Mahindra Pantero 110 T1

The road to success didn’t seem so easy for Mahindra in the two wheeler market of India. Their first ever motorcycle, Stallio proved to be a huge flop in our market and in order to make a fresh start; Mahindra has launched a new entry level bike named Pantero. Will this bike be able to mark its presence in one of the most populated segments of bikes in India?

Design and Style

Unlike its name, the bike isn’t new completely. The bike more or less looks like the discontinued Stallio especially from the front although there are some noticeable differences. Mahindra has restyled the headlight and visor of this bike. The bike has bright white colored twin pilot lamps in its headlight which looks really cool at night. Its black colored visor also gets new lines on it while its front cowl gets new graphics. The clear lens indicators are placed on the both sides of its headlight. The rear view mirrors certainly look cheap and are placed high on its handle bar. This bike follows the all black theme with black finished alloy wheels, engine, grab rail and fender. Move to the side of this bike and you will notice the longest seat in its class. The design of the silencer, fuel tank and side panel is quite simple but to make it look fresh, Mahindra has played with some stickers. The bike looks best when seen from the back as it has a full size LED tail light which complements the styling of its rear fender, grab rail and tyre.

Instrument Console

Visually, this is the best thing in this Pantero; its fully digital instrument console. This bike has a very futuristic instrument console which has never been seen before in its segment. Mahindra Pantero has a digital speedometer, odometer, 2-trip meter, fuel gauge and most importantly a tachometer. It’s the first 110cc bike in India to feature a digital Tachometer which rests in a silver finished circular dial. Other indicators of this instrument console lies around this orange colored LCD.

Engine and Gearbox

Mahindra Pantero uses a 4-stroke, air-cooled 106.7cc engine. The single cylinder of this engine generates a peak power and torque output of 8.5 bhp and 8.5 nm which arrives at 7500 rpm and 5500 rpm respectively. This engine is served with a four-speed manual gearbox with all gears up-shift pattern.

Acceleration and Performance

This engine isn’t as responsive on roads as its on papers. Practically, this engine is very powerful and has the potential to beat many of its competitors but you never feel its power. It is may be because of its average throttle response which makes it feel underpowered. This engine comes with four tall gears as the engine pulls up power and torque early so the bike manages to avoid frequent gear shifts. Pantero does 0-60km/hr in 8.85 seconds which makes it slower than others. It becomes easy to drive this bike after 3000rpm as it has a strong mid-range where you can actually judge this bike. You may sense the need of a fifth gear on highways but the bike does well in city. There are vibrations after 7000rpm and also at low rpms if you push this bike hard. However, the gear transitions are smooth and easy to use with heel and toe shifter. Pantero can be pushed hard to get to a top speed of around 100km/hr but to do so you have to effectively use its tall gear ratios.

Mileage

This bike offers an incredible fuel efficiency of around 65-70km/ltr in city conditions while these figures increase by 5-7km/ltr on highways.

Comfort while Driving

This is a bike for commuters which offer maximum comfort that you often look for in your everyday bike. It has long and broad seat which can be easily occupied by two people. The front set foot pegs and up raised handle bar are specially positioned to give you stress free city rides. This handle bar also offers a firm palm grip while your knees find enough space around its fuel tank. The rider gets a clear visibility of instrument console and road after sitting on Pantero.

Storage Space and Safety Features

Mahindra Pantero has space in its side panels and also has some under seat storage space. The bike comes with front leg guard, rear saree guard and powerful headlight which offer you bright vision at night.

Suspension and Brakes

Mahindra Pantero has telescopic forks at its front and features hydraulic 5-step adjustable shock absorbers at the back. Both wheels of this bike are fitted with 130mm drum brakes and there is no optional front disc brake in this bike.

Ride and Handling

This bike has a wheelbase of 1265mm which makes it stable around corners but we wish if it had a longer wheelbase as the bike lacks stability on highways. This is evident when you change the lanes frequently. Its high ground clearance (165mm) suits our Indian road conditions and reduces the effort while turning this bike. Its suspension system fails to take the major potholes and struggles to keep this bike grounded at high speeds. In city conditions, the bike feels quite comfortable and it’s like every other entry level bike in terms of handling. It loses contact with roads at high speeds but feels quite free in city traffic.

Tyre Size, Shades and Variants

Mahindra Pantero is available in four variants and four colors - Fiery red, Sterling silver, Blazing black and Cool black. Mahindra offers this bike with 18 inches spoke as well as alloy wheels.

Verdict

Mahindra Pantero ranges from INR 40K- 43K(ex-showroom, Delhi (approx., may vary)). Even at this price, there is no option of disc brake in this bike. Moreover, the bike is not exclusive either in terms of styling and performance. Yes, it certainly has the bet instrument console in its segment but that’s not enough for us to qualify Pantero as a complete value for money bike. With a cheaper price tag and optional front disc brake, this bike would have been a complete value for money bike but for now; we guess the road to success is still quite far away from Pantero.