There’s a new sporty scooter in town! Say hello to the all-new TVS NTorq 150. But TVS aren’t calling it a sport scooter, instead they’re calling it a ‘Hyper Sport Scooter.’ Marketing jargon? Definitely, but TVS is throwing a lot at it. The NTorq 150 is based on the same underpinnings as its younger sibling, the NTorq 125, but dials everything up to eleven with sharper styling, a boat load of kit, and more importantly more power. TVS says it’s the quickest scooter in India, period. Introductory prices for the scooter begin at ₹1.19 lakh, ex-showroom, making it about ₹20,000 dearer than its younger sibling, and TVS claims that it's the quickest scooter in India, period. After spending a day with it, the NTorq has definitely surprised me, and here are my first impressions.
On the styling front, it’s more evolutionary than revolutionary. It gets a completely new front end, with quad projector LED headlights, DRLs, and a revised nose — but the overall silhouette and size remain the same as the NTorq 125. TVS has also given it winglets up front, which not only make it look sportier, but also serve a function: improving stability at high speeds. In profile, things are familiar — a 12-inch wheel at both ends (more on that later), a fairly large floorboard area, a single-piece seat, and sharp body panels. What TVS does say, though, is that the front rake is slightly sharper. At the back, it gets a new, larger LED tail light, a stubby exhaust, a sharp tail, and upswept grab rails. It’s available in a barrage of eye-catching colours, and you know what — it looks a lot better in person. The NTorq 125 still looks fresh and youthful almost seven years after it first came onto the scene, and I think the NTorq 150 will follow suit. It will certainly appeal to the target audience and stand out because of its head-turning design.
On the features front, there's no other scooter on the Indian market, period, with so much kit like the NTorq 150. It has two variants: standard and TFT, and as fhe name suggests, the latter gets a 5-inch TFT colour screen with Bluetooth connectivity that enables turn-by-turn navigation, message alerts, the option to accept or reject a call, and even music control. Moreover, it also has Alexa integration, smartwatch integration, live vehicle tracking, geo fencing, crash alerts, and even displays telematics like the 0 to 60kmph time and top speed. Heck, like a smartphone, it also has custom widgets, displays weather and sports reports, and even shows an image of the caller. Phew. The screen is borrowed from the RTR310, and I have to say it's one of the best in the business. Well laid out, crisp, and legible even in bright sunlight. Other features include follow me home function for the headlights, a 2-litre cubby hole on the apron, 22-litre underseat storage with s Type-A USB port, adjustable brake levers, hazard lights with emergency brake warning, single-channel ABS and even traction control.
Fit and finish is fantastic, with consistent panel gaps, a good paint finish, and a high quality switchgear that also feels tactile, but there was a bit of a creek coming through the front apron, but nothing a deal breaker.
Powering the NTorq 150 is a 147.5cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine which churns out 13bhp and highest in class 14.3Nm torque. Essentially, it's the same mill as the NTorq 125, but with a bigger bore, longer stroke and some more internal changes. The scooter has two ride modes — Street and Race — with the former getting a lower state of tune with slightly less power. The scooter boasts the brand's iGo electric motor assist which enables a boost function in Race, and that comes in handy during quick overtakes. This mill is also butter smooth. It's extremely refined through the rev range, and only noticeable with little vibes crawling through the footboard when you're past 90kmph. It also is very spritely, with a good and smooth low end and mid range. But it also has a punchy, usable, top end and that gives it good cruising creds. It can sit at 80kmph all day long, and step up to 100kmph fairly quickly. This engine is truly an all-rounder, but you know what? I was expecting it to have punchier performance especially considering TVS' claims. Yes, it is quick, enjoyable and a step up over the NTorq 125, but it surely doesn't feel as quick as the Yamaha Aerox 155. Only if it had 2 or 3bhp more, it would easily be the most enjoyable scooter in its class. But, considering the fact that it's over ₹30,000 more affordable than its rivals — the Aerox and the Hero Xoom 160, it does put up a good fight against the two bigger scooters.
Much to my surprise, the NTorq 150 does really punch above its weight and is a superb all-rounder when it comes to being sporty as well as comfy. It has an easy going riding posture, and rides extremely well. I didn't get a chance to ride it on proper rough roads, but I did try it at different speeds on a few speed bumps at TVS' test track in Hosur and it felt very well poised. It has excellent damping, irons out sharp edges very well and feels stable on high speed undulations too. But comfort doesn't come at the cost of good dynamics, because this is an extremely nimble and chuckable scooter. We were expecting it to be shod with bigger 14-inch wheels, but even with the smaller 12-inch units, this is a really really good handling scooter. It feels light, changes direction smoothly and will surely be enjoyable to filter around town. The brakes too are fantastic, the 220mm petal disc up front has good bike feedback and doesn't fade after heavy usage, but the rear does tend to lock up easily. Together though, the setup does a good job of slowing the 115kg scooter well. ABS is an added bonus, and it's calibrated well.
The NTorq is an excellent all-rounder for a sporty scooter. It's got a tonne of kit, some of which is really usable, has head turning looks and rides and handles really well. It also has enjoyable performance with the bigger engine, but it's not as hardcore as its arch rival, the Aerox 155. But then, at ₹1.19 lakh, ex-showroom, the NTorq will save you over ₹30,000, and that's good enough to keep it running for almost half a decade! It isn't as radical on the performance front as we expected it to be, but it sure is a damn good sporty scooter. One that you can live happily with for a long time.
