Ian Lamming jumps ‘on’ the latest EV from SEAT
MUST be my age but I’m becoming increasingly fed up with motoring life.
Every time you turn a wheel you end up paying a fortune in purchase price, tax, more tax, extra tax, spiralling fuel costs, car park charges, congestion fees, tunnel and road tolls, speeding fines, car park fines, tax and, did I mention, tax.
As the roads clog before our very eyes and our movement becomes restricted, how much fun is the average journey? An amount that diminishes by the day, I would suggest.
So when SEAT suggested I give its new MO a try and it would reinvent the wheel, what did I have to lose? Not that much. What did I have to gain? An awful lot it would seem.
Quickly into the inaugural journey it struck me that you will never have as much fun at 45mph as on a MO.
I say ‘on’ because MO is SEAT’s first foray into the world of electric scooters and the Spanish manufacturer is promising that it will change the way you think about transport.
First thing we need to get out in the open is that it only has two wheels. I’m all right Jack as I have a full motorcycle licence but if you haven’t you are going to have to check out the law, may need L-plates and a bit of additional training.
That addressed, MO is a smart, modern looking thing and in stealth grey looks cool enough to me.
Physically it’s not that big, tall, or long like many scooters and the step-through nature makes it ideal to mount because you can do so without having to cock a leg and dislocate your hip.
MO comes with easy-to-put-down side-stand or a step-on-and-drag centre stand; both are very easy to use.
The weight is carried very low down so the scooter is extremely easy to manoeuvre and never feels liable to topple. It’s even got reverse gear, unheard of on two wheel transport.
Almost half the weight is actually the battery pack; no wonder it pops out on wheels when you release it with two levers. There’s also an extendable handle, like a suitcase, but there’s little chance of picking it up as it weight more than 40kg. I tried to get it up some steps and gave up for fear of throwing a vertebrae. Without the battery the MO feels as light as a feather.
The low centre of gravity is one of its strengths because it makes MO so easy to ride in traffic. It is rock steady down to 2mph at which point you pop out a leg or two to stop yourself falling.
That stability stretches right up to its top speed of 60mph and even in high, blustery winds it feels safe and secure at all times.
This is probably because the wheels are relatively large and wide for a scooter and the steering geometry is such that the bars never feel twitchy. Wheels are also shod with super sticky Pirelli tyres which offer amazing levels of grip.
Telescopic forks are excellent and single shock brilliant at controlling the handling and soaking up the potholes. The result is a combination that breeds confidence in the ride very quickly and MO can be hurled through a set of bends, the only danger being that you might dazzle oncoming drivers with the broadness of your smile.
Many scooters feel unnatural in their riding positions with the feet too far forward compared with riding a bike. This also puts too much weight on your coccyx making them uncomfortable despite boasting a saddle that looks to have the comfort of an armchair.
Not so MO. The riding position is akin to sitting on a dining room chair with thighs at 90 degrees to the calves, hinging nicely at the knee and with plenty of padding under your rear end.
It’s a long, wide, roomy saddle too if you fancy going two-up. Underneath there is room aplenty for two crash helmets or shopping and a bright red disc-lock to keep it safe. You can unlock the seat with the key in the ignition or, with the MO on its side-stand and the power on, by pulling both brake levers.
Brakes are stupendously powerful thanks to large drilled discs but they also have a high degree of feel which again boosts confidence.
And you’ll need them as MO flies. The problem with some scooters is that they are slow and you end up being overtaken by cars and wagons. Not MO. There’s more than enough power to keep ahead of traffic and in some cases leave it in your wake.
There are three settings – eco, city and sport – and they all offer plenty of quiet, instant, seamless pull that becomes addictive to use. Scroll through these and watch the range drop from 81 miles to 55 to 41, so the choice is yours.
MO will hit the all important sprint time to 30mph in just over three seconds which makes it feel swift. It is absolutely silent so it proves to be great fun creeping up on cyclists and making them jump with a cheery ‘good morning’.
I loved the SEAT and would have one in a ‘mo’ because it makes life fun and is easy and practical to use. It has given me hope and shown that all motoring life doesn’t have to be as exasperating as car ownership. You can fly around with a smile on your face, carry all you need under the seat and park it virtually anywhere without paying through the nose. Now who is fed up? Not me.
Fact File
Seat MO125
Engine: 7kW electric
Power: 240Nm torque
0-30mph: 3.7 secs
Top speed: 60mph
Range: 85 miles
Recharge time: six to eight hours from three pin domestic socket
CO2 g/km: Absolutely none
Price: £5,800.00
