Kinetic DX Plus EV Vs Bajaj Chetak 3503: Compared In Pics

The recently launched Kinetic DX EV, is the electric iteration of the iconic Kinetic DX 2-stroke scooter. It is offered in two variants: DX and DX Plus. It gets a retro design and comes with a lot of modern tech, and the top end DX Plus variant is priced at Rs 1,17,499 (ex-showroom, Pune). For a similar price tag, you can get the Bajaj Chetak 3503, which is priced at Rs 1,14,500 (ex-showroom, Pune). This one’s also based on its 2-stroke forefather, the Chetak. Here’s a detailed comparison of both the electric scooters in images:

Design

The Kinetic DX Plus gets a very unique silhouette that blends retro design elements with a modern touch. The rectangular LED headlamp, three-spoke alloy wheels and sharp body panels give the scooter quite an elegant look. The design is neutral and will definitely appeal to a wide range of buyers. It comes with a variety of colour schemes: Red, Blue, Black, Silver and White. All the colour options are plain, without any fancy graphics. They look elegant in our opinion. 

On the other hand the Chetak 3503 too gets a neo-retro design, but it has smoother bodylines and design elements. The scooter’s headlamp is circular with an LED DRL, the side bodypanels have smooth bodylines that neatly merge into the rear indicators at the tail section. The front fender of the scooter also gets a curved shape as opposed to the pointy one in the Kinetic DX Plus. It is available in four colour schemes: Indigo Metallic, Brooklyn Black, Matte Charcoal Grey and Cyber White. Just like the Kinetic, this one too gets plain colour schemes without graphics. If you like the boxy styling of the 80s, you’ll like the Kinetic’s look. If you prefer something curvy, then the Chetak is the one to go for. That said, both electric scooters stay faithfully true to the design of their older 2-stroke versions.

Motor, Battery And Performance

The Kinetic DX Plus is driven by a hub-mounted electric motor with a peak power output of 4.8kW. It gets a 2.5kWh battery pack, from which it gets a claimed range of 116km. The scooter can reach a claimed top speed of 90kmph, which is healthy enough for short highway rides. The DX Plus also comes with an onboard charger, eliminating the need of carrying a physical one, saving a lot of storage space as it is conveniently located on the apron compartment, that too with a retractable cable.

The Bajaj Chetak, on the other hand, is driven by a frame mounted electric motor with a peak power output of 4kW. It gets a much larger 3.5kWh battery pack that gives it a claimed range of 151km. One thing the Chetak loses out to the Kinetic DX Electric is the claimed top speed. The Chetak 3503, despite having a more powerful motor, can only reach 63kmph which is significantly lower than the DX Plus’ top speed.

Underpinnings

The DX Plus gets a telescopic fork and preload-adjustable twin rear shock absorbers. It comes with a 220mm front disc and a 130mm rear drum brake with a combined braking system. It rolls on 12-inch three-spoked blacked out alloys wrapped in 100-section tubeless tyres at both ends. Even though the alloy wheel design is based on the original scooter, it looks really unique when compared to the wheels in other electric scooters. More importantly, it gets 37 litres of underseat storage, one of the largest in its segment. Kinetic also claims that it can accommodate both full face and half face helmet at the same time, and still have a bit of space for smaller stuff in the boot. 

Just like the older Chetak, the Chetak 3503 also gets a linked front suspension adding to the retro look. It gets a monoshock at the rear. As for the brakes, it gets drums at both ends. It gets 12-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 90-section tubeless tyres. These alloys look pretty neat in our opinion. It gets a 35-litre boot, which is less than the Kinetic DX Plus, but should be adequate for your daily needs.

Features

Both of these being modern electric scooters, get a ton of features. The Kinetic DX Plus gets a 8.8-inch instrument console with a speaker for basic alerts, and it says ‘Happy Birthday’ to you on your birthday as well. We really love the layout as it is similar to the older scooter. It also gets a lot of modern features like a tracking function for the scooter, anti-theft alert, and parking lights that continue to stay lit for about 5 minutes after you’ve parked and locked the scooter. 

Other than these, there’s also a nifty seat and charger opening switch, geo-fencing alert, riding modes (Range, Power and Turbo), smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth, hill hold, cruise control, reverse mode, regenerative braking among others. One unique feature it gets is the Auto-Opening footrests, that open with a switch located near the left side of the handlebar.

The Chetak 350 too, gets a decent feature list with a coloured LCD display. It shows essential readouts of speed, range, two riding modes (Eco and Sports), battery percentage and clock along with telltale lights. The scooter comes equipped with smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth for call and SMS alerts, music controls and turn-by-turn navigation. The only pain point is that the reverse mode comes with the Tecpac for which you'll have to pay extra. It also gets a hill hold control.

Price Comparison

The Kinetic DX Plus is priced at Rs 1,17,499 (ex-showroom, Pune) and the Bajaj Chetak 3503 is priced at Rs 1,14,500 (ex-showroom, Pune). Though the two scooters are priced somewhat similar, they have distinctly different design approaches while being equally retro. That said, the Chetak wins in terms of sheer (claimed) range whereas the Kinetic seems to be a better option if one wants practicality with decent performance. 

The only drawback (at the moment) is that Kinetic doesn’t have a dealer and service network that’s as widespread as Bajaj. But we hope things turn out better in the coming months if Kinetic were to make a lasting impact in the highly competitive family-oriented electric scooter segment.