Honda Navi – Innovation Taken To Next Level
Manufactures often decide to take a little bit of risk and think of entering into the area of possible darkness where no one has ever travelled. The only reason behind the risk being taken is the willingness to bring a unique product to the market. The risk associated with these innovative and out of the box thinking is always huge. But some travels into glory while others are never noticed. One such brave move is the Honda Navi. I would like to review the scooter the Honda Navi.
Introduction:
Honda has a huge market in India and it has been expanding ever since the company has decided to concentrate a bit more in the Indian Subcontinent, and bringing new and charismatic models to the market. One such charismatic move is the new Honda Navi. This is definitely a unique design, and I am seeing something like this for the first time in my life and I truly believe the same implies to almost every customer who looks at the Honda Navi. At first it was a difficult task for me to really identify it, whether it is moped, scooter or a bike. I would say it is a combination of all the three. Sometimes it looks like a moped, sometimes like a scooter and sometimes even like a bike. Here in this review I would love to review this scooter- cum bike and I am through to really take you on a journey which will help you to know about the basic specs, the performance, the ride quality, the price, mileage etc.
There are many of my friends who liked the Navi and instantly went in to book one. At first it was difficult for me to really understand why people were so obsessed with the design, but I slowly came to know that it is just inquisitive minds being restless and planning to get hold of a very unique design which has slowly hit our markets. Honestly speaking I have not seen a single Navi on the road even though I tried very hard. Whether you like the new Honda Navi or not is your personal choice but frankly speaking you have to be unique in your thinking if you want to like the machine. Honda has always brought a lot of good designed scooters to the Indian market and this idea of bringing another successful scooter, but with a whole new design, specs and looks.
I would love to explain you the reasons why you should consider one and if not why. The main essence and feel of the scooter is really funky and comical and way from the generic and more logically practical oriented scooters in the category. As this is a scooter and not a bike, and taking into account that Honda already has a very successful scooter in the market I would at times compare the Navi to the Activa just to give you an idea of how practical the scooter is. Though its design is quite different from a typical scooter, it has everything in it to be a good proportion in the scooter category. Design and looks:
Honda Navi is first of its kind design in the market. The "V" shaped body looks stunningly innovative and far away from a more conventional scooter design. You can either like it or even hate it. It depends on how you look at it. One thing is for sure, this Honda Navi is clearly not for the wider audience, but for the lesser who would love a funky and a comical ride. It has taken a lot of design cues from the bikes but still maintaining the overall conventional design cues of a scooter. If you happen to love one, and buy one I would say you are on a difficult and precarious route. Now you may ask me what is the problem in owning one. There is nothing bad in owning one but handling the attention would be difficult, I would say in all means. I think you have got what I am intending. Praises and insults are coming your way, be careful while handling those. The big headlamp, relatively smaller fuel tank, the sideways protruding exhaust, the chrome handle bars that rise high and the one piece plastic panel that makes the entire side, come together you are introduced to something odd, unconventional, funky and a bit too comical. If you are able to handle all the adjectives I just mentioned, you can really go for owning one. Now speaking about the practicality of the scooter I would really like to say that it is below par when compared to other scooters. The storage you get in an Active is a thing of the past with this Navi and speaking about flexibility it scores less too. The female fraternity will find it difficult or almost impossible to hop onto the Navi with your sari or skirts on. So if you need to ride a Navi, other dress code is recommended. Now some important aspects of the scooter, which I thought really is quite far from being called good. The clumsy plastic lid atop the fuel tank looks really cheap, the speedometer looks dated, and the handle lock is something you could have seen in the early 80s.
So design wise I would say it is a package of innovation compiled with poor quality. Had the above mentioned accessories of the scooter a bit modern and classy I would have rated the design more. I would rate this design 3.6 out of 5.The engine and the performance:
The Honda Navi has a 109.19cc Air-cooled 4 –Stroke engine generating a power ratio of 8hp@7000rpm and 9NM of Torque@5500rpm. Now because this scooter is comparatively 7 kilograms lighter than the Activa you should not be surprised if it generates a little bit more punch from the available 8hp. The Navi has a CVT automatic gearbox and when it comes to the top speed as per Honda claims this scooter gives 81 kmph, which is 1 km less than the Activa.
The scooter feels really very light and is agile enough for anyone to get a good ride out of it. The engine performs really well by 109cc standards. Handling and Ride Quality:
The ride is something you would enjoy a lot. Now clearly speaking this scooter is very light, as I mentioned earlier it is almost 7 Kgs less than the Activa making it a very good proposition to ride. The good 4-stroke engine has enough power to carry the Navi around. A light bike will always have its pros and cons; same is the case with the Honda Navi. Here because the scooter is light, it can be controlled easily, on the other side of the coin the stability you need on a scooter can be less. The 1286mm wheelbase and the 12 inch tyres combine to give a very confident ride. One positive thing in the riding is that, although almost every scooter feels a little awkward while doing corners this is excellent and gives the rider a lot of confidence. The bike has drum brakes at the front as well as at the rear and has a lot of bite and performs well.
I would rate this as a very good riding experience or all. You can take your Navi pretty much anywhere. One thing you can often accidentally do is look for that foot brake and look for the gear as well. One thing I can say is, riding the Navi is so much fun.Mileage:
The mileage as claimed by Honda is approximately 42 kmpl in city and 52 kmpl on highways. This I would say is pretty good considering the fact that it is a scooter and scooters always have mileage around the 40s.But when you look at it as a bike, or taking into account how much light it is, I would say the mileage figures could have been better. Pricing:
The Honda Navi is priced at Rs. 39,500 ex-showroom price Delhi. This is a very good pricing. The engineers who have quoted the price have really kept almost all the important factors in their mind while quoting the price. The Navi is almost 10ks less than the Activa making it a very good scenario. If you like the design straightaway go for it otherwise the conventional Activa is always their at your disposal. Pros and Cons:
Pros:
Innovative design, pretty light, good handling characteristics, punchy colour schemes, too much fun to ride, decent mileage.
Cons:
Design may not be for everyone, accessories look clearly dated, very less storage space, not so practical. The Verdict:
Do you know what Navi stands for? It stands for New Additional Value for India. Now is it really the new additional value for Indians? If I were to answer the question I would say yes. Because it is first time we have seen anything like this and clearly with the performance it has as monkey bike, it is great. Personally speaking I would not go and get one but still feel If some of you like it just go ahead. It is a fantastic vehicle.
