Piaggio Ape City Plus

May 4, 2021: Piaggio offers multiple auto-rickshaws in the passenger carrier segment that caters to diverse customer needs. The Ape City Plus is a bigger variant passenger auto that can take 3 people comfortably. Priced at ₹ 2.06, lakh, ex-showroom, New Delhi, Ape City Plus is available in multiple fuel options that promise both good mileage and lower maintenance helping the owner to earn reasonable revenues every single trip. Piaggio is a prominent auto-rickshaw maker with several key products under the Ape brand. You can also check out other passenger auto-rickshaw offerings from Piaggio such as Ape City, Ape DX, and Ape E City an electric auto. 

Ape City Plus Engine: Piaggio has developed a new green BS6 engine in LPG and CNG application fitted with Ape City Plus. This advanced 3V smart tech engine is a single-cylinder 230 CC, forced air-cooled machine. It produces 9.17 hp of power at a maximum torque of 17.51 Nm in the CNG powertrain. It comes with a 4-speed gearbox, multi-disc, wet-type clutch. 

Ape City Plus Key Features: Ape City Plus comes from the same performance-oriented auto-rickshaw that Piaggio vehicles are known for. Ape City Plus gets a segment-leading space inside for passengers along with a safety gate. Piaggio is promising mileage, a comfortable and enjoyable ride and a safer vehicle. The stand out features is a superior pickup for easy driving, lower NVH, thus offering a pleasant ride every time.  

Ape City Plus Dimensions: The wheelbase of this 3W is 1920 mm, and the gross vehicle weight of 780 kg. It is offered in a cabin and chassis variant with a day cabin of a standard 3W. 

Ape City Plus Tyre & Fuel Tank: Ape City Plus gets a bigger tyre of 4.50 - 10, 4 PR sizes for better pickup and higher speed. Ape City Plus comes with a 40 Ltr CNG cylinder and a 30.6 Ltr LPG cylinder. 

Ape City Plus Rivals: Ape City Plus competes with strong auto-rickshaws in the market including market leader Bajaj Auto’s Bajaj Compact RE, Bajaj Maxima Z Bajaj Maxima X Wide,  Mahindra Alfa, TVS King 4S, and Atul Gem Paxx.

Overview

Piaggio is among the top players in the auto-rickshaw segment, both in the passenger carrier and cargo segments. Ape brand of autos are known to every Indian, as they are omnipresent in cities, towns and villages. Piaggio has some of the popular products in its portfolio; the Ape City Plus, as the name suggests is an auto-rickshaw targeted for passenger carriers applications within the city. Apart from Ape City Plus, you can also refer to other passenger carriers such as Ape DX, Ape City and the full electric Ape E City.

In India, typically, an auto-rickshaw is vital to fill the void of efficient public transport. Hence, this segment is highly promising for OEMs. Piaggio is firmly focused on offering value for money, an affordable but efficient vehicle to millions of Indian day to day mobility needs. Also, an auto-rickshaw employs people with minimum investment and offers a stable income. Thus, auto-rickshaw is very much part of Indian mobility systems for the owner and the users.

Available in petrol, CNG and LPG, Ape City Plus is your business partner in the last-mile people carrier mobility business. Packed with the all-new powerful and fuel-efficient engine, a superior set of aggregates along with comfort and safety. Ape City Plus promises a lot to make you earn a stable income without spending much on the vehicle in the longer-term. 

Exterior and Interior

Take a first look at Ape City Plus, and you won’t spot the difference. It appears like other auto-rickshaws in the Piaggio India portfolio. The key elements that Piaggio products standards for are superior built quality, strong road presence and finest fit and finish. You can easily make out once you see the Ape City Plus up and close. It is a new vehicle but not that different from Piaggio’s other autos. For example, the wide windshield makes driving easy with a clear view with a wiper for the rainy season. The headlamps in the middle of the front facia look nicer. It has got the sleek Italian design in a fairly large body, and the tyres are slightly bigger than the regular auto, higher ground clearance for better drivability, etc. Yet, at the heart of Ape City Plus is reliablility, durability and performance. 

Inside the cabin, you can easily take three passengers comfortably, as the cabin is ergonomically designed with soft and durable material. The passenger seat is restful and the passenger can feel the difference even for relatively longer trips with generous head, shoulder and legroom. There is a safety door on the passenger side as a factory fitted accessory. To get in and out for the passenger is easy with a reasonable bigger entrance inside the cabin. Similarly, the driver gets a nicer cabin with all the control easily accessible. The Ape City Plus easy to drive no matter what terrain you are driving. 

Performance

Piaggio Ape City Plus is promoted as a green vehicle with its alternate fuel options. This is not only environment-friendly but highly economical to run for an owner. We have the CNG and LPG variant performance figures, which make this auto a best city companion. Some of the key performance aspects are better pickup, easier and comfortable driving experience, and also lowest noise, vibration and harshness for a smoother and enjoyable drive. 

In the Ape City Plus, Piaggio has fitted an all-new 3V smart tech engine that produces higher power and torque take on a flyover or steeper terrain inside a city. Both the LPT and CNG engines are similar in specification, as the 230 CC displacement with a minor change in the power and torque figure as the engine is tuned for LPG and CNG fuel. The CNG powertrain is 9.17hp and 17Nm and LPG is 9.9hp 17.8Nm of power and torque, respectively. The Piaggio claims the best mileage in the segment and lower maintenance so that you don’t have to spend money running this auto regularly.

To complement the engine, the aggregates are common on both the engine like multi plate wet type clutch, constant mesh gearbox with 5-speeds. The front suspension is a hydraulic telescopic shock absorber with helical compression spring with dampener and the rear suspension is the same with just rubber compression spring. The brake is a drum type with a hydraulically actuated internal expanding shoe type. To offer higher pickup and mileage, the tyre size 4.50-10, 4PR.   

Ape City Plus CNG is 780kg, and LPG is 757 kg gross weight auto. The dimension includes a wheelbase of 1920 mm, width 1435 mm, length 2880 mm, and 19200 mm height. The minimum ground clearance is 200 mm. The gradeability is 24% on CNG and 25.45% on the LPG variant. 

Verdict

It is evident that Piaggio Ape City Plus is packed with the right aggregates and specs. What makes it special? A lot including all-new powerful, fuel-efficient engine and overall built quality. So, if you’re looking at a solid city performer in alternate fuel at an affordable price, then Ape City Plus fits the bill.