Hero Xoom 110 First Ride Review: Sporty Enough To Trouble The Dio?

Hero’s 110cc scooter portfolio witnesses the arrival of its third child and much like the youngest sibling of any family, it too aims to be cool, funky, sporty and up to date with modern trends. Will that be enough to sway the newly-turned 16-year-olds in its favour or will Gen Z look elsewhere?

Familiarly Sporty

Hero designers have managed to hit the design brief of a sporty scooter. The Xoom 110 does look a bit derivative, sharing styling cues with the TVS NTorq 125 and the Vida V1. The sharp body panels and faux air scoops across the scooter state its intentions quite well. And adding to the cool quotient are the H-shaped LED DRL with an LED projector headlight and LED taillight. 

Hero offers it in three trims – LX, VX and ZX – with five colours to pick from. It looks smashing in red and the matte orange shade too does attract eyeballs. Plus, the diamond-cut alloy wheels elevate its appeal. 

While it does manage to stand out from the crowd of traditionally-designed scooters, the plastic quality and switchgear used could have been better. It doesn’t sit well with the youthful intent of the scooter, as they look like they have been lifted straight off any of its other commuter-centric siblings. 

Feature-rich But Functional?

Hero has studied Gen Z well and tried to attract them with some dazzling features. Starting with cornering lights. This tech was pioneered on large capacity motorcycles like the Multistradas and the Pan Americas, and it is commendable that Hero has managed to adapt it to a 110cc scooter.

However, it disappoints in execution. The cornering lights don’t light up quite as far ahead as you would’ve liked and the beam switches off quite rapidly. If only Hero managed to swap the position of the cornering lights and turn indicators, and kept the beam on for a little while longer post exiting the bend, it would’ve made the system a whole lot more functional.

We found the LED headlight to offer decent illumination on our short night ride. The full digital LCD dash has adequate ride-related data and one can even connect their smartphones to the console. There’s no turn-by-turn navigation, though, which is a downer. You do get two apron-mounted cubby holes and a USB charger as standard on the top trim.

As up to date as the Xoom shows itself to be, it still doesn’t get a remote boot unlock or external fuel filler cap. There is a case to be made for the absence of the latter as it would have made the design a bit disproportionate but remote boot access should have been there, period.

Gruffy And Peppy

The Xoom 110 shares its heart with its Hero 110cc brethren. It arrives in an unchanged state of tune and hence feels as peppy as a 110cc scooter should. Throttle response was prompt and crisp, with the scooter reaching a speedo-indicated top speed of 90kmph.

Where Hero does need to work on the Xoom 110’s mill is engine refinement, more so with the inconsistencies we faced with a few scooters on the test. On one, the floor felt buzzy from 30-35kmph onwards though it got smoother by the time you reached 60-65kmph. On some, the buzz was more apparent throughout and failed to subside even at higher speeds.

Stable AF

The mildly spirited motor is backed up by an athletic hardware setup. The same underbone frame of the other Hero 110cc scooters is used here. The only tweaks made are to increase its wheelbase slightly and to accommodate the larger 12-inch rear wheel. Even the suspension components, while being the same in configuration, are tuned slightly differently.

Thank God the Xoom 110 rolls on 12-inch wheels at both ends. It makes the ride so stable and safe, which is great for a newbie rider. The MRF rubber used was adequately sticky too. Despite being one of the heaviest in its segment (by just a small margin), it is delightfully nimble and quick to steer. It should be easy on college runs or on weekend trips.

And this sprightly suspension tune doesn’t make the ride jarring or harsh either. It is pliant and absorbent over most road imperfections. Only over the particularly thick rumble strips at slow speeds does it feel a bit thrashy, else there’s no complaints here. 

The brakes are a bit of a letdown. Grab on to the levers and you get a wooden feeling. The bite is evidently lacking and you are forced to exert extra force to slow the scooter down. So, a bit of forward planning is definitely required.

Good Buy?

Price (ex-showroom Delhi, introductory)

LX: Rs 68,599 

VX: Rs 71,799 

ZX: Rs 76,799

Considering its 110cc rivals, the Hero Xoom 110 is priced below the traditional Activa and Jupiter but on par with the funky Dio and Scooty Zest. It manages to find a neat little pocket for itself and should be a good buy for those who are looking at a sporty, stylish and feature-rich first ride.

We are quite keen to check out how well it performs against the Honda Dio, a scooter that is much loved by newbie riders for generations.