KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- The Xoom 160 accelerates faster off the line despite being .
- The suspension is more compliant on the Xoom 160.
- There are more features on the display cluster of the Aerox 155.
- The Xoom 160 is 16kg heavier than the Aerox 155.
The Hero Xoom 160 finally meets the Yamaha Aerox 155 in person, and this battle couldn't get any more interesting. Both maxi-scooters follow different approaches as they aim for a spot in your garage. The question here is not going to be the obvious 'find the better one.' Instead, we are going to see what each one does differently from one another.
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Hero Xoom 160 Vs Yamaha Aerox 155 Design And Ergonomics
The Xoom 160 had first been showcased in concept form at EICMA 2023, and later at the Bharat Mobility Expo in 2025, where it was finally launched. The Xoom 160 in particular stands out, considering it's the first time Hero MotoCorp has done a maxi-scooter, and it certainly looks bigger as well.
That said, the Aerox 155 isn't far behind. Undoubtedly a maxi-scooter, but the Aerox leans more towards sportiness. Even today, the Aerox manages to turn heads, despite the fact that it has been around for nearly three years. Yamaha has been giving it new colour schemes every now and then, and it continues to look youthful and vibrant.
As for the ergonomics, both scooters have a sloping seat, which can prove to be a minor irritant at times. The Aerox is perfectly fine when riding solo, but for two-up, the Xoom 160 is far better. It has the wider, longer seat, and at 787mm, it may not seem like much of a difference from the Aerox's 790mm, but it feels far more approachable even for shorter riders. There is enough space for both the rider and the pillion to be comfortable. The larger floorboard also allows riders to almost mimic the feel of a cruiser, by enabling them to stretch their legs.
Meanwhile, things on the Aerox are quite different with two people up. The pillion section feels rather compact, and space is tight. Not a problem if it's with your girlfriend though. That said, the pillion will definitely complain on the Aerox, as it seats them far higher, and the footpegs are also positioned at a higher angle. The central fuel tank also feels intrusive, but we'll get to that point a little later.
Hero Xoom 160 Vs Yamaha Aerox 155 Performance
Both scooters are powered by liquid-cooled engines. The Aerox, in particular, borrows its powertrain from the R15, while the 156cc unit on the Xoom 160 is entirely new. Now this is where things get interesting, because while the power figures are quite similar, the Xoom 160 offers more torque from lower rpms. Both scooters build up speed gradually, with a strong mid-range and high-end pull. The Xoom 160 also feels faster when launching off the line. That said though, the Aerox will likely beat the Xoom in a proper drag race.
The fueling on both scooters also feels quite precise as well. However, the Xoom 160 had a noticeably longer throttle action, and you will need to twist the accelerator a lot more than expected to get to higher speeds. This might prove to be a major irritant during spirited riding.
The exhaust note on both scooters sounds rather normal, but the Aerox just just has that edge, as it sounds just a bit more throatier than the Hero. There isn't much to say on the refinement front either, with both scooters doing a great job on that front. Hero especially must be commended on this effort, considering they had gained a reputation for making buzzy engines of late. However, there simply is no replacement for Japanese refinement, and the Aerox edges past, but only by a small margin.
Hero Xoom 160 Vs Yamaha Aerox 155 Ride And Handling
There were many interesting discoveries in this particular aspect. The Xoom 160 is not exactly plush and pliant as we were expecting it to be. The suspension feels quite stiff, and you do need to slow down significantly even over the smallest bumps. Come across broken roads and you better start reciting prayers, because you will feel anything and everything. That said, it fares better than the Aerox over bad roads, but not by a huge margin.
Despite its 142kg kerb weight, the Xoom 160 feels fairly agile in city conditions. Its size could trick you into thinking it will be a huge task, but it is actually quite manageable when filtering through traffic in daily city conditions, and the wide handlebar gives you nice leverage as well.
The Aerox, however, takes the game away completely when it comes to handling. Remember what we said about the intrusive fuel tank? It helps during cornering, since you can lock your feet against it and lean the scooter efficiently. Find a winding set of roads and you're in for a real treat, because the Aerox is an absolute joy to ride in that regard.
The Aerox is also lighter than the Xoom by 16kg, which makes it even more manageable in daily city conditions. However, the handlebar has some heft to it. All the joys of handing also come at the cost of ride quality; the Aerox continues to feel stiff, and your back will be informed of everything you ride over. While going over broken roads, you will need to hold on the rider rather tightly, since the pillion seat is quite high as we mentioned before.
Hero Xoom 160 Vs Yamaha Aerox 155 Equipment And Features
Let's begin with the Xoom 160, which gets a key fob and a keyless ignition system, along with an LCD instrument cluster. It also offers smartphone connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, call/SMS alerts, single-channel ABS, a front lockable glovebox with a USB charger, a windscreen, and a 22-litre under seat storage space which can store a full-size helmet. However, there are helmets of certain shapes and sizes that will not fit.
The Aerox is available in two different variants; the regular Aerox and the Aerox S. It comes with a negative-lit LCD cluster, which comes with adjustable brightness, but is still quite hard to read under direct sunlight. The cluster here offers more information, such as email alerts in addition to call/SMS alerts, and phone battery level. However, not including turn-by-turn navigation is a huge miss here, but we suspect Yamaha will bring in the TFT cluster from its motorcycles here as well. Additionally, the Aerox also comes with traction control, a lockable front glovebox, along with app-based features, while the S variant adds on a smart key system, a key fob and a vehicle finder alert.
Verdict
The Aerox has recently gone through a price cut thanks to the new GST reforms coming into play. That said, Hero is yet to announce the updated prices from the new GST reforms, and something tells us that the Aerox will undercut the Xoom, but not by a very large margin.
Neither of the two scooters are very comfortable, so if you're buying one, it really depends on what you are looking for. The Xoom 160 may not boast a lot of features, but it comes with just about enough of them. It is larger in size but surprisingly agile in the city, and it is a breeze to ride on smooth-paved highways.
The Aerox is for those who want a sporty scooter, because it is an absolute joy to ride, should you find a set of twisties. However, its ride quality is more unforgiving and riding two-up is not really the best either.
All things considered, the Xoom 160 is going to be the easier scooter to live with, considering its more friendlier approach, more comfortable ergonomics, and a slightly better suspension setup compared to the Aerox.
