respectively. Compared to these figures, the mileage claimed by Volkswagen looks rather low. The company claims a consumption of 16.47 kmpl on the petrol variant. Although the Polo is a premium hatchback unlike a Swift, this difference in FE is definitely something to consider. In any case, do note that all the numbers discussed here are under standard testing conditions and real world performance may vary. So let us take a look at real customer reviews and test drive reports before arriving at a conclusion.

Customer Feedback Reports

Let us first start with the user reviews on ZigWheels. There are totally 4 reviews in all who have rated the car 4.5 on 5 for fuel efficiency. The reported number is somewhere between 14.5-15.5 kmpl on city roads. The owners however report that while the Polo does have a premium feel to it, the interiors could do with some improvement. Also, while it is not very spacious on the inside, the seats are still comfortable. However, if you are looking for a good boot space, the Polo will definitely make you happy.

AutomobileUpdates in their review of the Polo do not offer any particular insight with respect to the performance or rather anything. However, they report that the petrol variant should deliver a mileage of around 12.1 kmpl on city roads and 17.2 kmpl on the highways. This looks to be a more realistic expectation from the car than what was reported on Zigwheels; not that I am dismissing the review of the users there.

Carzy in their review of the 1.2L Polo note that the ‘trimmed’ interiors will make you fall in love with the car at first glance. This is in marked contrast to the user reviews we saw on ZigWheels. However, they concur on the fact that the interiors are pretty spacious even for tall passengers. On the topic of fuel consumption, the petrol variant of the car is noted to offer close to 13 kmpl on city roads and 17 kmpl on highway roads. It is not just the Carzy reviewer who finds the interiors impressive. Case in point, the review on Yahoo that says the interiors reflect the ‘sportiness’ of the car. In terms of FE, the test drive delievered around 12-14 kmpl which is along expected lines.

Next up, let us look at what the reviewers on MouthShut have got to say. There have been around 64 reviews for the petrol variant of the car and these reviewers have given the Volkswagen Polo 3/5 on fuel consumption. That’s a pretty low figure on an average. However, when you actually read through the reviews, you notice that while there are issues with after sales service, inadequate availability of spare parts, etc., the mileage itself is not bad. While you may notice a low fuel efficiency of just about 9-10 kmpl initially, this is likely to go up to 13-14 kmpl post the first service. Do note that this figure has been reporte by users driving primarily on bumper-to-bumper city road traffic.

So this concludes our review of the Polo’s mileage. I have summarized the figures from various sources in the table below. My verdict is that Polo is definitely a premium hatchback when you look at it from a price perspective. When it comes to mileage, the Polo is not bad and is definitely something you can bank upon.

Source	City (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	16.47
AutomobileUpdates	12.1	17.2
Carzy	13	17
MouthShut	13-14	—
Yahoo	12-14	—
ZigWheels	14.5-15.5	—

Chevrolet Sail UVA (Diesel)

General Motors launched the new Sail U-VA in November of last year. The car is a premium hatchback that comes with a 1248 cc engine that delivers a maximum power of 78 PS at 4000 rpm and a torque that is close to 205 Nm at 1750 rpm. The car has been voted the ‘compact car of the year’ by AutoCar for 2013. In terms of tech specs, the car measures 3946 x 1690 x 1503 mm with a wheelbase of 2465mm and a ground clearance of 168 mm. The car has a seating capacity for 5 people and has a kerb weight of 1124 kg. The Sail U-VA has a fuel tank capacity of 40 liters. The car is available at a starting price of Rs. 4.19 lakhs ex-showroom, Delhi.

Manufacturer’s Claim On Mileage

We have not discussed too many cars here on MileageInfo. However two cars in the same engine range are Honda Brio (1198cc) and Maruti Suzuki Ritz (1197cc). These cars have slightly lower engine displacement and yet deliver a higher power of 88PS and 87PS respectively. Despite Sail U-VA delivering a lower power, it doesn’t disappoint in terms of mileage. While the manufacturer claim on these cars is 19.4 kmpl and 18.5 kmpl respectively, General Motors promises 22.1 kmpl on the Sail U-VA. Of course, it needs to be noted that all fuel consumption discussed here are under standard test conditions which is pretty different from the real world road conditions that you would be subjecting your car to.

Customer Feedback & Test Drive Reports

Let us now take a look at what the real world customers have got to say about their Sail U-VA. ZigWheels have rated the car 7.5 out of 10 overall. Looking at some customer reviews over there, it looks like Sail U-VA does deliver on mileage. While one customer reports to be seeing 21.33 kmpl FE (presumably on highways) on his LT ABS Diesel model, another customer who has purchased an LS ABS Diesel reports 15 kmpl on city roads and 20.6 kmpl on highways. Still pretty good.

MaxAbout does not have an elaborate in-house review for the Sail U-VA yet. However, they do report that the top speed on the car is likely to be around 160 kmph. Another point to note and compare as a buyer is that Sail U-VA comes with a 3 year warranty that covers the first 1 lakh kilometers. MaxAbout reports a mileage of 16 kmpl on city roads and 22.1 kmpl on highways. It is not clear if this was tested by their team or has been reproduced from the General Motors’ brochure.

The Hindustan Times did a review of the Sail U-VA diesel earlier this year. In the article, the newspaper notes that although the engine is the same as the ones available on Maruti Swift and Fiat Grande Punto, the Sail U-VA has a different air filter and a new fixed geometry turbocharger that gives the engine a more refined feel. HT however notes that in terms of respose, the Swift is still better. Speaking about mileage, the writer reports a figure of 13.1 kmpl on city roads and 19 kmpl on highways with the diesel variant of the car.

The TopGear review once again notes the relative lack of response on the Sail U-VA. As the author puts it, “to go quick, you really need to give it some beans”. The reported mileage seems lower than other reviews we have seen though. The website notes a city road figure of 12 kmpl which goes up to 14.5 kmpl on the highways.

Overdrive in their report note that the spacious interiors and frugal fuel consumption are two big pros for the car. On the flip side, an outdated design and “no aspirational value” – although I am really not sure what they mean by this – are the cons. The real world mileage as reported by the website is 17.25 kmpl overall (which is 21.6 kmpl on highways and 15.8 kmpl on city roads).

I have summarized the reports below. To be honest, the Sail U-VA does look a bit dated and from the looks of it, the engine needs a little push to get responsive. However, if you are mileage conscious, this car does seem to be one of the best in class and can deliver a better FE than any other in the same budget. What are your views?

Source	City roads (kmpl)	Highways (kmpl)
Official	–	22.1
ZigWheels	15	21
MaxAbout	16	22.1
Hindustan Times	13.1	19
TopGear	12	14.5
OverDrive	15.8	21.6