The Defending Champion Scooter of the Year 2008 Meet contender number one, last years defending champion the SYM Mio 100 Brendon Meet contender number one, last years defending champion the SYM Mio 100. It was a hard fought battle & the little Mio won the competition based on some key fundamentals about scooters. Its ridiculously easy to ride, if you can't ride a Mio 100 you shouldn't be on two wheels, they are a SYM which we liken to the Toyota of the scooter world, a modern reliable no fuss scooter that you can depend on backed by professional distributor who is quite often number 1 in the sales chart.
Visually the Mio 100 is a unique little retro, different from its competitors in that rather than being a retro styled scooter, it is retro themed, a modern retake of the retro theme. Park it next to a Yamaha Vino, Vmoto Montego or Sachs City & you'll see what I mean it's not trying to be a retro, it's not Milan or Rome that theme is owned by Vespa & Aprilia. If Speed Racer had a pit bike this would be it & his girlfriend would have a pink one.
There are a few scootes that get me excited the Little Mio is one of them. I was introduced to the Mio when we had to put a scoot on the road to replace Scooter Nana's previous ride we sold. So we pre delivered & registered one then I took it for a test ride, it was like a little kitten that wanted to play it wants you to go around corners, brake, accellerate away from the lights & dodge traffic. It makes you smile, I had my new ride.... sorry Nana
Key to the Mio's charm is the package, it's an urban commuter great for around town not the highway, its the same size & weight as the 50cc version but with a punchy little 100cc 4 stroke engine putting out similar power to the 125's in its class and its about 20kg lighter too. This power to weight ratio makes all the difference, where its competitors sort of cruise & lumber along the Mio is zippy & more responsive. It's that playfull thing the Mio is a hypo little kitten, the others a ten year old fat cat . You tend not to outgrow a Mio, it keeps you feeling immature.
The SCOTY is all about a scooters ability to do what it was designed to do. The Mio does everything asked of it with ease & makes the whole experience that much more fun. At $2,890 it is $300 more than a Chinese built Sachs City 150 & $400 less than Taiwanese Yamaha Vino 125. It outperforms both in terms of dynamics, quality, warranty but most importantly the joy of riding.
The Mio has not changed since it won the 2007 Scooter of the Year, what has changed is the price. When it won last year the retail was $3,490 +orc, it has now dropped to an amazing $2,890 +orc placing this Taiwanese kitten backed by a 4 year warranty right amongst the Chinese manufactured pidgeons.
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published 7/08/2008 |