Bajaj Qute Test Drive Review – Mobility Future?

Performance – The Bajaj Qute comes powered by a 216cc, single-cylinder, twin-spark, liquid-cooled engine which is matched to a 5-speed sequential gearbox. The engine delivers 13 HP and 18.9 Nm of torque on the petrol variant and 10.83 HP/16.1 Nm on the CNG variant. The Bajaj Qute isn’t quick off the line, but this vehicle isn’t made for acceleration and it’s more about economical running costs. Out on the road, it pulls fairly easily to speeds up to 40 km/hr though it does have a top speed of 70 km/hr. The engine doesn’t really feel strained at normal speeds and the Qute feels pretty easy to drive around in the usual city traffic. The engine is quite noisy and vibrations are also felt inside the cabin.

The Qute has decent driveability in the traffic but struggles on open roads

However, if you have an empty stretch of road ahead of you, the Bajaj Qute will immediately start feeling underpowered just how 3-wheelers do and people will just overtake you. It takes its own sweet time to reach its top speed. The gear ratios are short and you just need to push the lever up for upshifting and pull it down for downshifting. Gear shifts aren’t exactly smooth, but you get used to it. The clutch is also very light. Talking about fuel efficiency, well it returns about 35 km/l on petrol and a claimed 45 kms/kg on CNG which makes it extremely light on the pocket. Bajaj officials have said that for such vehicles, low running costs draw a lot of customers and this efficiency of the Qute is bound to be appreciated.

Driving Dynamics – If you compare the Bajaj Qute to a 3-wheeler, the former is downright safer and more stable. 3-wheelers just don’t provide the stability that 4-wheelers have no matter what size they are. The Qute feels composed while taking turns at speeds of about 30-40 km/hr and it also feels surefooted over undulations and broken roads, a place where 3-wheelers easily lose composure. The ride quality is pliant, you can’t expect it to be very plush but again it is way better than what the conventional 3-wheeler offers. The suspension does its job just fine and it can also take a lot of abuse.

The Bajaj Qute is stable over poor roads and it’s not meant for pushing too hard

The steering is unassisted but it is very light throughout. It isn’t very precise though but it’ll point the Qute where you want it to. The Qute comes with an anti-roll bar at the front which comes in to be quite useful to improve stability. However, do not expect car-like dynamics otherwise you’d be really disappointed. I remember going over a broken patch of road slightly fast and the Qute started jumping around, losing its line. Passengers in this quadricycle are sure going to love the relatively better comfort than what 3-wheelers offer and this will become the better choice out of the two amongst passengers. The Qute doesn’t get disc brakes, it makes do with all 4 drums but stopping power is decent, even from speeds as high as 55 km/hr.