Hero Destini 125 v Rivals: Honda Activa 125, Suzuki Access 125, TVS Jupiter 125, Yamaha Fascino 125

The Hero Destini has received a host of updates, so we decided to check out how it stacks up against the rest of the 125-cc segment in its new avatar.

The Hero Destini 125 has been on the market for quite some time, having been launched in 2018, so Hero have decided to give it a comprehensive refresh to bring it in line with the consumer demands of today. We take a look at how it compares to the competition in the 125-cc scooter segment—obviously, we have only picked the family-oriented 125-cc scooters for this comparison. A prospective Destini customer also considers the Honda Activa 125, the Suzuki Access 125, the TVS Jupiter 125 and the Yamaha Fascino 125.

Powertrain	Hero Destini 125	Honda Activa 125	Suzuki Access 125	TVS Jupiter 125	Yamaha Fascino 125
Capacity (cc)	124.6	124	124	124.8	125
Power (hp)	9.1	8.3	8.7	8.2	8.2
Torque (Nm)	10.4	10.4	10	10.5	10.3

All five of the scooters come with nearly identical 125-cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engines paired to continuously variable transmissions. The Hero Destini 125 is the most powerful of the lot, with a little more than 9 hp; but the torquiest of them all is the TVS Jupiter 125, by the slightest of margins. Though it seems like we are splitting hairs here, there’s a reason for this, which will become apparent once we look at the first entry of the next table.

Dimensions	Hero Destini 125	Honda Activa 125	Suzuki Access 125	TVS Jupiter 125	Yamaha Fascino 125
Kerb weight (kg)	115	110	104	108	99
Seat height (mm)	770	NA	773	765	780
Wheelbase (mm)	1302	1260	1265	1275	1280
Ground clearance (mm)	162	162	160	163	145
Underseat storage (litre)	NA	18	21.8	33	21
Fuel capacity (litre)	5.3	5.3	5	5.1	5.2

The Hero Destini 125 is the heaviest of the lot, and compared to the double-digit Yamaha Fascino 125, the margin is quite substantial. However, the Hero Destini 125 has the longest wheelbase, by more than 20 mm, which should aid in extra stability over the competition. The rest of the field is separated by a total of 20 mm, so there shouldn’t be much difference there. Honda do not publish an official seat height for the Activa, and we can’t fathom why as it is one of the most important dimensions for prospective buyers. The other important dimension would be the underseat storage capacity, where the TVS Jupiter 125 reigns supreme with 33 litres of storage, that can hold two helmets. Fuel tank capacities are nearly identical.

Suspension, brakes and tyres	Hero Destini 125	Honda Activa 125	Suzuki Access 125	TVS Jupiter 125	Yamaha Fascino 125
Front Brake	Drum/Disc	190-mm disc	Drum/Disc	230-mm disc	190-mm disc/130-mm drum
Rear Brake	Drum	130-mm drum	Drum	130-mm drum	130-mm drum
Front Tyre	90/90-12	90/90-12	90/90-12	90/90-12	90/90-12
Rear Tyre	100/80-12	90/100-10	90/100-10	90/90-12	110/90-10

One of the things that immediately becomes evident is the rear wheel size—apart from the TVS Jupiter 125 and the Hero Destini 125, no other scooter has a 12-inch rear wheel, which provides improved stability compared to a 10-inch wheel. However, it is the Honda Activa and the TVS Jupiter that come only with disc brakes, all others offering a choice between drums and discs. This choice affects the features, as we shall now see.

Features	Hero Destini 125	Honda Activa 125	Suzuki Access 125	TVS Jupiter 125	Yamaha Fascino 125
LED headlight	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Disc-brake variant only
Connected dashboard	ZX onwards	No	Ride Connect Edition	SmartXonnect	Yes
USB charging	ZX onwards	Yes	Yes	Yes	Accessory
Colour options	5	5	7*	4*	11*
Seat Opening Switch	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
External Fuel Filling	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes^	No

* variant-specific; maximum options offered on a single variant | ^ front-mounted

Yamaha have chosen to offer the drum-brake-equipped version with only a halogen headlamp for some reason, which does limit the choices of the consumer somewhat. Another miss by them is the lack of a proper USB charging port—the optional accessory goes inside the underseat storage, so charging your phone with navigation running is not an option. It does offer the widest number of colours, though some cost extra. Other than the Yamaha, all of them offer an external fuel-filler. The Honda Activa, despite its popularity, doesn’t offer a connected dashboard even as an option. In terms of features, the Hero Destini 125 offers exactly what the customers expect, nothing more or less.

Price	Hero Destini 125	Honda Activa 125	Suzuki Access 125	TVS Jupiter 125	Yamaha Fascino 125
Base trim (ex-showroom)	Rs 75,000*	Rs 80,256	Rs 79,899	Rs 79,299	Rs 79,900
Top trim (ex-showroom)	Rs 90,000*	Rs 89,429	Rs 90,500	Rs 90,480	Rs 94,830

* estimated

It all comes down to cost, but knowing the kind of value Hero MotoCorp are known to offer, the Hero Destini 125 could challenge the competition quite aggressively on the pricing front. Meanwhile, the other scooters all start at around Rs 80,000 and go up to around Rs 90,000, except the Yamaha Fascino, which, depending on the colour you choose, can go up to Rs 95,000. Our estimate for the Hero Destini 125 is that it would start at Rs 75,000 for the base trim, and climb to Rs 95,000 for the top one, as the ZX+ offers quite a bit of kit compared to the base VX trim. As of now, there’s no official timeline for the pricing announcement.