Honda Activa 110 vs Hero Destini 110: Honda vs Hero Again!

The Hero Destini 110 is a slightly underrated scooter that often slips under the radar because it’s not talked about enough, while being quite a nice scooter. So we thought about putting it up against the market leader, the Honda Activa 110 and see how the Hero scooter holds its own. So here’s how the age old Honda vs Hero battle went: 

Price & Variants

• As Hero scooters usually are, the Destini 110 is priced very competitively. Its base variant costs about Rs 2,000 less than the Activa’s and the gap widens substantially to almost Rs 9,000 when we compare the 2 top variants

• The Activa 110 has seen quite some price creeps over the years and one can’t help but feel that the Honda scooter costs a bit more than what it really should. It’s obviously not outrageously expensive but it’s still too simple a scooter for the price it charges

• So if it comes to the price war, it’s the Destini 110 which edges ahead of the Activa 110, even if it is by a small margin 

Dimensions & Design 

• The Activa 110 and the Destini 110, both are accessible scooters for anyone to get on and just ride. Their seat heights are accessible and the kerb weights are on the lower side. The Destini might be on the heavier side when compared to the Activa, but it’s still a light scooter

• In terms of design, both scooters look like what you’d expect from family scooters. They look simple, safe and have designs that are pleasing to the eye

• That said, both scooters also look quite simple. So if you want something that looks a bit more aggressive and eye-catchy, you might want to look elsewhere 

Features & Safety

• Both scooters keep things simple when it comes to features. There’s an optional TFT on the Activa’s top variant and some basic features alongside Bluetooth connectivity 

• And if you think that’s simple, wait till you hear about the Destini 110. Let alone a TFT, the Hero scooter doesn’t get a digital LCD console even as optional, so there are obviously no Bluetooth connectivity features as well. The only feature you can talk about is the LED headlight

• So while both scooters are not features-heavy, the Activa 110 is still the slightly better equipped of the 2

Engines

• Both the Activa 110 and the Destini 110 have engines that have similar characteristics. Both have similar power and torque figures at comparable revs as well

• Both engines’ strength lies at lower speeds. They reach about 40-50kmph without a lot of fuss and after that, the struggle slowly starts. Reaching about 70-75kmph will be a task and if you have a lot of highway riding in your everyday commutes, you might want to look elsewhere

• Among the two, the Activa 110 will feel like the smoother engine. While the Destini isn’t very vibey, the Activa is definitely the smoother feeling of the 2 

• Both scooters will also return good fuel efficiency numbers. In some cases, the Activa’s mileage might be better but on the whole, they both will be quite comparable 

Verdict

For a scooter that’s as underrated as the Hero Destini 110, it actually holds its own against the Honda Activa 110 quite well. The Destini 110 is priced more competitively, looks good and has a sweet engine. Yes, it’s low on features but it’s not a dealbreaker, especially in this segment. And given that the Activa hasn’t been given a proper update in quite a while, the Destini will feel like the fresher of the 2 and that’d be our recommendation of these 2 scooters. 

That said, if you’re really particular about the Activa tag, there’s obviously nothing that beats the legacy of the Activa 110. And hence it could be the scooter you eventually go for.