The hotly contested 110cc scooter space has welcomed a new entrant from the Honda stable which is sure to grab attention but will this also go down in the years to come like the Honda Navi?
It’s Honda who has caught the frenzy of giving unique, funky and cool scooters to the Indian market. Whether the country needs them or not, is what their sales figures will reveal. Honda gave us the Navi first, which initially recorded a good run (as in, in terms of sales). The Navi sold in the range of 6500-7000 units a month initially but lost steam in the coming months and sales have not only halved but have gone way too low.
Earlier in March 2017, the Honda Navi sold only 503 units while in April it recorded sales of only 284 units. So, after witnessing all this, Honda has managed to shell out another scooter that in the first place doesn’t look like a regular scooter and second, comes with the same specs as the Navi. So will the Honda CLIQ actually ‘click’ for the CBR maker or will it fade away just like the Navi? We do a quick spec comparison and find out.
Design – The Honda CLIQ does look odd but not way too odd like the Honda Navi. The body panels are neatly done with simple flowing lines. The portion above the headlight is what makes the Honda CLIQ look distinct. The rear end is like any regular scooter with a wide seat and underseat storage. Meanwhile, the Honda Navi’s looks are subjective. Some find it cute while some find it hideous. But the Navi has neatly executed body panels and nowhere does it look exaggerated, ya, but it does look hideous.
Dimensions – The length and width of a scooter are rarely looked at when someone purchases a scooter, but height does matter (saddle height or seat height to be precise). The Honda CLIQ also comes with a seat height of 743 mm making it easy to ride for short riders while the Honda Navi has a slightly higher seat height at 765 mm. While the Honda CLIQ comes with a wheelbase of 1241 mm, the Honda Navi has a wheelbase of 1286 mm. Shorter wheelbase translates into better flickability in the city.
Features – Both the Honda CLIQ and Honda Navi come with an analogue instrument cluster but the unit on the CLIQ looks better than the Navi’s, that looks too basic. Both the scooters come with regular halogen headlamps. While the Navi gets telescopic forks up front, the CLIQ does with hydraulic spring suspension. However at the rear, both get hydraulic spring suspension. Coming to the brakes, again, both the CLIQ and Navi get 130 mm drum brakes both at the front as well as the rear, but the CLIQ also features Honda’s Combi-Braking System (CBS) with Equaliser making it safer on the roads.
Powertrain – Similarities between the CLIQ and Navi just don’t seem to end. Both again use the same 110cc air-cooled 4-stroke engine with Honda Eco Technology (HET). While on the CLIQ this motor produces 8 HP of power and 8.94 Nm of torque, on the Navi it makes 7.83 HP of power and 8.96 Nm of torque. Both these powertrains come mated to an CVT automatic gearbox. Both the CLIQ and Navi are almost equally weighed too, while the CLIQ weighs 102 kgs, the Navi weighs 101 kgs.
Verdict – Sporting the same engines, same torque figure, almost same power figure and kerb weight too, both the CLIQ and Navi may seem identical on paper, but there is whole lot of difference when it comes to how they ride. The Navi is just FUN in the city, easily flickable. It’s peppy, light and with handling like a bike, Navi is something everyone would like to live with. Launched just yesterday, the Honda CLIQ is aimed at rural and semi-urban markets and hence the block patterned tyres and the pricing too is considerably lower when compared to a regular 110cc scooter. Borrowing every bit from the Honda Activa (like the engine, suspension and brakes), the CLIQ too handles and rides like the Activa and that really isn’t a good thing!
Honda CLIQ vs Honda Navi
