SUZUKI e Access

While the design is subjective, the e-Access does look striking and quite modern. There is a slim LED headlamp in the front, along with a vertically positioned LED Daytime Running Lamp positioned on the apron. A special mention goes to the design of the alloy wheels, they are probably the best alloys currently on any family scooter in the Indian market. The front apron is quite steep, the seat is quite long with a dual-tone colour design at the rear. The scooter looks quite clean with wires visible anywhere. In fact, even the quality of the scooter, paint and switchgear is fantastic. There are three colour options on offer - Pearl Grace White, Metallic Mat Bordeaux Red and Metallic Fibroin Gray.

Suzuki e-Access: Performance

The electric motor on duty transfers the power to the rear wheel using a belt-drive system. It puts out 5.49 bhp of max power and a peak torque output of 15 Nm. The acceleration is brisk, but if you have to overtake someone in a hurry, then that would require planning. For daily day-to-day city rides, the performance should be just enough if you ride sedately. A bit more performance from the scooter would have been nice. What is most impressive with the e-Access is the way the throttle response has been calibrated.

There are three riding modes on offer - Eco, Ride A and Ride B. To switch the riding mode, there is a dedicated button, but to shift between Ride A and Ride B, the scooter needs to come to a halt, which feels a bit unnecessary.

In Eco mode, the scooter's top speed is limited to 55 kmph. In Ride mode A, the top speed is 71 kmph with regenerative braking set to 2 kW, whereas in Ride mode B, the regenerative braking is 1 kW, but the top speed stays the same. Also, an important thing to note is that the scooter automatically comes to a stop because of the regen, which is also calibrated quite nicely. It is not jerky and does not surprise the rider.

Suzuki e-Access: Battery, range and charging times

Suzuki is using a 3.072 kWh battery pack that can deliver a claimed range of 95 km. It is a Lithium Iron Phosphate(LFP) battery pack that is fixed. As of now, we do not know whether this claimed range is for the Eco mode or the Ride A/B mode and we do not know what the real-world range of the scooter is like. It would have been nice if the claimed range had been above 100 km.

For charging, Suzuki is using their own proprietary Connector. The portable AC charger takes 4 hours and 30 minutes to charge from 0-80 per cent, whereas 0-100 per cent takes 6 hours and 42 minutes. The e-Access also supports DC fast charging, which takes 1 hour 12 minutes to charge from 0-80 per cent,t whereas 0-100 per cent takes 2 hours 12 minutes. Suzuki has not shared the speed of the DC and AC charging but what they have shared is that the charging times depend on the various conditions, including the ambient temperature which was 25 degrees for the above-mentioned times.

Suzuki e-Access: Ride and handling

We rode the scooter on a go-kart track, so we were not able to test out the suspension properly. But Suzuki did lay out a few rumble strips for us on which the scooter felt fine and absorbed the bumps. In terms of handling, the e-Access did surprise us a bit. It responds to rider inputs and feels quite agile and light as well. So, handling the scooter while riding as well as moving it around the parking space is not a big chore. What also helps the scooter in this is that the battery pack is positioned. Then there are the brakes, the rear one offers good bite, but I felt that the front one could have had a bit more feel, and it lacked progression as well as bite.

Suzuki e-Access: Features

The e-Access comes with an underseat storage that should take the charger that comes with the bag. There is a USB port along with a cubby space and a multi-function starter knob that can open the seat, turn on the scooter and open the charging flap as well. Suzuki is also offering a keyless system with answer-back functionality, and it is one of the better implementations that I have seen. Apart from this, there are two utility hooks, a rear brake lock and a tip-over sensor. The two features that I would like to point out are the seat stopper, which stops the seat in place so that the person does not have to hold it up. The second feature is the way the floorboard and rear of the front apron have been designed, there is dedicated space for the rider's foot so that he or she can stretch them out.

The rider gets a TFT LCD display with day and night modes and smartphone connectivity via the Suzuki Ride Connect App. The instrument cluster shows the speedometer, battery level, odometer, clock, voltmeter, average and current energy consumption and riding mode.

Suzuki e-Access: Verdict

Our time with the new Suzuki e-Access was less, but what impressed us the most was the build quality and the throttle calibration. The scooter could have done with slightly more pep in terms of performance, but for daily city duties, it should serve just fine. In the end, it all boils down to what will be the price of the e-Access. If Suzuki is able to price it competitively, then it will be able to pose a threat to other commuter-family electric scooters in the segment.