The Hero Destini 125 aka the Duet 125 was primarily showcased at the Auto Expo 2018. At the event, the scooter was displayed under moniker, the Duet 125. It is designed and developed at the company\'s Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur. The Destini 125 is slated to hit the Indian market on October 22, where it will find rivals in the 125 displacement range. From the bunch, here we are going to compare this upcoming Destini 125 with the Honda Activa 125 and the TVS NTorq and will see how these scooters will stack up against each on paper specs.
Design:
Hero Destini which is a family oriented offering is a Hero Duet 110’s look like. However, the company made a host of changes at the cosmetic front to convey a more appealing, refreshing appearance. Now, it gets a new front apron with chrome bits. On the other hands, the side gets curvier with new body panels which rear gets stylish with new tail lamp setup.
Honda Activa 125 is a more powerful iteration of the Activa 5G. With a host of premium bits and chrome work at the front and on exhaust muffler respectively, it is Activa 5G with similar styling and design language. It is decent and serves everyone’s taste. On the other hand, with a sharp styling, the TVS NTorq 125 is a handsome and well-proportioned scooter. Not only it is pleasing to look at but also pretty comfortable in riding with its posture and seat unit. However, one really feels little cramped at the footboard, which is not the biggest among scooters on sale in the country.
Features:
Hero Destini 125 comes equipped with convenient features for riding. It gets a semi-digital instrument console-which contains speedometer,
tachometer, side stand indicator, service reminder and more. In addition to this, there is a pass switch, an external fuel filling unit is also being provided among others. The Destini is the only scooter in Hero’s lineup which gets the brand’s patented Idle-Start-Stop-System (i3S). It helps in saving fuel by automatically killing the engine in traffic conditions if the engine remains idle for 5 seconds. The important aspect, safety on the Destini 125 is offered via drum brakes or an optional front disc with Integrated Braking System (IBS).
Honda Activa 125: The Honda Activa 125 observe a sort of improvement at the instrument cluster. To the setup, the automaker has added Eco speed indicator and a service due indicator. Similar to Honda’s other scooter offerings, the new Activa 125 now comes a 4-in-1 lock which allows seat opening from the adjacent switch. Also, it accesses the seat’s open/close functionality, handle lock and starts the ignition. As like to other scooters in comparison it also has an external fuel filler cap for easy fueling at the station.
In terms of features, the TVS NTorq is one of the advanced scooters in this comparison. It gets \'Smart Connect\' system, which gives smartphone connectivity via the app. On the instrument display, one can see information like call alerts, SMS alerts, navigation assist, lap timer, 0-60 kmph timer, navigation assist, and much more. Additionally, it gets a pass-switch, an external fuel filler cap, LED DRLs and a USB charger. There is only an issue the NTorq is that in a bid to open the seat one has to take the ignition key out and use it on the side panel.
Powertrain:
As a propelling unit, almost all the scooters underpin a 125 cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine. However, the churned power and torque output for all the products are different. Check out indexed power specs of all the models in comparison: Model Max Power Peak Torque Hero Destini 125 8.7 bhp at 6750 rpm 10.2 Nm at 5000 rpm. Honda Activa 125 8.67PS 10.12Nm TVS NTorq 125 9.3 bhp at 7,500 rpm 10.5 Nm at 5,500 rpm For transmission, all the scooters use a CVT gearbox transmission.
Price:
On the price factor, the Honda Activa 125 retails at INR 55,689 for the drum variant and INR 61,857 (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the disc variant. On the other side, The TVS NTorq 125 is priced at INR 58,687. So we can expect Hero Destini pricing around INR 53-56k. All the mentioned prices are applicable at Delhi dealerships.