Yesterday evening I took a test drive of Rodeo. It was just a 20 minutes drive but I am a person who has tried hundreds of two wheelers right from the lunas and the scooty’s to the pulsar 250’s and Royal Enfield Thunderbirds. As an ardent bike riding enthusiast I can say that Rodeo is a quality ride.
Mahindra Rodeo is a no nonsense scooter with signature Mahindra feature of Value for Money which you get out of its vehicles like Bolero, Scorpio and Xylo. The scooter has the three simple qualities that any buyer would want in his/her scooter and it is that it is a stylish, powerful and sturdy scooter.
I find Honda Activa to be best in the scooter category. But Rodeo can give Activa very tough competition. As far as styling is concerned, it is by far the best looking scooter I have come across. Rodeo is a very funky looking scooter. I tried the blazing red I guess. I read in another review over here that it comes in shades like Fiery Black, Forest Green, Cappuccino Brown, Blazing Red, Golden Beige, Majestic Maroon and Deep Ocean Blue. The colour scheme of these scooters is very different.
Rodeo has superb pic up. I have even tried one of my friend’s Flyte which has the same 125 cc engine as rodeo. Even Fylte (the more feminine scooter) feels more powerful than other scooters in its class. The engine generates 8bhp of max power and 9.1Nm of max torque at 5500rpm.
A 20 minute ride doesn’t really tell too much about the sturdiness of its body in the long run but it did seem pretty solid with no rattles or any funny noise of any kind. The telescopic suspension also holds up pretty well with the scooter gliding well on potholes and rough roads. It does seem weighty but that is a good thing. That is the signature Mahindra. Even in its cars like Scorpio and Xylo, everything has a weighty feel. The steering is weighty and you need a little effort to shift the gears. Braking is also good and reliable.
These qualities are what matter the most in a scooter. The other toys included in rodeo are just added advantage like the digital odo, mobile charging point, side stand buzzer and illuminated storage space are thoughtful accessories. I even liked the concept of front petrol inlet.
Some value adds that could work well with rodeo are front disc brakes and Tuff-up tubes. At an approximate price of Rs.45, 000 Rodeo is very good value for money in terms of its ride quality. Additionally, it is the best looking scooter.