Honda Activa 110 vs Hero Pleasure Plus Xtec: Simplicity vs Modern Features

The Hero Pleasure Plus Xtec is one of the more underrated scooters of the segment, for it’s quite effective and no-nonsense. So to check how good it really is, we put it up against the segment leader, the Honda Activa 110, to see how that goes. Here’s how the Hero scooter fared against the Honda scooter: 

Price & Variants

• Both scooters’ base variants are priced at a similar level: just above the Rs 75,000, ex-showroom mark. That means they’re both priced quite well and make for good value for your money

• That said, the Activa’s on sale in 3 variants and the top variant, Smart, costs almost Rs 15,000 above the standard variant. For that much money, what you’re getting is essentially a more premium looking TFT console with Bluetooth connectivity

• The Pleasure Plus Xtec, on the other hand, is available in 1 variant only and gets a digital console and Bluetooth connectivity as standard 

• If we talk about the price war, we’d say that the Pleasure Plus Xtec gives more value for your money, for the scooter has Bluetooth connection as standard at a much lower price

Dimensions & Design

• There’s a reason why India loves scooters: they’re light and feel extremely easy to ride because of their approachable dimensions. And both the Activa 110 and the Pleasure Plus Xtec stand true to those qualities

• They both have pretty much identical seat heights and the exact same kerb weights. Even the wheelbases are on the shorter side, meaning they’re both compact, light and short scooters that are easy for everyone in the family to ride 

• If we talk about designs, both look familiar and safe and aren’t really bright and catchy like say the TVS Jupiter 110. But if you want something that looks a bit more familiar and safe, these 2 will work for you. Of the two, the Pleasure Plus Xtec will feel like the more fresher designed scooter

Features & Safety

• Both scooters have enough features to make you feel like they’re not too old. The TFT console on the Activa 110’s top variant allows for Bluetooth connectivity, through which you can unload a whole host of features 

• That said, the features list isn’t endless, like we’ve seen on some other scooters in this segment. 

• On the Pleasure Plus Xtec, a fully digital console and Bluetooth connectivity come as standard. There are quite a lot more standard features like call & SMS alerts, notifications alert, etc. The Pleasure Plus Xtec might have a bit more features than the Activa 110

• To sum this segment up, it’s the Pleasure Plus Xtec which inches ahead of the Activa 110, albeit not by a big margin 

Engines

• Scooters in this segment have engines that are focused towards easy commuting and it’s the same with these 2 scooters as well. They’re smooth enough and will accelerate till about 50kmph quite easily. Speeds post that will be quite a task

• Overtakes, for the most part, are easily done. But if you ride around with a pillion a lot, the scooters will feel a little bit underpowered and you might want to plan your overtakes better

• Talking about vibrations, it’ll also feel that the Activa 110 is the more refined of the 2, which it is. Its engine feels very smooth through and through 

• Mileage figures on both scooters should be above the 50kmpl mark

Verdict

This was a very close one, for both scooters seem like they tick a  lot of the boxes. We’d inch a bit more towards the Hero Pleasure Plus Xtec, for the Hero scooter is priced very well, has a bigger list of features as standard, compared to the Honda’s and has a sweet engine. So it’s what’d be our instant recommendation of the 2.

That said, the Honda Activa 110 still has a very important brand name in our households and if you’re chasing that bulletproof moniker, you could get yourself an Activa 110.