Hero Destini 125

Back in 2018, the Destini 125 was Hero’s first 125cc scooter and was a promising one. But with stalwart customers picking the Access 125 and Activa 125, both of which are excellent scooters, the Hero never could make inroads in the competitive market. Come 2025, Hero is ready for a new innings with all-new products - including the likes of the Xoom 125, Xoom 160 and the Xtreme 250R. And in this new lineup of products is also the heavily updated Destini. 

It comes with new looks, more features and an engine which promises to be more refined and better to ride. Having ridden the entire 125cc lineup of scooters available in the country - plus having used the Suzuki Access 125, its key rival, for almost a month on a daily basis, I was looking forward to finding out if there is a reason to recommend the Destini over its rivals to someone who is considering to buy a scooter for the family. 

There is no two ways about it – the Hero Destini 125 grabs attention. It chooses elegance over sportiness and uses curved and flowing lines in the body to look more premium. Plus, the dial-tone colour options do offer more flair. Helping it look more modern are the all-new projector LED headlamp with integrated DRLs, giving the scooter a premium look. At the back, the look is a bit polarising. The indicators are up top, and the H-shaped LED taillamps are at the bottom. 

The Destini has a very conventional look but adds a modern flair with its colour options and lighting setup. It sure looks good from some angles, but divided opinions in the office parking lot. And that is why I am hesitant to call it good-looking. It just looks - generic. 

Colours

The Hero Destini 125 is offered in 5 colour options – Groovy Red, Regal Black, Mystique Magenta, Cosmic Blue and Eternal White. Among these, Cosmic Blue and Eternal White look the best to me. They have a very sober dual-tone effect with the bronze accents and look the most premium. 

Wheels

The new Destini comes with 12-inch alloy wheels, which not only help the scooter look better, but also make it more stable and comfortable over bad roads. The front comes with 90/90-12 section tyres, and the rear is a 100/80-12 section. The alloy design, too, is impressive and has a machined finish, which helps it look more premium. 

Quality

The new Destini takes a big leap ahead in terms of quality. While the switchgear still feels a bit on the cheaper side, the rest of the fit and finish is pretty impressive. The paint quality is premium, and overall, the scooter looks built to last. Even the interlocking of the panels is neat, and I did not encounter any rattle on my 200km ride. 

Safety Features

All the scooters in the segment are quite basic in terms of safety features and only offer an Integrated Braking System (IBS), which the Destini also has. This system applies a bit of the front brake as well when the rider pulls only the rear for more confident braking. The Destini goes one step ahead and also offers self-cancelling turn indicators, which is a segment first. This improves convenience and safety. Apart from these, you get a side-stand engine cut-off, which prevents accidental starts with the stand down. However, I like to start and warm up my scooter in the morning, and this feature forces me to put it on the main stand to do so. 

Convenience Features

You get plenty of these with the Destini. Firstly, the digital instrument console is bright and has a large font size, which is easy to read. However, the transparent cover on top of our test scooter was heavily scratched, which made it difficult to read in direct sunlight and a bit dirty at night. This console does come with Bluetooth connectivity, which gives you SMS/call alerts and turn-by-turn navigation via the Hero Ride Guide app, which is not something I have used much. What did come in handy was the external fuel filler cap at the rear, which allows refuelling without opening the seat. And then comes the USB charger, which is placed directly over the front open cubby, which makes it easy to charge the phone. 

The underseat storage in the Destini is a bit disappointing. While standing alone, the storage pocket is deep and enough for a small grocery run. But it is not wide enough, and even a standard laptop bag will struggle to fit here. And if you have placed a half-face helmet, there won't be any space left for anything else. Scooters like the Jupiter have really pushed the game ahead by offering storage under the entire seat, whereas the Destini still only offers storage under the rider’s seat. 

The floorboard, however, is flat and can hold some grocery bags on the two hooks. But once again, it is not the best in the segment and will struggle to hold trolley bags or backpacks. This becomes the single biggest disadvantage of the Destini. If it were being redesigned for 2025, Hero should have focused on practicality and at least redesigned the underseat storage to accommodate more items. 

The Destini 125 is one of the most comfortable 125cc scooters in the market. The suspension, though a bit soft, is tuned very well for the city. Over bad roads and potholes, it feels plush and keeps the riding well cushioned. While larger potholes might be felt, the regular level changes and speed breakers are dealt with proper comfort. On the highway, though, the Destini 125 starts to feel a bit bouncy. There is constant movement of the suspension, and while that does not make it unsafe or unstable, it will tire the rider. 

Rider Comfort

The Destini is a fairly comfortable scooter. Both new and seasoned riders will find it comfortable. The seat is not too high, and with a narrow front, it is easy for almost everyone to get their feet down on the ground comfortably. Even the handlebars are tall and won't be much of an issue while making U-turns for taller riders. The most impressive aspect, however, is the seat cushioning. It is slightly on the softer side and remains very supportive in city commutes. 

Pillion Comfort

The seat is very long, and that opens up a lot of room for the passengers. Even with backpacks on, the rider and pillion will have ample space to sit. Plus, there is the supportive seat and the backrest, which make the pillion even more comfortable. The footpegs also feel natural and don't push your knees up.  This just might be the most comfortable 125cc scooter in the market for a pillion. 

The Hero Destini is powered by a 125.6cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces 9.12PS @ 7000rpm and 10.4 Nm @ 4000rpm. The new 125cc engine in the Destini is quite impressive. Be it refinement, NVH, performance or mileage – somehow it has got it all. 

City Performance

The initial acceleration is smooth on the Destini 125, but then it picks up very well. This gives newer riders the confidence they need for a seamless pickup, but also offers the more mature riders the performance they desire from a 125cc scooter. Overtakes are easy and up to about 50kmph, the acceleration remains strong and fun. This means that the performance in the city remains effortless. And all of this happens without any unnecessary noise or vibration from the engine. And because the engine feels relaxed, even the fuel efficiency is impressive. 

Highway Performance

This 125.6cc engine is tuned to offer power and grunt in the city. That is what happens when you take it out on the highway - the performance is not as impressive as it was in the city. Beyond 50 km/h, the acceleration starts to taper down, and the Destini starts feeling stressed. You can still cruise on the highway at 70kmph, but it won't be as effortless as an Access 125. Between the balance of city and highway, the Destini is heavily inclined towards the city, which is fair given its use case. 

Mileage

The Destini comes with a claimed mileage of 60 kmpl. In the real world, you can expect close to 50-55kmpl, which is still quite impressive. And with a tank range of 5.3 litres, you won't be stopping for fuel for at least 250km or about a week.

The Destini 125 is clearly intended towards city commutes and not fun and aggressive riding. That being said, it manages to remain quite stable and inspires confidence while passing traffic rapidly. 

City Handling

The Hero Destini 125 feels very easy to ride in the city. It feels very light on its feet, and making quick direction changes feels effortless. For an experienced rider, this means that cutting through traffic becomes super easy. But at the same time, newer members of the family might feel that it lacks stability as it feels too quick to lean and turn. 

Highway Handling

With a soft suspension and a chassis that feels light and agile, the stability on the highway is average. At higher speeds, changing lanes can feel a bit nervous, and even sitting at 70-80kmph is not perfectly stable. It still cruises very nicely at 60kmph - but starts to feel a bit twitchy as the speeds climb. 

Braking

The front disc on the Destini offers confident braking. While these are not the best brakes we have seen on 125cc scooters, they get the job done well. And the IBS system is also well calibrated, which will be helpful for riders who are keen on using the rear brakes.

The 2025 Hero Destini 125 is a fantastic city scooter. If comfort, usable performance and pillion comfort are your priority – look no further. These three aspects of the Destini might very well be the best in the segment. However, it is far from being the best all-rounder. The performance is tuned for the city, it lacks practicality and storage, and the looks are too conventional to be appealing to a younger audience. The reason to buy the Destini remains quite simple – you want a scooter only for the city that is very comfortable and spacious. And with an asking price starting from Rs 81,850, it is a pretty sweet deal. 

The Hero Destini is available in three variants – VX, ZX and ZX+. The base VX variant is quite basic with just alloy wheels (non diamond-cut) and LED lights. It misses out on the digital instrument cluster and all features that come with it, like distance to empty, Bluetooth connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation. Plus, you also miss out on auto-cancel indicators, backrest and disc brakes. If you pay about Rs 9,000 more and opt for the ZX variant, you get all these features. And if you pay Rs 1000 more, you get the ZX+ with all the same features but with copper instead of chrome accents. My advice would be to just opt for the top variant, as the Destini is already very well priced.

Honda Activa 125

Definitely the fan favourite, the Activa 125 improves upon the formula of the legend, which is the Activa 110, with safe looks, excellent engine and good practicality and comfort. Plus, it comes with Honda’s tried and tested reliability. However, it lacks some modern features, and Honda does charge a premium for its brand image. 

Suzuki Access 125

The Suzuki Access 125 has a cult following. It holds the crown for being the sporty family scooter and for all the right reasons. The engine is super refined and has excellent highway performance. Plus, with its large seat, it has a lot of room for the pillion as well. But it lacks features in the sensibly priced variants, and the comfort is compromised in the 2025 update.