After a very convincing Seat Mó 125, the Spanish manufacturer offers a sportier version called Seat Mó 125 Performance. but are the improvements made sufficient to justify an increased price compared to its twin brother which remains in the catalog?
Source : Seat
Launched in 2021, the Seat Mó 125 has found its audience with 10,000 units sold and marketed in 15 markets including Chile, Mexico and Colombia for example. It must be said that beyond the proven quality of this electric scooter, manufacturers are still abandoning the segment of 125 cm3 equivalents to focus on the 50 cm3 market. However, the latter quickly show their limits when it comes to venturing beyond the city centers.
Seat has understood this well with its Seat Mó 125, which is now giving birth to a sportier version called Seat Mó 125 Performance. Let’s say it straight away, this is the exact copy or almost of the standard version that remains in the catalog. We thus find the same line and the same technical characteristics or almost. We will not give you a description of the machine that had already been tested by us at the time, to focus on the novelties of this new version.
size details
The first obvious difference is that the Seat Mó 125 Performance is available in two new colours: Tarifa Blue and Barcelona Grey, i.e. matte blue and shiny grey. Other less obvious cosmetic details underline the move upmarket, such as the raised lettering which is much more qualitative than the simple sticker on which the name of the scooter appears, an opaque black windshield, black strapping on the right side of the cover of the battery, or the pretty Shad saddle in Alcantara.
For the rest, Seat was directly inspired by the world of motorcycles and it shows. The fork sports a gold finish but retains the same tube diameter. That said, the front damping has still been modified with a stroke that increases by 10 mm.
Another novelty well known to motorcyclists, the rear suspension has been entrusted to the good care of Öhlins, whose characteristic bottle is recognizable. The rear shock is now compression and rebound adjustable. The operation does not require any tools and it is possible to make the adjustments of your choice at the red light, without even getting off the scooter.
Source: Driss Abdi
Source: Driss Abdi
Source: Driss Abdi
On the other hand, the adjustment of the preload of the spring necessarily requires putting your foot on the ground. Do these new suspensions fundamentally change the behavior of the electric scooter? Spoiler alert: yes, but we’ll tell you more a little later.
Last modification and not the least, the braking is now provided by a system designed by the Spanish specialist Galfer. The traditional brake discs are replaced by ventilated petal discs which are again inspired by the world of motorcycling. No change in the calipers, and those who were expecting to see ABS arrive will once again be at their expense (it happens, we were told by Seat, but as for when …).
The Seat Mó 125 Performance retains its CBS (Combined Brake System) system with hydraulic braking that is automatically distributed between the front and rear wheels. Rest assured, efficiency is there with excellent bite, but be careful not to block the wheel when braking too hard.
An effective but temporary power boost
The Seat Mó 125 Performance retains the same platform as the standard version. Its Brushless electric motor therefore develops 7.5 kW, and up to 11.5 kW peak, with a torque of 119 Nm at the wheel. It is powered by the same 5.6 kWh Lithium-ion battery which gives it a range of 133 km WLTP.
A value which will nevertheless depend on various criteria such as the driving mode (there are three of them, as on the standard Seat Mó 125, Eco, City and Sport), the weight of the driver, the topography of the terrain or the outside temperature. . Strong point of the Silence solution and therefore of the Seat Mó 125 scooters, the battery can be recharged on the machine or at home.
Source: Driss Abdi
Source: Driss Abdi
Source: Driss Abdi
Indeed, it is removable and can be extracted from the chassis in the blink of an eye. Mounted on wheels and equipped with a telescopic handle, it can be transported as easily as a suitcase. At least if you can take the elevator, because if necessary, you will feel the 41 kg of the pack pass. By the way, this removable battery is also like an excellent lock, the scooter being unusable without it.
The Seat Mó 125 Performance still has its own characteristic with its eBoost mode. This allows you to take advantage of a temporary surplus of power to facilitate overtaking on the motorway, for example. To activate it, the scooter must move at more than 80 km/h and be in Sport mode.
Source: Driss Abdi
Source: Driss Abdi
It is then enough to press the Mode button once to benefit from a top speed, up to 115 km/h on the meter in our case on flat ground, and 107 km/h uphill. A good performance for the electric scooter which is therefore among the most efficient (that’s good, that’s its name) if we make the exception of the BMW CE-04 which is much more cumbersome and expensive.
Be careful though, the eBoost is only available for 30 seconds. This means anticipating maneuvers well so as not to end up decelerating at the wrong time. Admittedly, we would have liked to have the V Max permanently, but electric scooters still face constraints that thermal models ignore. Also note that you have to wait two minutes before you can reactivate the eBoost.
The same only better
As light as the standard version, the Seat Mó 125 Performance is a real treat. He weaves silently through traffic and is extremely lively. In Sport mode, the accelerations are even more frank with a 0 to 50 km / h announced in 2.9 seconds against 3.9 seconds for the Seat Mó 125.
Eco mode helps preserve the battery and benefit from maximum autonomy, but driving is then much wiser. City mode is perfectly suited to urban travel by offering a good balance between performance and efficiency. Oddly, he’s the only one who doesn’t benefit from energy recovery.
This did not seem particularly strong to us in either Eco or Sport mode. The latter is preferred to catapult the Seat Mó 125 Performance at a red light, or to drive serenely on the motorway. And all the more so as the scooter displays excellent stability at high speed.
Source : Seat
Which brings us to the suspension. Our test took place in the streets of Barcelona, with a trip to the heights of the city. The road that leads to Tibidabo is the perfect playground to test the dynamic behavior of a scooter that wants to be sporty. To do this, a quick adjustment of the Öhlins suspension makes it possible to firm up the damping and avoid rebounds.
Already restricted to 90 km / h in City mode, the Seat Mó 125 Performance runs out of steam past 50 km / h on the positive elevation of our course. However, it suffices to switch to Sport mode via the button on the steering wheel to overcome these constraints. Sure, battery life takes a hit, but there’s plenty to have fun driving this amazing electric scooter.
We also took advantage of the difficulty of this route to pick up a passenger. And there again, the Seat Mó 125 Performance is not reluctant to work. Back in the city center, this time we opted for a softer setting. The difference in comfort with the standard version is immediately felt on degraded surfaces.
Expensive novelties
The improvements made to the Seat Mó 125 Performance are far from being anecdotal, but the manufacturer is charging this new version at a high price. While the standard Seat Mó 125 is now displayed from 7,200 euros, it will take an extension of 1,700 euros to afford the Seat Mó 125 Performance which is marketed from 8,900 euros.
Small consolation, the electric scooter is also eligible for the ecological bonus of 900 euros. As with the Seat Mó 125, Seat nevertheless offers a long-term rental offer with monthly payments of 146 euros (113 euros/month for the standard version).
One of the best proposals on the market
We had already been won over by the Seat Mó 125, and the Performance version is no exception. If some slight defects remain (lack of ABS, speed display too small), it is clearly one of the best proposals in terms of 125 cm3 equivalent electric scooter. A segment on which the few competitors cannot rely on a brand as well known and reassuring as Seat. More comfortable and a little sportier than the standard version, the Seat Mó 125 Performance nevertheless charges a high price for its services.
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