Yamaha Fascino vs TVS Scooty Zest: Comparison Review

When one talks about scooters, practicality is the first word that crops up in your mind and that’s the main reason for its success. Scooter sales have gone through the roof with the advent of new products every passing year. One of the aspects where scooters have somewhat got stuck is the styling department. Until a few years back most of the scooters in our market almost looked identical with a neutral design language to please the masses. With young buyers coming into the fray, importance of styling gladly has been understood by manufacturers. One such stylish entry was the Yamaha Fascino that was launched earlier this year. The combination of retro and modern styling elements make the Yamaha Fascino among the prettiest scooter in our market. Its closest competitor on the styling front is the Vespa VX, but the almost Rs 20,000 price nullifies the comparison. But there is one 110cc scooter with its quirky and sharp design makes for an interesting contender... reason enough to pit the Yamaha Fascino against the TVS Scooty Zest.

Design & Features:

Yamaha Fascino: rating_4.0_rating

TVS Scooty Zest: rating_4.0_rating

The biggest talking point about the new Yamaha Fascino is its styling. The European influence cannot be missed, but thankfully it’s not a complete rip off. The Fascino features a handlebar mounted headlamp which is triangular in profile, giving the scooter a distinct face. The indicators have been mounted on the body panel with the Yamaha logo adorned in a chrome plaque. The curves of the Fascino can be best appreciated in profile and we especially liked the manner in which the rear body panel swoops down. The beefy exhaust muffler also flows smoothly with the overall design and the 3D Fascino badge along with chrome panels gives it an upmarket feel. The large tail lamp look good but the black plastic panel above it seems a bit odd. While the design of the Yamaha Fascino can be termed as mature and sophisticated, the TVS Scooty Zest’s styling is youthful and brazen. The first thing one would notice is the petite dimensions of the scooter but TVS designers have used the black accents and graphics cleverly to mask this fact.

The most interesting design detail of the Scooty Zest has to be its raked out front fairing and the beak shaped lower panel that also acts as a mudguard. The blackened out front forks, alloy wheels and the chrome heat shield on the muffler further enhances the design appeal. The TVS Scooty Zest gets a LED tail lamp that is integrated into the rear panel while the indicators have been placed on the side panel which endows the scooter with an odd but unique tail section. Both the scooters employ an analogue instrument console while the Scooty Zest gets eco and power mode indicators. Switch gear quality of the both the scooters is good but the Yamaha Fascino feels better put together among the two as the screws on our long term Scooty Zest had rusted within six months of use. Also both the scooters employ a plastic fiber body to keep kerb weight under check. The Fascino gets a cubby hole besides the keyhole to store mobile phone or wallet while the Scooty Zest gets a more spacious front glove box. The Yamaha Fascino has better under seat storage capacity at 21 litres but we must point out that though the Scooty Zest has 2 litres less space, it managed to swallow a full face helmet which the Yamaha offering couldn’t.

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Engine and Performance:

Yamaha Fascino: rating_4.0_rating

TVS Scooty Zest: rating_4.0_rating

Powering the Yamaha Fascino is a 113cc motor producing 7.1PS of power and 8.1Nm of torque. The above numbers are a bit disappointing when one compares it to competition and owing to this fact the Fascino isn’t the fastest scooter in the market. It feels a bit sluggish to gather momentum but has a strong mid-range and top end. This nature means that the Fascino could easily cruise between speeds of 60 to 70kmph. The Yamaha engine isn’t extremely refined and trifling vibrations could be felt through the floor board throughout the revv range. The TVS Scooty Zest employs the same 110cc motor as seen on the TVS Jupiter. The air-cooled, single-cylinder mill churns out 8PS of power and peak torque of 8.7Nm. Given the better power figures, it isn’t surprising that the Scooty Zest trumps the Fascino in the performance department. Also the fact that it weighs just 98kg endows the Scooty Zest with brilliant power-to-weight ratio. 

This translates into swift acceleration and the scooter picks up momentum with eagerness. The punchy acceleration is very useful while riding in city traffic for overtaking and we feel the Scooty Zest is among the most fun to ride scooters on sale. But we would have appreciated better refinement and a quieter engine note from the TVS powerplant. Talking about fuel efficiency, the Yamaha Fascino has been equipped with the patented Blue Core technology to reduce friction among the mating parts and improve the combustion efficiency of the motor. Yamaha claims that the Fascino has a mileage figure of 63kmpl which makes it the most fuel efficient scooter in our market. TVS claims a fuel efficiency figure of 62kmpl for the Scooty Zest but having the scooter as part of our long term fleet we received an overall mileage figure of around 50kmpl.

Ride, Handling and Braking:

Yamaha Fascino: rating_3.5_rating

TVS Scooty Zest: rating_4.0_rating

The petite dimensions and the low kerb weight means that the TVS Scooty Zest wins the agility battle as it zips through the tightest of the gaps effortlessly. The Yamaha Fascino isn’t a slouch with respect to nimbleness and has better stability while cornering at high speeds and feels better planted. Braking on both the scooters is done by drum brakes at both the ends and the Yamaha Fascino wins this battle convincingly. The bite and feedback through the levers is better compared to the TVS offering, the only qualm being the minor judder of the front forks.

Verdict:

Yamaha Fascino: rating_3.5_rating

TVS Scooty Zest: rating_4.0_rating

After an eventful day of testing both these scooters, it decision time. The TVS Scooty Zest is definitely the more fun to ride scooter owing to its peppy powerplant and agility. It also has better storage space, features, benefit of tubeless tyre, and of course pricing. The TVS Scooty Zest retails for Rs 44,900 while the Yamaha Fascino retails for Rs 52,500 (both prices ex-showroom Delhi). With a Rs 7,500 price advantage which is a considerable amount for a scooter consumer. 

But the seductive styling of the Fascino will make you stand apart from the crowd and this could be gauged from the eyeballs it grabbed wherever we went during the photo shoot. It also has better build quality, fuel efficiency and the added advantage of Yamaha’s engineering prowess. The TVS Scooty Zest makes more sense with respect to value and as an overall product. But not all decisions in life are made from the mind... just like the Yamaha Fascino – a scooter that appeals to your heart.