Family First

Can Ather's brand-new family scooter, the Rizta, cut the mustard or is it playing the catch-up game? We rode the scooter in Bengaluru to find out.

- Abhinav Jakhar

Ather's family scooter is finally here, and in case you missed our preview from our previous issue, it is called the Rizta. Fundamentally speaking, it is quite different from the 450 series of scooters.

This is meant to be that one scooter for the family - practical, smart, safe and spacious. Well, is it? We recently headed out to Bengaluru to see if this latest electric scooter from Ather has a fitting place in its family and yours.

From a design standpoint, Ather has gone with function over form, but that's not to say that the Rizta is a bad-looking scooter. I feel it looks rather handsome in the flesh. That front end gives off a retro-ish look with that headlamp and indicator slab that sits in the middle. Around the middle, you've got plenty of space for your feet with a large floorboard, along with two parcel hooks.

There's also the charging port on that has a convenient flap that automatically closes. Around the side, there's the triangular body panel that looks chic with the 'Rizta Z' badging finished in a chunky font. Around the back, it's got the slim tail lamp and turn indicators to complete the look. However, I must point out that there were a few panel gaps, which Ather confirmed will be worked on once the Rizta goes on sale. Overall, I do feel this is a good-looking scooter, especially in this Alphonso Yellow shade, which looks hip and contemporary. There's a lovely mix of retro and modern in there that I appreciate.

As far as features are concerned, Ather hasn't skimped, as was the case with the 450 series as well. The most prominent feature of all has to be the 7-inch TFT instrument cluster, which comes with a Snapdragon 212 Quadcore (1.3Ghz) processor and Android Open Source (AOSP) operating system with 16GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. It is, however, not a touchscreen. The display itself is quite clear and well-sorted, but we did encounter severe lag issues.