The Bajaj Chetak is one of India's best-looking electric scooters. Over the years, it has grown to be one of our favourites in the segment since it's reliable, predictable, easy to use, and looks good.
These are all important boxes that have to be ticked when talking about a family scooter in India.
In a world full of edgy, sharp and futuristic electric scooters, the Bajaj Chetak takes a completely different route by keeping things simple. The curvy lines, simple bodywork and metal body are easy on the eye and do a great job of paying homage to the original Bajaj Chetak scooter. Bajaj has hit the nail on the head with the resurrection of the Chetak.
Kitna range deti hai is the staple question when it comes to electric vehicles - all the scooters in the Chetak 35 series are quite impressive. Bajaj claims that the base variant C3503 will run 151km on a full charge, while the other two variants will run 153km. We're quite happy that Bajaj hasn't cut costs when it comes to range. Even if you buy the more affordable Chetak 35, you still have a scooter that will run almost 120km on a full charge in the real world.
Now, outright performance has never been the Bajaj Chetak's forte, and it's the same case with all the variants in the Chetak 35 series. The 3503's top speed is 70kmph, while the other two variants top out at 80kmph, both claimed figures. That said, the Chetak has quite gentle acceleration. It's not slow, by any means, and you've more than enough power for even those quick overtakes.
Bajaj has also been smart with the Chetak, giving it a feature that will allow you to momentarily shift from Eco to Sport mode when you wring the throttle hard. The sudden burst of aggressive acceleration will help you overtake and then the scooter seamlessly reverts to Eco mode once you roll the throttle back. These things said, the scooter still isn't as outright fast as, say, the Ather 450X.
Be it the base 3503 variant or the top 3501 variant, all trims of the Bajaj Chetak 35 series have a reasonable amount of features and none of the variants will really leave you wanting for more. Two riding modes, a reverse mode, hill hold mode, smartphone connectivity & notifications, and call alerts - all variants have the basic boxes ticked. Where the 3503 will feel like the most affordable of the lot is its LCD console, which obviously will not feel as premium as the TFT console on the other two variants.
Where the 3501 has the edge is with the more fancy bits like geo-fencing, theft alerts, remote immobilization, sequential indicators, etc. In terms of usable features, even the base variant has you covered.
Another difference is in the front brakes, with the 3503 having to make do with a 130mm drum brake at the front. The 3502 and 3501 get a bigger 200mm disc brake at the front, which obviously provides much better braking performance and feedback. That's especially important on our unpredictable roads where there are situations in which you need that extra stopping power. All three variants have the same 130mm drum brake at the rear.
One of the biggest differences on the Chetak is the single-sided leading link suspension setup at the front. When you go over some of the sharper bumps, it will not absorb the impact quite as well as, say, a TVS iQube. We wish Bajaj had gone with a conventional telescopic fork setup at the front.
On the whole, the Chetak 35 series presents a wide range for buyers to choose from. From the affordable 3503 that costs Rs 1,21,807 to the properly premium 3501 trim that costs Rs 1,47,507 (both ex-showroom prices), the Chetak 35 series has something for everyone. The 3503 is for those who are price conscious, while the 3501 is for those who want a premium product and don't mind going all in. And then there's the 3502 for those who want to strike a balance.