Numeros n-first First Ride Review; The Ideal City Slicker?

The Numeros n-first is a name a lot of people may not be familiar with. Launched at a starting price of Rs 64,999 (ex-showroom), the n-first aims to be an affordable crossover between a scooter and a motorcycle, which should be quite apparent by the way it looks. With a focus on affordability and ease of usage, the question here is should you really be buying the n-first?

We will dive into the details, but before that, make sure to join the 91wheels WhatsApp Community to keep up with the latest news and updates from the automotive space.

Also read: New Bajaj Chetak, Next-Gen Pulsar, Sub-350cc KTM And Triumph Models To Be Launched Soon!

Numeros n-first Design

The n-first manages to attract some attention with the way it looks. The bodywork is slim, and so are the 16-inch tyres, which make it look like a mix between a scooter and a motorcycle. Remember the Hero Street Smart from the 90s? The n-first has traces of that, but with a properly flat floorboard akin to a regular scooter. The front apron, however, may remind you of some other e-scooters commonly seen on the road.

There are mainly two colour options on offer; red, and white. The scooter gets a split seat option, and there is space under the driver's seat, where the battery pack is stored, while another space under the pillion seat is enough for small daily-use items. One interesting touch is that the Numeros branding logo on the side panel is illuminated, and it can be seen lighting up at times.

Meanwhile, the rear also seems to resemble the Hero Puch, with its slim rear tyre, the grab rail that's also quite slim, and a large saree guard. This will offer a good touch of nostalgia to someone from a slightly older era. The scooter won't win any beauty paegeants, but it looks purposeful and that's a good thing; it doesn't look like it's trying too hard.

Numeros n-first Battery And Range

The n-first comes with two battery pack options; there is a 2.5kWh unit with a claimed range of 91km, and a claimed charging time of 5-6 hours. The other is a 3.0kWh unit with a claimed range of 109km, and a claimed charging time of 7-8 hours. We had the larger 3.0kWh battery pack variant with us on this ride.

Since this was a fairly short ride, we could not check out the real-world charging times, and this is something we would like to verify on a proper test when we get it in our home base in Gurugram. However, we did see the range level drop down by quite a margin. The scooter we had on our hands was nearly down to the last 20km towards the end of our ride, but again, a proper range efficiency test on our proving grounds will help us verify the range and charging claims.

Numeros n-first Performance And Handling

The larger battery pack meant that we also had the more powerful version with us. All three variants share the same mid-mount, chain-driven electric motor, but in the n-first iMax+, the performance figures stand at 3.3bhp and 34Nm of torque. Numeros gives a claimed top speed of 70kmph, and it might be possible to breach that threshold with Sport mode. While it does reach upto 50kmph fairly easily, it begins to taper from there on. The acceleration isn't the sharpest, but considering it is meant to be used primarily in the city, it keeps up with traffic well enough. The eco mode is also actually quite manageable and does not restrict your movement by a very huge margin, but I found myself going for Sport mode more often.

That said, it does struggle on steep inclines with two people on board, even in Sport mode. Interestingly, there was a certain buzz that was audible throughout the ride, which isn't necessarily a bad thing to be honest, especially in an age where cars and motorcycles are only getting quieter. During our ride, we also noticed a certain lag and inconsistency in acceleration. This could be a one-off issue with our test unit, and we would like to verify this once we get our hands on the scooter in Gurugram.

I was not expecting a lot from the suspension, but it actually does the job fairly well. It isn't overly plush, but it keeps the rider comfortable and it absorbs bumps well enough. The light kerb weight means it is quite nimble and easy to move around as well, but the skinny tyres rob some amount of confidence, and while drum brakes are fine for the city, a front disc brake should have been an option as well. That said, the n-first can handle the average daily commute decently.

Numeros n-first Features

There is not a lot in terms of features, but the n-first does get app-based connectivity, through which you get access to things like geofencing, tow and theft alerts, live vehicle tracking, trip history, service reminder and rider stats among other things. It also comes with three ride modes, a reverse mode, and hazard lamps. However, what I really found interesting was the phone mount Numeros offers as standard. Since there is no navigation on offer, you can simply put your phone on the mount, thus not requiring you to spend extra on one.