Motorcycles might be getting popular but there is a high possibility that a family man in India would still end up buying a scooter only. In fact, one-third of the market share of two-wheelers in India are still scooters which just shows how popular they are. In India, Hero MotoCorp is the largest two-wheeler player but for the longest time, the majority of sales have been coming through motorcycles.However, Hero MotoCorp expected that this would change when they launched the Destini 125 in the Indian market. It was their first 125 cc scooter which was supposed to take on the Activa 125 and then Jupiter 125 launched a few years later which just stiffened up the competition. Somewhere, the Destini 125 was overshadowed by the success of the Jupiter 125 and the Activa 125. Now, the brand wants to change that with the launch of the new-generation Destini 125. So, does the Destini have what it takes on the Activa and Jupiter? Well, we got to ride around Goa to find the answer to this very question.2024 Hero Destini 125: How does it look? The design of the Destini 125 is probably one of the biggest highlights. It gets all-new metal bodies which should be more durable than plastic. Up-front there is an all-new LED headlamp with a projector setup and H-shaped LED Daytime Running Lamp. Depending on the variant, you either get copper or chrome accents. At the rear, there is an all-new LED tail lamp which also uses an H-shaped LED Daytime Running Lamp. The higher variants also get a backrest for the pillion. Hero will sell the backrest as an additional accessory for the lower variants. Hero says that the seat on the Destini 125 is one of the longest in the segment. There are new 12-inch alloy wheels that do have some design inspiration from the Vida. In fact, even at the rear, there is a hint of Vida V1 which is not a bad thing.2024 Hero Destini 125: Has the engine changed?The engine is the same one that was doing duty on the previous version. However, Hero has reworked to improve the refinement levels and improve fuel efficiency and rideability by retuning the CVT gearbox. The engine puts out 9 bhp of max power at 7,000 rpm and a peak torque output of 10.4 Nm at 5,500 rpm. 2025 Hero Destini 125: How does the engine perform?The engine is very smooth and there are barely any vibrations. It builds up speeds in a very linear manner and if you are not pushing it then you might not even notice when you hit 60-80 kmph. The top speed of the Destini 125 that we were able to clock was 86 kmph. There is a bit of that CVT rubber band effect when the throttle is twisted.2024 Hero Destini 125: What is the fuel efficiency?Hero MotoCorp claims that the fuel efficiency of the Destini 125 is 59 kmpl. There is i3s technology to further aid fuel efficiency. It cuts off the engine when it is idling and the engine is restarted when the rider presses the brakes and twists the throttle. What's missing though is a silent starter because of which you can hear the engine cranking. It would have been nice to see this feature because it would have made the i3s operation smoother. 2024 Hero Destini 125: How is the handling and ride quality?The handling of the new Destini 125 is very neutral. It feels very nimble around the corners. At high speeds, it stays planted that does inspire confidence. The weight is well balanced so filtering the traffic on the Destini 125 should not be an issue. Then there is the ride quality, it is quite decent and absorbs most of the bumps that our roads have to offer. The chassis is now taken from the Xoom 110 so the wheel sizes have gone up to 12 inches which help in stability.2024 Honda Destini 125: Brakes are good?You can get the Destini 125 with a drum brake at both ends or a disc in the front and a drum at the rear. We rode the model with the disc brake and the brakes didn't inspire much confidence and lacked feel as well. There were a few times when we did lock up the front wheel. Then there is the rear brake which worked just fine and the scooter comes with CBS as standard. 2024 Hero Destini 125: What are the features on offer?Hero MotoCorp has made the feature list longer with the new Destini 125. The mid and base-spec models come with a semi-digital instrument cluster while the top-end variant boasts a fully digital negative LCD display. There is Bluetooth connectivity enables call and SMS notifications, and notably, it also gets turn-by-turn navigation. Hero also offers an engine cut-off feature in the event of a crash, auto cancel winkers, an illuminated start switch and a boot lamp.2024 Hero Destini 125: Should you buy it? Well till now, people only thought about the TVS Jupiter 125 and Honda Activa 125 when they were in the market for a new practical scooter. We are happy to report that the Hero Destini 125 makes a great case for itself now. It comes with a decent feature list, is quite comfortable and fuel-efficient as well. So, if you are looking to buy a new scooter we would definitely recommend you to test out the new Hero Destini 125 as it might suit you.
