Since 2018, Ather Energy has stood for performance and for premium, but it hasn't exactly stood for mass appeal. The 450 series has always been the choice for enthusiasts but can Ather really make a scooter that can appeal to the average Indian scooter buyer. The Rizta is that scooter, according to Ather. We headed to Bangalore to ride it for the very first time and find out just how close Ather has been able to get to the heart of India's scooter market.
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While Ather's innings began with the svelte and purposeful 450X, the Rizta, which has been in the making for more than two years, is Ather's idea of what an electric scooter for the average Indian family should be like.
The Rizta has a visual identity all its own, which is a good thing.
It may not be as compact and edgy looking as the 450 series, but the Rizta shows that a family scooter need not look boring and drab. It may not have been a bad idea to draw inspiration, but the Rizta doesn't look like a larger 450X, and that's a good thing.
Wheelbase is 1285 mm; ground clearance rated at 165 mm.
The horizontal headlight cluster, while conventional, has interesting depth thanks to the frosted-effect DRLs. It does look a little bulky in profile, but the wraparound tail light breaks the monotony of the tail section, and the contrast white patch on the side panel is also a cool touch. The dual-tone paint schemes are eye-catching, and to my eyes, the Rizta looks a lot cooler than the TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak and the Ola S1 Air.
Frosted-effect daytime running lights add depth to the horizontal headlight cluster.
Swing a leg over the Rizta, and it's a familiar and comfortable space to be. The dash itself is something we've seen before on the 450 series. The switches and controls are the same. The grips feel fairly high quality, but it does feel like it falls just short of something like the Bajaj Chetak Premium, which is excellently put together.
The Rizta's seat is 900 mm-long, and can accommodate two adults in great comfort; seat height is 780 mm.
The Rizta’s seat height is 780 mm. The footboard is spacious and the 900 mm-long seat has got a lot of room, so you can slide back if you want to and it will be a really comfortable riding position if you have a pillion and they have some luggage with them, even that will be able to be accommodated pretty comfortably. And even the pillion backrest is a useful addition. However, you should remember that the base Rizta does not get this.
Underseat storage is neatly sectioned into two compartments; also features a boot light and power outlet.
You get 34 litres of under seat storage space with the Rizta. There are a couple of bag hooks, but I do wish the base of the under seat storage space was flat because right now it's not and that sort of limits its practicality.
From a features perspective, the Rizta gets something previously seen on only the 450 Apex – Magic Twist, which enables riders to come to a full stop by merely applying negative throttle input. Also part of the package is Skid Control, which Ather promises will prevent the rear wheel from slipping on low-traction surfaces. These are exclusive to the Rizta Z variants, however, and are only enabled by opting for the Pro pack.
7.0-inch TFT misses out on touch functionality and was laggy during our test.
One of the things that's missing from the Rizta, and it's puzzling to me, is a touchscreen, even on the top spec model. The Rizta has the same 7.0-inch TFT screen that you get on the 450 X, but on the 450 X, it is touch operated and I felt it was one of the defining features of that scooter; it really added to the riding experience. Here, Ather has curiously chosen to drop the touch functionality of the screen, citing the need to lower cost and give family scooter buyers a sense of simplicity. You can control the Rizta's dash using the joystick on the left cube, but it does feel like you're going through a few too many layers to get to the exact option you want. The system on my test scooter was also pretty laggy (something Ather promises will be fixed on customer units), and the fluidity of the touch functionality is certainly missed.
Ather tells us that it can add in a touchscreen at a later date, but I'm not so sure if this will be taken to kindly by early buyers, especially considering the fact that there are scooters which do offer a touchscreen for the same price or even less. But that's something that could possibly be overlooked if the Rizta can live up to Ather's standards for performance and on-road behaviour.
Featuring a similar motor setup to the 450 series, the Rizta retains the part-aluminium construction as well, which helps keep its weight to 119 kg, but has a larger, tubular rear subframe. It doesn't take long to notice that the Rizta is a proper Ather, but not necessarily in all the ways we've come to expect.
The Rizta's Ather DNA comes to the fore when you hit the corners.
From a performance point of view, the Rizta is more or less what I expected it to be. This is after all a family scooter, so outright performance has been dialed down compared to the Ather 450 X. Peak output on this is 4.3 kW and yes, you can feel the difference. That being said, this is still a reasonably peppy scooter. I had a chance to take it up Nandi Hills and that is where its Ather DNA came to the fore. The Rizta can handle itself pretty well. It's got great grip in the corners. It feels confident even at higher speeds.
That being said, it does feel like it is lacking power and you can't help but get the feeling that this scooter is reminding you that it is an Ather, but more importantly, that you are a family man.
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Zip mode lets you get to a top speed of 80 kmph.
If you bought this one as standard, this scooter comes with just a single ride mode which is zip. If you opt for the Pro pack, you also get the SmartEco ride mode which promises higher range for some reduced performance that I feel is a trade off that's not worth making. Because SmartEco on multiple occasions when I was riding today tried to lower my speed, even when I was trying to accelerate, as it aggressively throttles performance at lower SoCs, and I found that to be a little bit risky. On the whole, the difference in range doesn't seem to be that high between the two modes, so it just feels better to leave the Rizta in Zip mode.
With the Rizta, you've got two battery options. One is a 2.9 kWh unit and the other is a 3.7 kWh unit. The one we tested is the Z 2.9 kWh, and this is the one that Ather thinks will be the sweet spot in the range. Now, speaking of range, it does seem to be a little limited on the 2.9 kWh model.
Ather says the Rizta, in Zip mode, will have a range of up to 85 kilometres in real-world use.
During my ride, I managed to drain the Rizta's 2.9 kWh battery from 78 per cent to 6 per cent charge. Despite having stayed in SmartEco mode for the majority of the ride and having switched to Zip mode for the ascent to Nandi hills, I could manage just under 50 kilometres using up about 72 per cent charge. Ather says the Rizta, in Zip mode, should manage 85 kilometres in real-world use, but I think it'll take switching to Smarteco more often to see that figure regularly. As for chargers, Ather will bundle a 350-watt charger for the 2.9 kWh models, and the 700-watt Duo charger for the 3.7 kWh model.
There's quite a lot to like about the Ather Rizta and that doesn't come as a surprise because its strengths are obvious. The big seat means that two-up riding will be comfortable in the city. This is typically Ather, so it feels well put together, performance is acceptable. But there are also some flaws. I really do not like the screen that has been used, partially because it doesn't have the touch functionality and partially because it is too slow and laggy. There's also another thing to consider, which is the price. Now at the launch Ather told us that the Rizta range will start at Rs 1.10 lakh, rise to Rs 1.25 lakh for the Z 2.9 kWh variant we tested, and Rs 1.45 lakh for the top spec Rizta Z 3.7 kWh (all prices, ex-showroom).
The Rizta has likeable qualities, but it faces stiff competition.
But what Ather conveniently left out of the conversation at launch was the cost of the Pro pack. Once you've added that in, it makes the 2.9 kWh variants more expensive by another ₹15,000. And the top spec variant is pricier by another ₹20,000, which means the gap in prices of the Rizta and the 450 X is not that big, and there are areas in which the 450 X clearly fares better. More importantly, there are other established family electric scooters already on the market and the choices within those families are expanding. We recently saw TVS add new variants to the iQube range, the iQube ST and that has a 7.0-inch touch screen and it is priced roughly in the same ballpark as the Rizta. So the Rizta has its task cut out. It does have its likeable qualities, but this one will be a fight for the ages.
