Viva the City
Peugeot Vivacity 50cc scooter
While the credit crunch takes a bite out of new car sales (down 18% on the previous year in August), the scooter market is booming as motorists look for more economical ways to get around town.
Closer inspection reveals a feature-packed vehicle. Peugeot increased luggage capacity by adding a Jet-In storage compartment in the front leg shield, in addition to the standard under-seat bay. The backlit digital instrumentation includes a clock, exterior temperature indicator with ice alert and there is even a 12V charging socket (for mobile phone, MP3 player, etc) beneath the seat. With an 8.5-litre tank (almost two gallons) the Vivacity won’t need a refuelling for up to 150 miles. The New Vivacity sells for £1,249, in a choice of Gloss Black and Pearl White, with a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty for peace of mind.
While the credit crunch takes a bite out of new car sales (down 18% on the previous year in August), the scooter market is booming as motorists look for more economical ways to get around town.Peugeot invited us to test their updated Vivacity scooter in Paris and having sold several hundred thousand of the previous model the stakes were high. The prospect of riding an unfamiliar scooter in a foreign city felt intimidating at first, but once we joined the mayhem of the French rush hour it all started to make sense.
At just 90KG the new Vivacity is light and its compact form makes it a breez
e to buzz past stationary traffic to the front of the queue. Its seat height of 786mm was easily accessible to all sizes and generous legroom accommodated the bigger riders. Peugeot’s designers cleverly lowered the scooter’s centre of gravity by placing the fuel tank under the floor pan, to give precise and stable handling, even over uneven cobbled streets. At traffic lights and junctions the automatic 2-stroke engine pulls away quickly and cleanly, feeling more powerful than its modest 50cc capacity suggests, keeping you ahead of the traffic. Stopping power can be just as important in the city, where pedestrians, cyclists and parked cars suddenly appear before you without warning, and the large-diameter (200mm) front disc brake has a reassuring bite when you need to stop in a hurry.
e to buzz past stationary traffic to the front of the queue. Its seat height of 786mm was easily accessible to all sizes and generous legroom accommodated the bigger riders. Peugeot’s designers cleverly lowered the scooter’s centre of gravity by placing the fuel tank under the floor pan, to give precise and stable handling, even over uneven cobbled streets. At traffic lights and junctions the automatic 2-stroke engine pulls away quickly and cleanly, feeling more powerful than its modest 50cc capacity suggests, keeping you ahead of the traffic. Stopping power can be just as important in the city, where pedestrians, cyclists and parked cars suddenly appear before you without warning, and the large-diameter (200mm) front disc brake has a reassuring bite when you need to stop in a hurry.
Closer inspection reveals a feature-packed vehicle. Peugeot increased luggage capacity by adding a Jet-In storage compartment in the front leg shield, in addition to the standard under-seat bay. The backlit digital instrumentation includes a clock, exterior temperature indicator with ice alert and there is even a 12V charging socket (for mobile phone, MP3 player, etc) beneath the seat. With an 8.5-litre tank (almost two gallons) the Vivacity won’t need a refuelling for up to 150 miles. The New Vivacity sells for £1,249, in a choice of Gloss Black and Pearl White, with a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty for peace of mind.For further information call the UK importer 3X Motorcycles on 01202 823344 or visit http://www.peugeotmoto.co.uk/