Aprilia SXR GT 175

Aprilia’s maxi-scooter range has grown with the SXR GT 175. It now gets meaningful updates like modern features, bigger 14-inch wheels, sportier graphics and the 175 cc engine from the SR 175. This maxi-scooter now looks smart, makes more power and handles well, but does it hit all the right boxes? Well, not quite so, and priced at Rs 1,29,999 (ex-showroom, Delhi), a few missing pieces are hard to overlook.

The Aprilia SXR GT 175 carries its maxi-style design with confidence. The tall windshield and wide muscular body give it a solid road presence. The tripod LED headlights shout Aprilia in every manner, giving the front end a distinctive look that is hard to mistake for any other brand.

Bright, attractive colours and bold graphics on the side panels add a sporty appeal, while the coloured accents on the rims draw the attention and enhance the performance scooter styling. The scooter is offered in three shades: Matte Green, Matte Black and Metallic Blue. Of the three, the metallic blue stands out the most, and it’s the one I personally liked best.

The SXT GT’s feature list is fairly simple. It gets a 5-inch TFT console with smartphone connectivity for turn-by-turn navigation, music control, and call/text alerts. The screen stays easy to read even under direct sunlight. A USB charging port is provided, though a USB Type-C port would have been the better choice in this age. There are two mode switches provided on the right-side switchgear, which can be a little confusing at first, especially because this scooter doesn’t get ride modes. You do get the hang of which one does what eventually. 

On the safety front, the scooter comes with single-channel ABS. Overall, the package feels adequate rather than exciting, and rivals in this price bracket offer a more generous list of features.

Practicality

Despite its large proportions, storage space is not the SXR GT 175’s strongest point. A closed compartment at the front is handy for small items like your phone, wallet, keys and other knick-knacks. The underseat storage measures 20 litres, the lowest in the segment, which can barely house a small backpack or a couple of days’ worth of groceries. The floorboard is also disappointingly small, as it offers just enough space to rest your feet and nothing more. To improve practicality, Aprilia offers a top box as an optional accessory, which can hold a half-face helmet.

The seat is wide and long enough for both rider and pillion, with room left over to place a small backpack between them. It is quite firm, though, and it is a bit forward-sloping, due to which the rider slides forward every time the brakes are applied, which could get irritating on a long ride. The floorboard is compact too, leaving little room to stretch your legs, and riders who are 6 feet or taller will find it uncomfortable. 

At 800 mm, the seat height is slightly on the taller side, so riders who are 5'5" or shorter may struggle to get their feet flat on the ground. The 132 kg kerb weight, on the other hand, feels manageable and won’t cause any trouble when you are moving the scooter around. The pillion seat is spacious enough, and the grab handle feels sturdy and well placed, making it comfortable to grab on to.

The SXR GT 175 is powered by the same engine as the Aprilia SR 175, but the brand says that it is tuned differently to suit its highway capabilities. It gets a 175 cc air-cooled engine that makes 13.2 PS at 7,200 rpm and 14.14 Nm at 6,000 rpm. Power delivery is linear and predictable, which will let newbies ride it without feeling intimidated. But it also isn’t slow, which keeps the ‘Aprilia’s performance factor’ alive.

It easily reaches 100 kmph without breaking a sweat, but the scooter struggles to hold that speed for long, and the engine sounds like it is straining. Cruising at 90 kmph is the sweet spot of this scooter, though it can start to feel a bit boring if you plan to take the scooter out on a long tour.

Where Aprilia has gone wrong here is primarily making the CVT tune a bit too gradual. As a result, the excitement factor of wringing the throttle open and the scooter leaping forward is gone. It does have to contend with a lot more weight here and hence can understand some of its sluggishness. However, it doesn’t feel exciting at all in any manner, which is a shame for an Aprilia product.

Furthermore, this engine shows off its gruff side rather rapidly. It feels buzzy all throughout and shouty at higher revs, never settling down into a calm rhythm. The unrefined nature, as well as the lack of excitement, does really make you rethink your purchase decision.

Ride Quality

The suspension on the SXR GT gets a telescopic fork and a five-step preload adjustable single-side shock absorber that feels extremely firm. I weigh 67 kg, and a sharp bump almost threw me off the seat, which made me slow down for every pothole and bump. With a pillion on board, it got slightly better, but not enough. This firm setup, along with the 14-inch wheels, gives good stability on smooth, paved highways, but it is not a great combination for anything other than perfect tarmac.

Handling

Handling, however, is what you expect from an Aprilia, and the scooter delivers. It leans into corners with little effort without dipping, which boosts the rider’s confidence. But if you wanted a sporty handling Aprilia scooter, you would have opted for the SR 175 and not this.

Braking

Braking is another impressive area. It is sharp yet progressive with single-channel ABS, and the scooter stops exactly where you expect it to. The brake levers give good feedback, and the scooter stays stable even under hard braking.

Aprilia SXR GT 175 isn’t the most feature-rich, the most comfortable or the most practical option in its segment and leaves notable room for improvement. It does offer great high-speed stability, confident cornering and solid braking, but that's not enough to recommend it as your daily driver, especially at the price of 1.3 lakh, where rival maxi-scooters offer a better overall package. Aprilia should have made it a bit more comfortable and functional.

That said, if you want sporty, vibrant looks, an Italian badge and a stable scooter for highway runs, it is still worth considering.