Aprilia SXR 160 Maxi Scooter

The Aprilia SXR 160 is the newest offering from the Piaggo-owned Italian scooter manufacturer, and the second 160 cc scooter in the company's India line-up after the SR 160 range. The SXR 160 is a combination of a Maxi-scooter and a regular scooter, and has all the makings of being the company's flagship scooter.

The Aprilia SXR 160 is a made-in-India, made-for-India scooter that has been designed in Italy. The company calls it a Crossmax design or a hybrid of sorts, taking the sportiness of a maxi-scooter and shaking it up with the practicality of a regular Indian scooter.

The SXR 160 is a head-turner indeed, like all Aprilia models. The front apron stands tall with the RS660 inspired twin LED headlamps with LED daytime running lights. The imposing design is complemented by the tall windscreen that helps deflect wind at high speeds to an extent.

The SXR 160's sharp and angular theme continues on the side panels that swoop upwards and integrate into its rear section. The LED taillight at that back gets a signature pattern and truly makes the scooter stand-out against its contemporaries.

The SXR 160 scooter comes with a step-up seat which adds a bit of heft to the design and makes it look taller than it actually is. Not to forget, the decals add to the styling drama along with the bright colours - Glossy Red, Matt Blue, Glossy White and Matt Black.

The chunky exhaust muffler, split headlamp setup, and the large body-coloured grab rail are some of the more likable elements of the SXR 160, while the 12-inch alloy wheels finished in brushed grey look sharp and subtle. It gets a disc brake up front and a drum unit at the rear.

The maxi-styled scooter shares its underpinnings with the SR 160 with the same steel frame underneath as well as the 160 cc single-cylinder, 3-valve engine. The air-cooled, fuel-injected motor develops 10.8 bhp at 7,100 rpm and 11 Nm of peak torque at 5,750 rpm.

The Aprilia SXR 160 gets an all-digital instrument cluster that adds to the premium look and is fairly easy to read under direct sunlight. The multi-functional unit is rich on information and comes with a speedometer, tachometer, engine oil temperature and external temperature indicators. It also gets two trip meters, real-time fuel efficiency indicator, average speed, battery voltage and tell-tale lights for engine malfunction and ABS.

The Aprilia SXR 160 has been tuned to be more comfort-oriented and power is spread more evenly through the rev range. Unlike the SR 160, this one offers linear acceleration and a more composed performance.

Thanks to the chassis, the SXR 160 offers excellent good high-speed stability, while the engine offers decent low-end and strong mid-range power output. A poor top-end though is its Achilles' heel. The SXR feels out of breath beyond 80 kmph and takes some time to get the numbers climbing after 75 kmph.