Ather 450 Apex ownership review: Sold my Gen 3 450X within 2 years

In fact, mine was the first Ather Apex to be delivered in Kerala.

BHPian Roshith recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I always tend to keep my bikes for long.

The Ather has been an exception. I have owned the 3rd Gen for close to two years. It has been a revelation and in fact, one of the best commuters out there and changed my perception of electric vehicles being for the nerdy types. The performance is jiffy – in fact on most occasions, you will be the first off the line when the lights turn green, it has braved flash floods in Trivandrum, and has been loaded to the gills with stuff, but has been unfazed most of the time. Not once have I faced any software issues or any kind of mechanical issues?

The review of my Gen 3

There had been no plan to upgrade from the current Ather, but I have always been a fan of the brand and when I saw teaser videos of a “Performance Ather” being tested – it piqued my interest. Finally, when the Ather Apex was revealed in the Edium Blue colour, I was hooked (Blue is my favourite colour – My RD, TVS Express, Supra and even my XL6 sport myriad shades of blue.) I promptly booked the scooter online by paying an amount of Rs.2,500/-

The online world was flooded with riding impressions and the magic twist feature – though not ridden one – I was not sure how it would translate into real-world driving. Overall it was a good feeling.

Now had to sell my Gen 3 Ather. My bikes are very pampered and I never would want to sell any of them. However, I think with an electric vehicle the equation is completely different – it’s like upgrading to the next best technology available. I will also be in the first in the queue in the future when Ather launches its next performance offering.

The very same day I had put up my Gen 3 for sale – a friend picked it up. Needless to say I got the price I was looking to sell it for.

The ownership change episode was very disappointing though – basically to update the mobile number of the new owner to connect to the Ather App. I called the helpline number – they mentioned that I need to share my Aadhar card and updated RC of the new owner. This was promptly done and they promised to update. I got an email a few days after that mentioning that I had used the Ather Grid and an amount of Rs.26/- was pending. I replied by saying that I hadn’t used the Ather grid ever, but to close this and since the amount was small – I would pay it and that I wanted to know how it could be done. I promptly got a call back the next day evening – that there had been a mistake and that I just needed to send the old invoice along with all the details shared earlier – AGAIN. Since I wanted to complete the process for the person who bought my scooter I shared the invoice – though for the life of me – don’t know why they need that. After sharing this – I was again back to square one with a mail received which said that I have to pay the amount due for grid charging. After numerous calls, it got sorted out after someone at the Ather owners group told me how the payment of the Ather Grid was to be done. The call centre guys at Ather didn’t know that.

The Apex delivery experience at Ather Trivandrum Kuttukaran was a vast improvement from the last time I bought the Gen 3 from the same showroom. For one, the staff is very knowledgeable about the scooter and handled all the doubts very easily. The delivery experience was great, made all the more memorable by the fact that mine was the first Ather Apex to be delivered in Kerala.

The Ather Goody box had a key holder, an apex branded cloth label, and a nice quality head wrap. Thanks, Ather. Really makes you feel special – though would have expected a sleeker keychain- had to buy one from Amazon – which came with the old logo of Ather.

The scooter comes with a duo charger – a very well-thought-out product and a drastic improvement over the earlier charger. It's sleeker with a solid handle. It has a lockable base wall mountable base plate that needs to be bought separately – Rs.2,599/- through their website, which turns this into a secure wall charger. I also ordered the handle grip. Surprisingly, both reached me within three days of ordering - in Warp Mode for sure.

Speaking of updates one major grouse I have of the Gen 3 ownership experience is regarding the after-sales service in Trivandrum. I don’t know about the other locations, but for one they never answer the phone and most of the time I have to contact the call centre number and then request a callback. But, the service done so far on three separate occasions has been good.

Now about the Apex – the Indium Blue colour is very striking and looks better in the flesh. My colleagues in the office and my family liked the colour. From the owner's Whatsapp group, I came to know that many were smitten by this colour, especially youngsters and had booked it just for this colour. I think I might be the only oldie riding this flashy Ather.

From my riding experience of a week, I must say there have been several improvements on the scooter – all for the better.

A few observations after a few days of riding. Some of them are not exclusive to the Apex and might be there in the Gen 4. I am comparing it with the older Gen 3

Pluses

1. The Colour – The Indium Blue turns heads wherever you go. Couple that with a potbellied middle-aged rider on the seat – you are guaranteed maximum eyeballs. The combination of the slightly orangish wheels and the see-through frame accents is fantastic. You either like it or hate it. Having said that I think the colour/finish would be very susceptible to scratches – let’s see how it fares.

2. The Warp+ feature – This upgraded Warp+ mode is simply fantastic. The acceleration is now even faster. One twitch of the button into Warp+ turns this into a guided missile. Have easily touched close to the top speed. The Warp + mode has a matching blue accent on the screen unique to the Apex.

3. The Mirrors – The mirrors are vastly improved. Not so much in terms of visibility but the build quality and the chunky indestructible feeling.

4. The charging flap – it now has a click-to-close feature, unlike the limp flap in the earlier models.

5. The seat – A standard feature in all the new models – the new seat is much firmer and comfortable. The contours are well designed and you don’t tend to slide down now like before.

6. The belt shroud – This should have been there from the start. The belt is now very nicely covered. The earlier exposed belt would attract all the dust and the gunk from the road and get more noisier in the process. But, from the screw points, I think this is exclusive to the Apex.

7. The switches – The horn switch is now smoother than before

8. The dedicated Reverse button – This is a God send – no more scratching at the screen.

9. The Magic Twist – I initially dismissed it as a marketing gimmick, but it’s one of those – why didn’t I think of this before kind of feature? It works like a regular brake save for panic situations and it can be set to High or Low Modes. I use it in High modes and the regen kicks in when using this feature and other than the saving on your brake pads.

Minuses

1. The indicator switch- like before is very unresponsive and the “solid click or actuating feel is absent. With your helmet, you might not hear the beep sound of the indicators in action too

2. The Hill Hold – This feature has a mind of its own. I think the Gen 3 Hill Hold was more predictable. It fails to work when most needed.

3. The Navigation screen – The first time I saw the flicker in the navigation screen of my Ather Gen3, I thought it went Kaput. Checked a colleague’s scooter and it had the same issue. Déjà vu – the Apex sports the same kind of lines.

4. Regenerative braking – This I feel is “wired” too hard and takes the fun out of coasting. The bike refuses to move freely the moment you take your hands off the throttle.

The semi-transparent side panels – this makes for a very visually interesting part, especially with the contrasting trellis frames and all. But am not sure if, in the long run, it could attract dust inside and be an eyesore. When I washed the scooter there was the “Titanic film window” like mist forming inside the panels which went off after some time. Let’s see how it unravels. For now, I am loving the reactions – will it break? Is this an extra fitting? Is it to cool the engine?

Now the all-important question – kitna detha hai? It’s too early to say – but I believe I am getting a better range than before all thanks to the stronger than ever Re-Gen.

I believe the Apex will be the last model in this platform and I was told Apex bookings will be taken only till October. So let's see what the future unfolds for Ather. For now - very happy with the Scoot.

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