Hero Passion Pro i3s Review

Just like the Hero Splendor and the Bajaj CT 100 there is another bike that has created quite a buzz. That is the Hero Passion. My friend’s dad still owns one, uses it once in awhile and it is over a decade old. Hero when they were Hero-Honda launched the Passion back in 2003. I remember going for classes and one of my batch mate was going on about how her elder brother can’t wait to get the delivery of the Passion. In the last 15 years the Passion has had many forms like Passion Pro, Passion Pro Plus, Passion X Pro, Passion Pro TR and now the latest iteration is the Hero Passion Pro i3s. So let’s have a look at the new avatar.

Hero Passion Pro i3s Price

At this price point the Hero Passion Pro i3s competes with a lot of scooters and is a bike craved for daily commute. Whether it is the urban or rural areas of India. It has a more elegant style yet keeping itself simple and true to its heritage.

Hero Passion Pro i3s Top Speed

At a claimed 87 km/h, the Hero Passion Pro i3s has a decent speed for commute and is bit more than scooters. Hero has tried to keep the engine stress free and not pushing its limit. Along with decent performance Hero has also managed to pull out excellent efficiency figures from this bike which we shall see later.

Also Read: Hero Splendor+ Price and Review

Hero Passion Pro i3s Dimensions

The dimensions of the Passion Pro i3s are nothing to brag about. But never underestimate by the size of the package. The bike is not extremely light at 115 kgs but is surely is light. This little added weight helps a lot on highways when you have to face crosswinds. The ground clearance of 165mm is good but my touch in case of a high speed breaker and pillon combination. 725 mm wide handlebars make it easier to move around in city.

Hero Passion Pro i3s Design

The basic design for the Hero Passion Pro i3s is same as the passion. The headlamp has gotten a bit bigger and now has a arc on the sides along with a clear case. The visor looks like a mohawk on the head and you finally get body coloured mirrors. The spoke wheels are now gone and have given way for new alloys and guess what we also get a disc brake now. The simple flowing tank is the same that flows into that generous seat which is thick, soft and has ample of cushion.

The engine is horizontally mounted unlike other bikes and Hero has put a gloss black cover to the matte black exhaust. That is a nice and elegant combo.  The tail lamp but is much bigger and protruding now and also has a shape of that of a boomerang. The rear indicators are clear. The grab rail is long, may be that is why we see three people sitting. All have support. The instrument cluster is a mixture of analogue and digital. The i3s badging is just below the rear seat.

Also Read: Hero Splendor iSmart 110 Review | Honda Livo Review

Hero Passion Pro i3s Colours

The Hero Passion Pro i3s is available in the following colours

• Matte Brown
• Mystic White
• Black with Sports Red
• Black with Frost Blue
• Bronze Yellow
• Force Silver
• Black with Heavy Grey
• Sports Red

Yes my friends there is no pure black and the Black with red/blue are the typical colours the Passion was launched with all these years back. With all due respect the Bronze is one ugly colours.

Hero Passion Pro i3s Specifications

For just a 97cc bike the Hero Passion Pro i3s generates a generous 8 bhp. This is more than enough for the daily commute. This is one of the toughest, durable bike ever made. If you own this you literally have a living legend. My friend received this bike from his dad literally. Even the 8 Nm torque kicks in early in the rev range at 5000 rpm.

Also Read: Yamaha Saluto RX Price and Details

Hero Passion Pro i3s Mileage

Hero is claiming a mileage of 84 kmpl and a top speed of 87 mph. How hero has manages both is s secret only they know. If anything more you would feel the bike runs on solar energy. The Hero Passion Pro i3s has a 12.5 litre tank. Even if we consider the efficiency of 84 kmpl that is approx 900 km range on one tank, almost two months of daily commute if not more. How Hero has managed this is thanks to the i2s technology.

As we have the eco start stop in cars. Hero was the first to introduce this in the Splendor i-Smart. That patented technology has found its way in the Passion too in the form of i3s. When you stop at a signal and your bike is idle for over 5 sec the engine partially shuts off or you can say goes to sleep mode. And when you press the clutch it starts again or you can say wakes up. This save a lot of fuel being wasted at those long signals because we are too lazy to shut off the engine.

Hero Passion Pro i3s Ride and Handling

This bike was one of the reasons people started their daily commute in a more stylish and appealing way. Light, affordable, excellent suspension, godly mileage, easy to maintain and on the pocket. I feel the seats and riding posture is still one of the best I have ever seen. To top it up robust like a tank.

There are people still using the very 1st generation Passion and are extremely satisfied. That is even passed the shelf life provided by the Indian RTO. This was a bike I to hitchhike a ride to college on and it’s the simple basics of the bike that make you admire it.

Verdict

The Hero Passion Pro i3s is one brilliant value for money bike. Sometimes simplicity is the way to go and brands fail to realise that. Hero as always found a sweet spot at the masses and managed to deliver. I wonder why they have not entered the bigger bike segment yet. If they continue their quality and deliverance that could be a commendable for the big bike competition.