Ampere Magnus

One look at the Magnus Pro and you’ll think it’s a petrol-powered scooter. It’s only when you get closer that you see the differences -- a hub motor instead of an engine, skinny tyres, twin shocks at the rear, and plastic panels to cover up the swingarm. It’s striking to look at if you have the right colours... say a bright red or yellow. The test scooter we were handed came finished in silver which is appealing in its own way but not flashy enough to draw attention.

The overall design is sleek and sporty. We particularly loved the way the Ampere has used subtle chrome elements on the front apron and around the brow of the headlight for that touch of premiumness. What could have been better is the overall quality of the product. It feels substandard and for the lack of a better word, plasticky. The quality of plastics used on the bodywork feels flimsy.

Once you get on the scooter you’re greeted to a digital console which looks fairly basic and reads out information like the charge of the battery, ride mode options, an odometer and, of course, speed. Additional features such as estimated range and turn-by-turn navigation would have surely added to the scooter's overall user experience.  

It doesn’t get any fancy LED headlights here either, which is pretty much the norm these days. Instead, the Magnus Pro features a traditional halogen headlight which isn’t powerful enough to light up dimly lit roads. In other words, it lacks throw and spread.

Then there’s the boot light in the underseat storage which looks like an afterthought and sticks out like a sore thumb. On the plus side, it’s really bright. The exposed battery bay and the orange wire looms aren’t a pretty picture either. 

The Ampere Magnus Pro feels sprightly off the line in mode 2 as most EVs do thanks to the instant surge of torque. However, the acceleration soon trails off as soon as you border its claimed top speed of 55kmph. Our VBox indicated that the corresponding true speed at this point was 51.33kmph which is a speedo error of 6.9 percent -- perfectly acceptable considering the allowable limit is 10 percent. 

Also Read: Ather 450X: Road Test Review

You can putter around comfortably and keep pace with slow- to medium-speed traffic in the city, however, the lack of performance will leave you wishing for more. Our acceleration test figures speak for itself. 

We don’t have the actual kerb weight, but the Magnus Pro feels lightweight and extremely flickable. So navigating through traffic or simply moving the scooter around in the parking lot should be a piece of cake for most. 

You’d expect the  Magnus Pro to offer a plush ride considering it’s designed primarily for city use, but that’s far from the reality. The overall ride quality isn’t all that great and that’s purely down to the softly sprung suspension setup and the lack of travel. Simply put, the suspension runs out of travel with a rider weighing over 75kg and tends to transfer a healthy dose of jolts to your back. 

The Magnus Pro comes with a decent list of features including LED DRLs placed on the front apron, a LED console, anti-theft alarm, remote keyless entry, a boot light, and dual-tone seats. 

What’s been given a miss is a reverse gear which could have proven to be quite useful in tight parking spots, LED lights for better visibility, and a disc brake up front for improved braking performance.