There are scooters and then there are sporty premium 125cc scooters. Hero MotoCorp is targeting the latter with Xoom 125, which was launched at Auto Expo 2025. Media drive event was held recently in Delhi. We experienced the scooter in Delhi across multiple road conditions and here is what we think about Hero’s new sporty 125cc scooter.
Hero Xoom 125 First Ride Review
At the media drive event held in New Delhi, Hero MotoCorp provided Rushlane a Xoom 125 ZX trim in Matte Storme Grey shade. With the Xoom 125, Hero MotoCorp aims to carve out a significant chunk of 125cc scooter segment sales, which currently accounts for around half of total scooter sales.
Xoom 125 is the middle child in company’s Xoom family of sporty scooters, slotted above Xoom 110 and below Xoom 160. Xoom 125 comes off as the most complete package in the 125cc segment and has great potential to make a big splash in this segment. All this while achieving price competitiveness over every single one of its rivals.
Speaking of pricing, Hero has priced Xoom 125 from Rs 86,900 for VX trim and Rs 92,900 for ZX trim. VX trim is offered in two colours – Metallic Turbo Blue and Matte Storm Grey. ZX trim adds two more colours to the palette – Inferno Red and Matte Neon Lime. Personally, I think Matte Neon Lime looks the sportiest and is an eye candy.
Design & Appearance
When we’re talking about Hero Xoom 125, we have to start from design. This is easily on of the best looking 125cc scooters on sale in India. The company has based Xoom 125 design on other Xoom scooters in the family, inspired by the flight of a Falcon. Company’s presentations suggest Xoom 125 is aimed at individuals who has achieved something big and want to showcase their lifestyle affiliations.
Xoom 125 fits into this projection with its Falcon inspired sharp and edgy design. At the front, we get a handsome fascia with Falcon LED DRL signature. This is the first scooter in this segment to come equipped with LED projector headlights. Handlebar cowl gets sequential LED turn indicators, which is first-in-segment, lending a premium appeal.
These swipe-style LED turn indicators are present at the back too. Even though we quite liked them, these can easily go unnoticed to untrained eyes as the surface area is quite small. LED tail lights are LEDs too and are of split type. Split grab rails look chunky and lend a muscular appeal. Rear tyre is 120-section in width, which is widest in segment and fills the wheel arches quite nicely.
Side profile is probably the best angle of Xoom 125. Especially its exhaust side where the dual tone machining for alloy wheels is also visible. Also, Xoom 125 has a single sided mono-shock suspension at the rear, which is at the left, making its exhaust side very photogenic. I just wished front disc brake was also at the exhaust side.
Features & Functionalities
Where functionalities are concerned, Xoom 125 is a sorted product. It has a flat floor board for practicality, unlike its big brother Xoom 160. The under-seat storage is around 17L and it gets an LED light for illumination on ZX trim, which is a nice touch. I couldn’t fit my beefy XL sized full face helmet here, but Hero did demonstrate a smaller full face helmet and it fits just fine.
Considering Xoom 125 is a city scooter, riders are likely to be using lighter and smaller helmets anyways. There are two storage options at the front behind front apron for practicality and convenience. Left side storage space has a USB Type-A port which is not exactly fixed. Floor board is flat and is just accommodating enough for my large feet wearing UK 10 size boots.
Seat is a single piece and is a stepped unit. The rear step ensures pillion is not very knees up, but it creates a certain discomfort for taller riders like myself (182 cm tall) as I prefer to sit slightly behind the average rider’s spot. That’s because my knees would touch the handlebar when I’m executing lock to lock turns.
The switchgear is new and Hero is giving an illuminated engine start button. Above it is the i3S switch and left switchgear include horn, turn indicators and headlight controls. There’s no hazard light function on this scooter either, which is perfectly fine for this segment. Hero has implemented a buzzer into its external fuel filler cap that beeps at the rider if they forget to leave filler cap open and start ignition or engine, which is a welcome safety feature.
The instrument cluster on Xoom 125 is well executed. It is the same LCD cluster with White backlight, which stays legible even under peak sunlight. We have seen this unit do duty in other Hero MotoCorp family products. This cluster also has Bluetooth connectivity and gets turn-by-turn navigation as well, which some rivals still miss out on, in the sporty 125cc scooter segment.
Dynamics and Performance
Hero Xoom 125 is powered by the same 124.6cc single cylinder air cooled engine which also powers Destini 125, which we experienced at the media drive in Goa last year. Xoom 125 gets a more powerful tune as it generates 9.8 bhp of peak power and 10.4 Nm of peak torque. In contrast, Destini 125 topped out at 9 bhp and 10.4 Nm. This engine also gets Hero MotoCorp’s proprietary i3S start/stop feature to increase fuel efficiency.
As per an internal testing, Hero MotoCorp claims that Xoom 125 is the fastest 125cc scooter on sale in India. The company is promising a 0-60 km/h sprint in 7.6 seconds as well. In real life conditions, Xoom 125 feels peppy and accelerates with quite a gust. We couldn’t find longer stretches of road in the heart of Delhi city to test the max ceiling of performance. It could probably teach triple digit speeds on the highway.
However, the performance is not as spritely as we would have hoped. That’s because Hero Xoom 125 weighs up to 121 kg. For context, some of its rivals weigh under 100 kg too. Xoom 125 does not feel heavy or cumbersome while riding or even when moving around, say, in a parking lot. However, it could have been lighter. One positive about this weight is that it makes the scooter feel really planted on the road and makes suspension act more supple. The 120-section rear tyre is also a contributor to this secure and dynamic ride.
Some Reservations & Conclusion
While Hero Xoom 125 gets everything one might need and more, there are a few elements that a prospective rider might want, to make their ownership experience even more special. Primary among these is the keyless function which is gaining more popularity and acceptance in the premium scooter segment. Tall riders would have liked a flat seat option for more comfort, at least as an accessory.
The main gripe is that we wished Hero MotoCorp somehow shelved around 10 kgs off Xoom 125, which would have extracted even more performance from this already potent platform. Other than that, Xoom 125 packs everything a sporty premium 125cc scooter should offer and more, while undercutting every single one of its rivals. It looks good and the 14-inch wheels lend it excellent dynamics. Comparing Apples to Apples, only the Aprilia SR 125 is Xoom 125’s equivalent rival and it costs Rs 38,000 more.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
