Bajaj Discover 125 ST Vs. Honda CB Shine

Today we will compare two bikes in the 125cc engine category – the Discover 125ST from Bajaj and Honda CB Shine. The Discover 125ST is the more recent entrant to the market having made its way only in the mid of last year while Honda Shine has been around for around 3 years now. While both bikes are in the 125cc segment, Bajaj has had the luxury to extensively study the market before launching their new 125cc Discover. Consequently, they have been able to offer quite a few better specs in comparison to the peers.

The Discover 125ST arguably offers the best power in the 125cc bike segment. According to company brochures, the Discover 125ST delivers close to 13PS max power at 9000 RPM whereas the CB Shine only offers around 10.3PS @7500 RPM. The difference is not much in terms of torque though. While the Discover 125ST claims to offer a max net torque of 10.8 Nm at 7000 RPM, the corresponding value for the CB Shine is 10.54Nm at 5500RPM. The price of the lowest available variant on CB Shine is Rs. 54,782 while the price of Discover 125ST is Rs. 55,500 – both ex-Delhi. So as you can see, no one winner here. I shall tabulate all the major specs for a side-by-side comparison below.

Spec Bajaj Discover 125ST Honda CB Shine
Displacement 124.6cc 124.7cc
Max Power 13PS @9000 10.3PS @7500
Max Torque 10.8Nm @ 7000 10.54Nm @ 5500
Kerb Weight 124.5kg 120kg
Fuel Tank Capacity 10L 10.5L
Ground clearance 170mm 157mm
Price (ex-Delhi) Rs. 55500 Rs. 54782

Mileage Comparison
Let us first start with the manufacturer claims. According to Honda Motorcycles, the CB Shine can deliver about 65 kmpl under standard test road conditions. In comparison, the Discover 125ST delivers around 67.5 kmpl under similar conditions. Do note that the fuel economy that you derive on real world conditions may be vastly different.

To check how the two bikes fare on city roads, let us look at what third party blog and customer reviews have got to say. On MouthShut, both bikes have received a 4/5 rating for fuel consumption. The reviews have been extremely positive for Discover 125ST with the lowest reported mileage around 48kmpl and the highest over 60kmpl. The average is around 55kmpl. In comparison, the lowest reported figure for CB Shine is around 42kmpl while the average reported figure lies between 50-55kmpl. So the Discover wins by a slight margin on this one.

We do not have many other common sources that have reviewed both the bikes. Let us first take a look at websites that have reviewed the Discover 125ST. MotorBeam in their test reports around 55kmpl on city roads that goes up to 60kmpl on highways. ZigWheels reports a much better experience having seen around 62kmpl just on the city roads. The highway mileage is reported to be 77kmpl which seems quite unbelievable and I would term this is an exception and not a rule. BikeDekho in their review report a much lower figure. On city roads, the reviewer was able to see only around 50 kmpl although on highways this was much better at 65kmpl.

With Honda CB Shine, the story is not very different. The official review on BikeAdvice notes that the fuel consumption could improve after servicing although in their test, the reported figure was around 50 kmpl on city roads. The figures are slightly better on the Yahoo user reviews where the number lies between 55-60 kmpl on an average. The FE on highways though was noted to be higher at 62kmpl.

There were a couple of more sources that reviewed the CB Shine from a fuel economy perspective. IndiaGarage users claim to be seeing between 50-55 kmpl on city roads and 58-62kmpl on highways whereas the reviewer on MaxAbout reports 58kmpl on city roads and a massive 73kmpl on highways – again, this appears to be an outlier and do not expect your bike to reach this level of efficiency.

Here is a snapshot of what various reviewers of these two bikes have said. From the outset, the fuel consumption do not appear to be too different on both the bikes. Considering that the prices are not vastly different either, I would pick the Discover 125ST over CB Shine considering a better power on this bike for the same economy. What will be your pick?

Source Bajaj Discover 125ST Honda CB Shine
Official 65-70 65
BikeAdvice 50
BikeDekho 50
IndiaGarage 50-55
MaxAbout 58
MotorBeam 55
MouthShut 55 50-55
Yahoo 55-60
ZigWheels 62

Maruti Suzuki Swift (Petrol)

Maruti Suzuki launched the Swift in India back in 2005. Since then, the car has undergone more than a couple of changes with respect to the engine to comply with the reintroduced emission norms. The latest versions of the LXi, VXi and ZXi petrol cars come equipped with a K-series petrol engine with VVT. This has a 1197cc displacement and with 4 cylinders can generate a maximum power of 87PS at 6000RPM and torque of 114Nm at 4000 RPM. This is extremely similar to the engine specs that we discussed for the Maruti Ritz not so long back.

Maruti Suzuki Swift Lxi petrol

Talking of other important specs, the Swift measures 3.85m x 1.695m x 1.530m, has a wheelbase of 2.43m and a ground clearance of 170mm. The car weighs 960kg (LXi) and has a fuel tank that can take in 42 liters at its brim. The Suzuki Swift LXi is the cheapest variant available and is available at an ex-showroom price of Rs. 4.49 lakhs at Delhi.

Manufacturer Claim on Mileage

The Swift has a lot of things in common with the Ritz. Both cars have a 1197cc engine that delivers close to 87PS power. The physical dimensions are more or less the same on both cars. However, the Ritz weighs slightly more than the Swift. While the kerb weight of the Ritz is around 1030kg, Swift roughly weighs 50-60 kg lower. This has an implication on the overall mileage claimed by the manufacturer since a higher weight requires the engine to spend more fuel in moving the car and consequently lowers the efficiency.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. According to Gaadi, the manufacturer claims a mileage of 18.6 kmpl on the Swift LXi which is almost the same as what is claimed on the Ritz. So it’s either the better engine on the Ritz or that Maruti doesn’t really want to cannibalize the sales of one of its cars due to the other.

Test Drive & Customer Reviews

MaxAbout does not offer great independent insights this time. They note that the latest version of the car has bigger and better headlamps, automatic climate control and a steering wheel with music controls. However, their report on mileage doesn’t seem to be independently assessed. According to them, the Swift should deliver around 12 kmpl on city roads and 18 kmpl on highways.

The report on ProKerala seems to be similar with vague information on how the reported mileages were tested. They note the Swift to offer 11 kmpl on city roads that goes up to 16 kmpl on the highways.

There are a few reviews of the Suzuki Swift on AutoJunction, and according to these, the expected city mileage on the car is around 10.55-14 kmpl while on highways, it can go as high as 19.78 kmpl. This is apparently the economy a user observed on his Bangalore-Chennai trip.

IndianAuto.com does a great job in comparing the specifications and features on the petrol and diesel variants of the Swift. On their comparison page, the reviewers note that the diesel variant consistently gives around 2-3 kmpl more than the petrol variant. Accordingly, they expect the LXi petrol variant to offer close to 11.5 kmpl on city roads and 15.8 kmpl on highways with the overall figure hovering about 12.6 kmpl.

CarBHP does not have a great deal of review going on their site. Hence I am unsure if the mileage they claim on the Swift is from independent tests or sourced from elsewhere. Anyway, they say the overall economy on the Swift LXi could be around 12.3 kmpl.

One thing that has been coming up persistently on the MouthShut forum is a “brake failure” issue that a lot of users have been facing at low gears. Customers say that the brake becomes extremely difficult to apply or doesn’t work at first or second gears sometimes causing minor accidents. Maruti Suzuki apparently is in the know and so it’s likely that this issue may not occur on your newly purchased Swift. In any case, do remember to test it out before accepting the delivery. On the fuel consumption front though, the car has received a 4/5 rating. There are not too many reviews in the past year talking about fuel. However the one that did talks highly of it claiming 16.5-17 kmpl on city roads and 21 kmpl on the highways. Seems kind of unlikely though.

Here is a summary of the results noted from various sources. What is your view on the Suzuki Swift Petrol? Would you be going for it? Tell us your thoughts, comments and questions in the section below.

Source City roads (kmpl) Highways (kmpl)
Official 18.6
MaxAbout 12 18
ProKerala 11 16
AutoJunction 10.55-14 19.78
IndianAuto 11.5 15.8
CarBHP 12.3
MouthShut 16.5-17 21

Bajaj Pulsar 180 vs. TVS Apache RTR 180 / ABS

There are not too many 180cc bike models in the Indian bike industry at the moment. The two most extremely popular models are the Bajaj Pulsar 180cc and the TVS Apache RTR 180 (and its ABS variant). We have already reviewed all three bikes separately here, here and here. We have indepth study of the mileage as well as specs for each of these bikes in the links above. Anyway, I will try to be as comprehensive as possible while comparing all these three bikes together in this article.

Tech Specs Comparison

First up, let’s compare the technical specifications of the Pulsar and put it against the two RTR 180 models.The Pulsar is built with an engine that is just slightly bigger than the RTR 180. This again gives the bike a very slight advantage over the Apache bikes in terms of power. The max power on the Pulsar 180 is 17.02 PS whereas the corresponding figure for the Apache is 17 PS. The RTR scores in terms of torque though. You can expect a max torque of close to 15.5Nm @ 6500 RPM whereas the Pulsar only delivers close to 14.22 Nm at the same rev.

The TVS model has other advantages too like better navigation under rough terrain considering a ground clearance of nearly 15mm over what’s offered on Pulsar. But then, Pulsar is a little more easier on the wallet being available around 3000 bucks lower than RTR 180 and nearly 14,000 lower than the RTR 180 ABS. I’ve tabulated all the major specs and price (ex-showroom, Delhi) here below.

Spec Pulsar 180 Apache RTR 180 Apache RTR 180 ABS
Displacement 178.6cc 177.4cc 177.4cc
Max Power 17.02PS @8500 17PS @8500 17PS @8500
Max Torque 14.22Nm @6500 15.5Nm @6500 15.5Nm @6500
Wheelbase 1345mm 1300mm 1326mm
Kerb weight 147kg 139kg 139kg
Ground clearance 150mm 165mm 165mm
Price (ex-Delhi) Rs. 70321 Rs. 73365 Rs. 84180

Mileage Comparison

Frankly I think you should not be paying much heed to this section of the article. Bikes in the 180cc or above are purchased for their power and style and not for the economy. In any case, if you are having trouble deciding among the three based on the specs, features and price alone, maybe a fuel economy comparison could do the tie-breaker.

Let us first look into what the manufacturer claim is. According to Bajaj Auto, the Pulsar 180 should deliver 58.1 kmpl under standard testing conditions. As I have often observed in the past, these tests are conducted under extremely favourable road conditions and so if anything, the actual economy that you notice on city roads would be lower than this. But for a perspective, the corresponding figure quoted by TVS Motors for both the Apache RTR 180 and RTR 180 ABS is around 56 kmpl.

MaxAbout has comprehensively reviewed all three of these bikes. In their review of the Pulsar 180, MaxAbout calls the bike “well-built with a lot of bulk”. Their test reported an FE of around 38 kmpl on city roads that can go as high as 45-50 kmpl on highways. For the Apache RTR 180, MaxAbout says it’s basically a ‘carbon copy’ of the RTR 160 with a terrific pickup from 0-60 kmph. The mileage reported by their review for both the RTR 180 and the ABS variant is 38-40 kmpl on city roads but on the highways, while the ABS variant delivered 39 kmpl, the non-ABS model reported 42-46 kmpl.

BikeAdvice has been one of our other favourite sources. In their review, they note that the Pulsar delivers a much better economy on their 180cc compared to the Apache alternative. For city roads, the reported mileage for the Pulsar 180 and Apache RTR 180 are 41-46 kmpl and 39-44 kmpl respectively. However given the wide range, I still think there is no one winner to pick from the review. On highways though, the Pulsar wins with a reported 46-51 kmpl figure as compared to 43-48 kmpl on the RTR 180.

Let us now look at the reviews from BikeDekho. On this website, the reviewer calls the latest variant of the Pulsar 180 a ‘perfect blend’ of the vibrant contours of the older variant and the muscular build of the 2009 model. If you compare the reported mileage of all the bikes, you find the Pulsar to be a clear winner. The reported number for this bike is 43.4 kmpl while the corresponding number for RTR 180 is 35-40 kmpl.

On MouthShut again, there is much more love for the Pulsar compared to the Apache. While both bikes have got a 4/5 rating for fuel consumption overall, with respected to the reported fuel economy, the figure for Pulsar is between 43-50 kmpl while the same for Apache RTR 180 is around 40-45 kmpl.

So there you go. I have tabulated all the reported mileage on city roads for the three bikes (actually two, since both the RTR 180 and RTR 180 ABS have the same reported numbers) for you to pick. What’s your choice between the two bikes? Tell us in the comments.

Source Bajaj Pulsar 180 Apache RTR 180 (ABS)
Official 58.1 56
MaxAbout 38 38-40
BikeDekho 43.4 35-40
BikeAdvice 41-46 39-44
MouthShut 43-50 40-45

Maruti Suzuki Ritz (Petrol)

Launched as Suzuki Splash in the rest of the world, Maruti Suzuki had to take the alternate name ‘Ritz’ in India because the ‘Splash’ name was already registered by Ford in India. Today, there are over 2 lakh Ritz on Indian roads today and this hatchback is definitely one of the latest success stories from Maruti Suzuki in recent times.

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Zxi Petrol

So now let’s go ahead with a discussion on the tech specs. The petrol variant of Ritz has a smaller engine than the diesel variant and at 1197cc pretty much belongs to the league of Honda Brio that we discussed earlier. The engine can deliver a max power of up to 87PS at 6000 RPM and a torque of 113Nm at 4500 RPM. The car has a 5-gear manual transmission on offer with a kerb weight of close to 1030 kg. In terms of size, the Ritz measures 3715mm x 1680mm x 1620mm with a wheelbase of 2360mm and 170mm ground clearance which is marginally more than what the Brio has to offer. The Ritz Zxi BS-IV model is available at a price of Rs. 5,57,739 ex-Mumbai. That is much higher than the Brio though.

Manufacturer Mileage Claim

A 1200cc car is typically an upper middle class buy, and mileage is a big factor in the purchasing decision. According to Maruti Suzuki, the petrol variants of Ritz (VXi, LXi & ZXi) deliver a fuel economy of around 18.5 kmpl under standard test road conditions. This means, this is the mileage you can expect under good roads with favourable wind conditions etc. So on an everyday city road with traffic and potholes, the mileage is going to be much lower. For a perspective, Honda claimed to deliver 19.4 kmpl on the Brio.

Customer Feedback

Carwale has an honest feedback of their test drive. The test, which was conducted during the monsoons when there is typically heavy traffic returned decent results. The reviewer reports to have seen an FE of between 12-14 kmpl despite him having to drive a lot in the first and second gears.

The test drive from ProdEase throws up a slightly lower fuel efficiency. In their report, the website notes that their test on city roads delivered close to 11.1 kmpl on the Ritz which increased to 15.5 kmpl on the highways. I really don’t think the traffic conditions during this testing was any worse than what Carwale had to experience. The low mileage reported is hence disconcerting.

Ronak from RonakG.com has a pretty good word about the Ritz with regards to the silent engine, sound quality on the music system and steering. With respect to fuel efficiency, Ronak says he was able to extract 14.46 kmpl under typical Bangalore city road conditions with AC turned on and using the premium Shell petrol.

There are a few good reviews of the car on AutoJunction. In terms of mileage though, the customers have reported between 16-19.5 kmpl on city roads. This is much much higher than what we have seen from other reviews and with even the manufacturer claiming only so much on standard test conditions, I have to ask you to take this figure with a pinch of salt.

On AutoCarIndia, the reviewer writes that the legroom on the rear is not exactly great although the same is good on the front along with a very good forward visibility. The reviewer was able to see 11.8 kpl on city roads with 16.7 kmpl on the highways.

There are over 150 reviews for the Maruti Suzuki Ritz on MouthShut and although this is a mix of all petrol and diesel variants, I only looked into what the customers of the petrol variants had to say. On an average, the reported mileage with AC on seems to be around 13.5 kmpl on city roads with the corresponding number for highways hovering over 16kmpl.

To sum up, the Ritz appears to be a great car with good economy on offer in the 1200cc segment. There are some recurrent complaints about the rear visibility and in the general ‘ugliness’ of the rear-side. But if it is not something that bothers you, there is nothing that should stop you from going for the Ritz. Except for the price, of course. What are your thoughts on this?

Source City (kmpl) Highways (kmpl)
Official 18.5
CarWale 12-14
ProdEase 11.1 15.5
RonakG 14.46
AutoJunction 16-19.5
AutoCarIndia 11.8 16.7
MouthShut 13.5 16

Tata Nano

The Tata Nano has been one car that has put India truly on the world map, not in terms of a world class product, but with respect to what we call frual engineering. The 1 lakh car may no longer be available at that price, but the number of features and specifications that have been made available at this low cost has been truly exemplary.

Tata Nano

In terms of technical specifications, the Nano comes with a minimal 624cc engine that can deliver a maximum power of around 38PS and torque of 51Nm. For a perspective, the Honda Brio which is priced at around 4 lakhs has a 1198cc engine that delivers close to 88PS. So quite evidently, you will not be able to take in a family and still cruise along at top speed on the Nano as much as you could in the other higher powered cars. In any case, the max speed here is only around 105 kmph. Other specs on the car include a wheelbase of 2230mm, a ground clearance of 180mm and overall kerb weight of at least 600kg. The Nano is available at a starting price of Rs. 1,41,898 ex-Delhi. Do check out the Current Offers section on the Nano section for any new deals.

Manufacturer FE Claim

Considering that the Nano is targeted at the price-sensitive mileage conscious audience, mileage is definitely something that is close to the heart a lot of their customers. And from the outset, Tata doesn’t disappoint. The company claims an overall mileage of around 25.4 kmpl under standard conditions on the Nano. On highways, this should ideally go up to 28 kmpl. Do note however that these numbers are under standard testing conditions and so the real world mileage could be vastly different. We will go through the test drive reports and customer reviews from various sources to understand how this car would fare on city roads.

Test Drive Reports

On Team-BHP, a customer who owns a Nano LX has posted the average mileage to be around 15-17 kmpl with AC on. Do note that this mileage includes significant highway travel and so if you were to calculate the mileage exclusively for city roads, this could come down a notch.

On Carwale, another ‘happy customer’ points out that he was able to notice an average mileage of 20 kmpl on city roads. The customer however points that the economy returned has dropped to 12kmpl at the time of posting which however seems to be a problem specific to his car that could be fixed at the dealers’. Another customer from Delhi notes the mileage on their Nano to be around 18kmpl on Delhi city roads.

There are close to 239 reviews for the Nano on MouthShut. While the overall rating for the car is only 3/5, on the fuel front, customers have rated the Nano 4/5. Most customers who have reviewed the car in the past few months have been extremely happy and have called it a great value for money and a must-buy for city drives. One customer says that while the 2011 variant of the Nano wasn’t too great, the 2012 variant is pretty and returns around 16-19 kmpl on city roads. Another customer reports 18kmpl on city roads and 23 kmpl on highways – both tested with the AC on. Without the AC, the returned economy is likely to be better. One customer reports 25kmpl without AC and 22kmpl with AC; both of which are pretty great numbers for a car. Another Nano 2012 customer who has driven over 10,000 kilometers reports 23-25 kmpl on city roads and around 27-29 kmpl on highways. I’m not sure if this was with the AC on since it looks to be pretty much on the high side. Overall though, you can expect the Nano 2012 to return between 16-22 kmpl on city roads and 23-25 kmpl on highways with the AC on.

Olx has not been very useful in studying the Nano. Most customers who have put their car up for sale have not indicated the mileage. And those that have done have been pretty generous – they claim between 25-26 kmpl on city roads which is not unbelievable, but you get the feeling it is being exaggerated a bit.

Anyway, there you have it. You can find a tabulated list of mileage reports from various sources below. Overall, the Nano looks like a great car to own from a fuel consumption perspective. Also, add the fact that it looks pretty slick and spacious on the inside, you have a definite buy.

Source City roads (kmpl) Highway roads (kmpl)
Official 25.4 28
Team BHP 15-17
Carwale 18-20
MouthShut 16-22 23-25
Olx 25-26

Best Scooter In India For Girls

There are over a dozen scooters that we have reviewed on MileageInfo till date. A few of these are targeted at the male customers while the entire rest is either unisex or are targeted exclusively at the female buyers. So if you are a woman looking for the best scooter from a mileage perspective, read on.

First and foremost, scooters are pretty fuel-inefficient. Most of the scooters available in the market cost between Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 50,000 and come with a good 100cc engine. Despite this, the mileage they offer is quite lower than what motorbikes in the same engine and price range have on offer. So for this article, we will first compare the basic tech-specs of the various female-targeted scooters, then look at their prices (ex-showroom Delhi) and finally compare the mileage as reviewed by some major sources.

Tech Specs Comparison

The engine displacement has a huge effect on the power you can derive from any bike. However it needs to be remembered that power comes with burning fuel and so a higher powered engine often consumes more fuel and consequently has a lower mileage. At the end of the day, it comes down to individual preference – what’s more important to you; the power or mileage? Or a good balance of both of them? Take that and the price of the scooters into consideration while making the purchasing decision. So first off, let’s compare the tech specs of the dozen scooters in contention. We will be comparing the engine displacement, power, torque and kerb weight of these scooters in the table below.

Scooter Engine cc Max Power Max Torque Weight
Piaggio Vespa LX 125cc 10.06PS 10.6Nm 114kg
Suzuki Access 124cc 8.6PS 9.8Nm 115kg
Suzuki Swish 124cc 8.6PS 9.8Nm 110kg
Mahindra Rodeo RZ 125cc 8.2PS 9Nm 106kg
Kinetic Sym Flyte 124.6cc 8.1PS 9.1Nm 106kg
Honda Activa 109cc 8.1PS 9Nm 111kg
Honda Aviator 109cc 8.1PS 8.74Nm 102kg
Honda Dio 110cc 8.1PS 8.66Nm 110.2kg
TVS Wego 109.7cc 8PS 8Nm 105kg
Yamaha Ray 113cc 7.1PS 8.1Nm 104kg
Hero Pleasure 102cc 6.8PS 7.85Nm 104kg
TVS Scooty Streak 87.8cc 5.1PS 5.8Nm 96kg
TVS Scooty Pep Plus 87.8cc 5PS 5.8Nm 95kg

So there you have quite a few 125cc scooters that offer a better power. But also note that a lot of these scooters weigh over 110kg and if you will find it heavy, you should be going for something that weighs lower. Honda Aviator is a good choice in my opinion – it doesn’t weigh a lot but still manages to offer the same power as the 125c Sym Flyte or Rodeo RZ.

Next up, let us compare the fuel economy delivered by the various scooters. Traditionally, we take our readers through mileage as reported by the manufacturer as well as what has been reported by various independent third party test rides and customer reviews. However, since this could get complicated if we are to go through several sources, what we will do is mention the manufacturer claim as well as the median city road mileage as reported on our individual studies. If you want to read in depth for any of the scooters, do go through our scooter list here.

Model Manufacturer claim (kmpl) Median City Mileage (kmpl)
Hero Pleasure 55 48.5
Honda Activa 66.7 46.8
Yamaha Ray 62.1 46.5
TVS Scooty Pep+ 68 45
TVS Scooty Streak 68 45
Mahindra Rodeo RZ 59.38 45
Honda Dio 55 43
TVS Wego 50 42.5
Piaggio Vespa LX 60 41
Suzuki Swish 60 38
Kinetic Sym Flyte 45 37.5
Honda Aviator 52 34
Suzuki Access 50.22 30

The scooters are ranked according to the median mileage in the above table. However, do note that this is just a general trend and may not be scientifically correct. That’s because the numbers are pulled from various overlapping and sometimes mutually exclusive sources. Also, the reported numbers are by different people each of whom could weigh different (and which has an effect on the overall mileage) and so you may see a different mileage from what is offered here. However, this should give you an idea of what’s better and what’s not.

As I see it, Honda Activa definitely looks to be the best bet considering that it offers sufficient power at a significantly good economy. However, if you are looking for a lighter scooter under 110kg, then you could probably pick Yamaha Ray or Mahindra Rodeo RZ – both these bikes offer decent mileage and weigh just around 104kg so which is good.

What will be your choice? Tell us in the comments.

Renault Scala

The Scala is a new sedan from Renault built exclusively for the Indian market. The car shares its name with another variant built by the same company that is available in a number of other countries like Mexico, Egypt and Colombia. Anyway, coming back to the variant available in India, the Scala is built with a 1498cc 4-cylinder engine that delivers a max power of 99.1 PS and a torque maxing out at 134Nm at 4000RPM.

Renault Scala

The car has a standard 5 speed manual transmission gear box with power steering offering close to 5.3 meters of turning radius. The fuel tank has a capacity of around 41 liters. Renault has priced the Scala at a price of Rs. 7.07 lakhs (ex-Delhi). The car is assembled at the Chennai plant and so if you are getting it from here, you could get it a little cheaper.

Manufacturer Claim on FE

Renault promises a pretty good mileage of 16.95 kmpl on the Scala on standard road conditions. According to the company, this should translate to around 13.5 kmpl on the city road conditions where you may be braking and shifting gears more often. Truth be told, this should be a pretty good figure for a 1500cc considering that even a lower spec’d Honda Brio returns only around 13 kmpl on city roads.

Customer Feedback

Carzy in its report points out that the Diesel variant of the Scala delivers close to 4 more kilometers for every liter of petrol compared to the Petrol variant. According to the website, the RxE and RxL Petrol variants deliver around 14.3 kmpl on city roads. The corresponding figure for the Diesel variant is around 18.4 kmpl on city roads.

CarandMe calls the design of the car “grappling and elegant” which is augmented by “luxurious finishing”. According to the website, the mileage delivered by the car is “appreciable” too what with around 12.7kmpl on city roads and 17kmpl on the highways. The corresponding figure for the Diesel variant has been stated to be around 17.7 kmpl for city and 22kmpl for highway conditions.

You may have known that the Renault Scala is just a modified version of the Nissan Sunny. MaxAbout in its review notes that while the Scala could have been the later entrant to the Indian market, it still is “bigger and better” than the Nissan cousin. The website goes on to call the Scala’s exteriors “very sophisticated and stylish”. On the fuel economy front, MaxAbout reports 12 kmpl on city roads and 18 kmpl on highways for the Petrol variant.

This is all I have got at the moment. There doesn’t seem to be many actual test drives and reviews of the car from a fuel economy perspective. Here is a tabulated list of all sources we have discussed so far.

Source City Petrol/Diesel (kmpl) Highways Petrol/Diesel (kmpl)
Official 16.95/21.64
Carzy 14.3/18.4
CarandMe 12.7/17.7 17/22
MaxAbout 12/– 18/–

Honda Brio

This is the first time we are moving away from two wheelers and are discussing mileage on a car. Let’s see if there is interest. Honda launched the Brio in the Indian market back in September 2011 just before the festival season. Although the car has got rave reviews, the production has continuously suffered a hit due to supply issues in the aftermath of Japanese earthquake and Bangkok floods.

Honda Brio Mileage Review

Brio means ‘cheerful’ in Italian. The Honda Brio is a 1198cc 4 cylinder engine car that derives a maximum power of 88PS at 6000RPM. The resulting max torque is 109Nm at 4500 RPM. The car has a 2345mm wheelbase and ground clearance of 165mm which is just about okay on Indian roads. The car weighs 920kg at the very least and has a total seating capacity of 5. The lowest variant of the Brio comes at a price of Rs. 4.1 lakhs ex-showroom at Delhi.

Manufacturer Claim on Fuel Economy

Honda Brio comes with a manual transmission as well as automatic transmission. In India though, MT is the most preferred mode and so we will discuss only this. According to Honda India, the MT variant can deliver around 19.4 kmpl under standard testing conditions. AT reduces the mileage a bit and only delivers close to 16.5 kmpl under standard conditions.

Customer Feedback

Let us kick it off with a review from CarWale. The author commends the Brio for its pretty generous leg space for a car this size as well as for its “killer looks”. However, the disappointment shows on the mileage front. The customer reports an economy of just 10.8 kmpl even after the first servicing.

MaxAbout echoes the Carwale review on the design front. The website notes the “outstanding styling” and “stunning design” as great plusses for the car. However, unlike the earlier review, this report claims a city mileage of around 13kmpl on the Brio that goes up to 19.4kmpl on the highways. This is exactly what Honda claims on test conditions and so now I’m not sure if MaxAbout really went about testing the mileage or if it just from the manufacturer.

The ZigWheels review takes a somewhat middle path. The reviewer tested the car with air conditioning on in the congested streets of Pune where the fuel consumption was noted to be around 13kmpl. On the highways, this was noted to go up to 16.7 kmpl.

In his review of the Brio after 5000 kilometers, Team-BHP member Shiv
notes that the car is “super silent” and has a really good steering. On the fuel front, the reviewer reports 13.5 kmpl on the city roads and between 17-19 kmpl on the highways. The reported numbers here seem to perfectly align with those reported from other sources.

There are around eleven reviews of the Honda Brio on Carzy. Overall, the reported FE figure here is much better than what has been reported elsewhere. The reported number varies from around 15-16.03 kmpl on city roads and around 17-18 kmpl on highways.

Finally, let’s take a look at what MouthShut customers have got to say. There are close to 43 reviews for the Brio on this website and the customers have overall given this car a 4/5 in terms of fuel consumption. On city roads, the customers who have reported the mileage have done so in the range of 11-13 kmpl. On the highways, the corresponding number is between 17-19 kmpl with AC on and much more when it is turned off. Overall, the reports have been positive about the Brio.

So there you have it. I’ve aggregated the results from various sources in the table below.

Source City FE (kmpl) Highways FE (kmpl)
Official 19.4
Carwale 10.8
MaxAbout 13 19.4
ZigWheels 13 16.7
Team-BHP 13.5 17-19
Carzy 15-16.03 17-18
MouthShut 11-13 17-19

So would I recommend it? Some reports show the number to be pretty low at 10.8 kmpl. However, a majority of the reviews note the number to be around the 13kmpl mark which is just about okay for a 1200cc car. So my recommendation is a thumbs up on the fuel front.

Honda Dream Yuga vs. Honda CB Shine

I don’t recall a comparison between two bikes of varying engine displacement levels previously. However, this article follows the comparison requested by MileageInfo reader Nik in his comment here. Dream Yuga is the least expensive Honda that is currently in the market and is a 109cc bike whereas the CB Shine belongs to the 125cc segment that is priced around 8,000 rupees higher than Dream Yuga.

Honda CB Shine vs. Honda Dream Yuga

So first off, let’s take a look at the tech specs of both these bikes.

Specification Honda Dream Yuga Honda CB Shine
Displacement 109cc 124.7cc
Net Power 8.6 PS @7500 10.3 PS @7500
Max Torque 8.91 Nm @5500 10.54 Nm @5500
Kerb Weight 108kg 120kg
Wheelbase 1285mm 157mm
Ground Clearance 161mm 157mm
Fuel Tank 8 liters 10.5 liters
Price (ex-Delhi) Rs. 46150 Rs. 54782

So from a specifications standpoint, it is clear that you get additional value for the extra money you shell out on CB Shine. From a mileage perspective, the first view I get is that the Dream Yuga should be a better bet because the higher power as well as the higher kerb weight on the CB Shine makes it less fuel efficient compared to the Dream Yuga. That is of course assuming both these bikes have similar engines which they are not.

Mileage Comparison

The official figures are strongly stacked in favour of the Yuga. According to Honda, this 109cc bike can deliver close to 72kmpl under standard testing condition. You can say these conditions to what you have on the highways. Under city conditions this is bound to be lower. However, even under these conditions, the CB Shine has a lower stated mileage of only around 65 kmpl.

Let us take a look at what other third party reviews have got to say. While we have not had any common source that has reviewed both these bikes alike (except from the user review site, MouthShut, of course), we have around 4 sources for the Dream Yuga and five other for the CB Shine.

MotorBeam in their review report that they were able to extract 58-60 kmpl on city roads with the Dream Yuga. On highway roads, this went up to 65kmpl on their test ride. BikeDekho did not have a similar experience. Their test only delivered around 55kmpl on city roads although on highways, the experience was better than what MotorBeam experienced at 70kmpl. OverDrive relatively had the worst experience of all. They report a 47kmpl fuel economy on city roads with the Dream Yuga.

In comparison, CB Shine has a relatively more consistent report. On IndiaGarage, users together report fuel consumption of between 50-55kmpl on city roads and between 58-62kmpl on highway roads. BikeAdvice says that although the average expected economy is around 50kmpl, you can still make it better through regular servicing and air checks. While the report on Yahoo Autos calls for users to expect between 55-60kmpl, the MaxAbout report averages out their test ride mileage at around 58kmpl which is almost similar to what Yahoo has noted.

On MouthShut, there is a more diverse reporting on the Dream Yuga. The customers there have reported numbers on a pretty wide range between 50-65kmpl. On the contrary, the customers who have used a CB Shine report a more consistent number of between 50-55 kmpl on city roads.

Let’s tabulate these numbers for easy comparison.

Source Dream Yuga (kmpl) CB Shine (kmpl)
Official 72 65
BikeAdvice 50
BikeDekho 55
IndiaGarage 50-55
MaxAbout 58
MotorBeam 58-60
MouthShut 50-65 50-55
OverDrive 47
Yahoo 55-60

As I see it, there is little to choose between the two bikes when it comes to the actual mileage delivered on city roads. The Dream Yuga is a little inconsistent with a wider reported range while the CB Shine delivers a pretty consistent figure between 50-55kmpl. So my take is that if you have those additional 8000 rupees to spend, why not go with the CB Shine? At least, you can enjoy a better power and performance at a similar mileage. What’s your take on this? Do tell us in the comments.

Yamaha FZ-S

The Yamaha FZ-16 was one of the earliest bikes reviewed on MileageInfo. The FZ-S that we are discussing today is an improvisation upon the same bike and comes with distinct features like a front visor. I was not too impressed with the FZ-16 when I first reviewed it. The bike offers a city mileage of just around 38-42 kmpl on most counts. We have had 180cc bikes that offer a better economy. While the FZ-S is not too different from the FZ-16 on many aspects relating to the engine, let us look at it independently and see if it is worth the buck.

Yamaha FZ-S

First, the tech specs. The Yamaha FZ-S is built with a 153cc single cylinder 4 stroke engine that delivers a maximum power output of 14PS @7500 RPM. The torque delivered can go up to 13.6Nm at 6000RPM. There are both electric and kick start options The wheelbase measures a standard 1334mm and the bike has a ground clearance of 160mm. This 135kg bike has a total fuel capacity of 12 liters. The bike is priced at around Rs. 67,000 ex-showroom at Delhi.

Manufacturer’s Claim

The official claim on the fuel front is not too different on the FZS when you compare it with the FZ-16. If you remember, the claim from Yamaha was 50.81kmpl on the FZ16. This has not changed and Yamaha maintains the same figure for the Yamaha FZS as well.

Test Ride & Customer Feedback

MaxAbout calls the bike exteriors “strikingly different” from the FZ-16 despite both the bikes built over the same platform. The review commends the bike on its ease of navigation without any turbo lag and also for the nearly silent engine. The fuel consumption reported on city roads is around 35-40kmpl with the number jumping up to 45kmpl on the highways.

Although there are quite a few proud customers of the FZS on IndiaMart, there aren’t too many reports on the fuel consumption. One user though notes the mileage to be around 38kmpl on busy city roads which rises to 48kmpl on highway roads.

On xBHP, there was a discussion initiated by a customer who reports a pretty low mileage of 25kmpl on the FZS. However, as reported by various other forum members who happen to own the bike, this appears to be a one-off case since the average fuel consumption seems to be in the range of 35-40 kmpl on city roads. So in case you are experiencing bad economy, do take it to the service station and get the bike checked.

A reader on BikeAdvice has reviewed his FZS after owning it for around six months. While he commends the bike on the style and ‘eye catching features’, the reviewer does note that the mileage is on the wrong side of 40. It just delivers around 35kmpl on city roads. Another reader who in his review says the FZS gives a feel of a 180cc despite being a 150cc bike says the fuel consumption on his bike was just between 38-40 kmpl.

There are close to 107 reviews for the Yamaha FZS on MouthShut and these reviewers have rated the bike 3/5 for fuel. Do note that most bikes, including those in the higher power range have got 4/5 if they seem to be on par with the industry standard. A 3 rating probably means there are more users who are not happy with the fuel economy than those who do.

Surprisingly though, the mileages reported on MouthShut seems to be actually higher than what a lot of reviewers from other sources have put. Except for one reviewer who says he gets 25kmpl, almost every other review has noted a fuel economy on city roads to be between 38-53kmpl which is extremely good. Even here, the average reported mileage appears to be around 45kmpl which is not bad at all.

I’ve put all these figures from various sources in the table below. The report from MouthShut appears to be some sort of an anti-climax since this user-reviews site is the only place where the fuel economy appears to be good. And I would personally believe in these numbers than those that were reported on test rides simply because these are from real customers. Overall, truth be told, I’m confused. Have a look at these numbers – does this make you want the bike or not want it? Tell me in the comments.

Source City Roads (kmpl) Highways (kmpl)
Source 50.81
MaxAbout 35-40 45
IndiaMart 38 48
xBHP 35-40
BikeAdvice 35-40
MouthShut 38-53