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Ather 450X First Ride Review | Espresso Shot
Ather 450X First Ride Review | Espresso Shot
Sometimes, stars do align in a certain way. 19th December 2023 and 19th December 2024. These are the two dates which are going to stay with me for a long time to come and there’s one common linkage between the two. The Ather 450X. You see, at the same time last year, Ather rolled out the 450 Apex for the masses and invited us to a go-kart facility in Bengaluru to get a taste of their newly brewed recipe. I arrived there in a completely lethargic state due to frequent travel and lack of sleep. Everything was a blur, in the most literal sense but then, when I entered the track and let the Apex loose, it worked like a super-strong espresso shot taken after snorting some talcum. This time again, I found myself at another go-kart facility to sample the 2025 Ather 450X. Again, the stars conspired to teleport me to the same state of mind. As I gathered my senses to make sense of everything that was happening around me, my eyes fell upon the espresso shot I had been craving for so long. There they were, a bunch of Ather 450Xs draped in two new shades - Stealth Blue and Hyper Sand.
Aesthetically? Just the two new shades. Apart from that, the 450X remains exactly the same as before. It is still as sharp as ever but I am a firm believer that this should be the last generation of the 450X to be based on this canvas. After this, Ather definitely should transition to a bolder phase. Nevertheless, frequent updates have kept the 450 line alive and this update should be taken as another booster shot to keep it breathing and kicking. Ather blessed the Rizta with what they call SkidControl which is basically Ather’s way of christening their traction control system. The new 450X also gets it but in a more definitive and complex form. The multi-level traction control on the 450X has four modes: Rain, Road, Rally and completely Off. Ather has also partnered with MRF to make specific tyres for the 450 line. These tyres are called MRF N e-tred and are specifically developed for the Ather 450 line. The custom compound change has added to the true range of the 450 line which now stands 130km in the smart eco mode instead of 110km. The claimed range for the 3.7kWh battery pack variant now stands at 161km. The true range in the Sport and Warp mode stand at 100km and 85km respectively. The last update has come in the form of Magic Twist which was previously reserved for just the Apex.
Oh yes! Consider these updates as topping the brew off with whipped cream with the concentration of caffeine remaining exactly the same as before! The Ather 450X was destined to be warped around a go-kart track. It wouldn’t be surprising that in the hands of an able and skilled rider, the Ather 450X could even smoke most of the 160cc motorcycles out there. Yeah, I said it. As soon as I took the first corner on the 450, all the memories came rushing by with the speed of light. You see, the 450 is developed keeping the enthusiast in mind and everything mechanically that makes it a scooter, has been tuned keeping that mindset in mind. So be it the powertrain, chassis or the cycle parts, everything comes together like the Bohemian Rhapsody to present the rider with an enthralling experience.
The Ather 450X has always been fast and that stays the same with the updated version as well. Boring you with the specifications wouldn’t do justice to the 450X and how it rides on a go-kart track. Like we said, it is an experience that deserves to be had at least once in your life. Since there is no ICE involved, all the electrons come at your disposal as soon as you summon them with your right wrist. Ather has always struck the right chords when it comes to throttle calibration and the new 450X is no different. After a few hundred metres, I slotted the 450X in the Warp mode to get the whole monty experience of this thunderbolt. As expected, the Ather ran on the racetrack like its pants were on fire. One thing worth noting here is that the traction control modes can be toggled on the fly. During our time with the Ather, we majorly kept it in the Rally mode, allowing for less intervention. The good folks at Ather were kind enough to allot a patch of the facility to test the rally mode and traction control in general. While the rain mode ensures that you keep the rubber side down when the tyres lose traction, the rally mode allows some fun to sneak in by allowing the rear wheel to slide. Just like the throttle calibration, even the traction control works flawlessly.
One of the prime reasons why the Ather is such a riot around such tight circuits is not just because of the seamless electric surge but it also comes down to how the scooter behaves in general. It handles almost like a confident motorcycle but with nothing to squeeze in your legs. It feels a bit weird at first because of how urgently the scooter tips in the corner because you don’t expect it to be that way. The chassis not only provides the rider with enough confidence to grab on to your dear life while you’re trying to kiss the apex, but also enough feedback to communicate what’s actually happening underneath. That is down to the new tyres as well which we found to be perfectly optimized for the Ather 450X. They offer lesser rolling resistance but enough grip to do what we did. If stopping on a dime was a sport, the Ather 450X would be grabbing the top spots in its segment because of the sheer braking performance and feedback from the levers. Ather is also bundling up the 450X with their magic twist and an updated touchscreen cluster with more features that have drippled down from the Rizta.
The Ather 450X has always been one of our strongest recommendations whenever someone wishes to buy an electric scooter. If you’re after practicality, Ather has included a double-edged sword in the form of Rizta, leaving the 450 line of scooters with a single-minded approach - fast and efficient urban mobility. I know if I had to buy an electric scooter, where I would be putting my hard earned money on. It would start with an A and end with an X. So whether it is the Ather 450X or the Ather 450 Apex, I would be content. It is a great scooter turned even better and safer in its latest iteration. It is an espresso shot to wake you up from a deep slumber!
