Dominar vs Mojo Comparison Review

Published on: Feb 03, 2017
Mahindra Mojo vs Bajaj Dominar Comparison Review:



Pricing & Features Comparison: 
The Dominar, 400 ABS retails for 1.68 Lakh Rs on road Delhi, which is 22,000 Rs. cheaper than the Mahindra Mojo (non-ABS), costing 1.9 Lakh Rs. Dominar gets a slipper clutch and LED headlamp and of course the dual channel ABS, which is absent in the Mojo. Dominar 400 is also available without ABS for 1.53 Lakh Rs. making it a whopping 37,000 Rs. cheaper than the equivalent Mojo.

Pricing of Other Variants: 

Dominar 400 non-ABS - 1.53 Lakh 

Performance & Tractability Comparison: 
The Mojo is powered by the 300cc ‘Loncin’ sourced engine, which we must admit, is arguably better, than whatever Mahindra could have built, on their own. It is a few notches better than the Dominar’s KTM derived, half-Indian half-Austrian power-plant, in terms of refinement and linear power delivery. Both bikes feel just as tractable as each other, with the Mojo’s torque being slightly more accessible than the Dominar's. Both bikes feel excessively sound-deadened, making them sound like smaller displacement machines. However, the Mojo has a trick up its sleeve. Its twin exhausts, come fitted with removable dB killers, which can transform the docile sounding Mojo, into one of the best sounding small capacity motorcycles, in the country.

Power-to-Weight Ratio (PS/ton): Mojo - 148, Dominar 400 – 192 (difference 30%)
Torque-to-Weight Ratio (Nm/ton): Mojo - 165, Dominar 400 – 192 (difference 16%)

Power (PS@rpm): Mojo – 27@8000, Dominar 400 – 35@8000
Torque (Nm@rpm): Mojo – 30@5500, Dominar 400 – 35@6500
Kerb Weight (kg): Mojo – 182, Dominar 400 – 182

Displacement (cc): Mojo – 295, Dominar 400 – 373.3
Gearbox: Mojo – 6 speed, Dominar 400 – 6 speed

Reliability & After Sales Service Comparison: 
Both Bajaj as well as Mahindra two wheelers, which is nothing but the erstwhile Kinetic Engineering, are known for their questionable track records, for Product Reliability and Service Support in our country. That being said, Mojo’s Chinese powertrain, has so far proven to be fairly reliable, which is not surprising, given the thumb rule of good engine refinement and smooth gearbox, being an accurate indicator of (powertrain) reliability. Bajaj has improved a lot over the past decade, but since the Dominar is the first product to carry a brand new head on the 373 cc block, we would advise caution for at least a few months, to ensure that there are no deal-breaking problems, being reported by the customers, on some of our esteemed automotive forums.
  
Fuel Efficiency Comparison: 
In our back-to-back tests, the Mojo & the Dominar, were more or less equally efficient, with the Dominar being just over 1 kmpl more efficient than the Mojo.

Test Mileage (kmpl): Mojo – 30, Dominar 400 - 31

Fuel Cost (for 60,000 km): Mojo – 1.55 Lakh, Dominar 400 – 1.50 Lakh 

Resale & Cost of Ownership Comparison: 
Thanks to the uncertain future of Mahindra two-wheelers, scarcity of touch points and general lack of demand for the Mojo owing to its styling, the Mojo is bound to depreciate steeper than the Dominar post a usage of 5 to 7 years. Overall, the Mojo works out to be 40,000 Rs. more expensive than the equivalent Dominar (non-ABS) in terms of Long-term Ownership Costs.

Resale Value (after 5 to 7 years):
Mojo – 75,000 Rs.
Dominar 400 (non-ABS) – 75,000 Rs.

Total Cost of Ownership: 
Mojo – 2.70 Lakh 
Dominar 400 (non-ABS) – 2.30 Lakh 

Handling & Ride Quality Comparison: 
Both bikes have been set-up more for comfort, rather than handling. In this regard, the Dominar feels a bit too softly sprung, while the Mojo treads middle ground. Dominar feels like a rigid structure supported on a spongy foundation. Its ride is extremely comfortable, and is does a fantastic job, at isolating the impact from bumps and potholes, from reaching the rider's spine, while riding over broken surfaces. However, the Dominar exhibits a lot of pitching, when you grab the brakes, which can be a bit disconcerting for the rider. None of these bikes were meant to be corner carvers, and they can be a bit handful around the bends. Lest we forget, Mojo gets some much needed assistance in the grip department from the super sticky Pirellis offered as standard.

Wheelbase (mm): Mojo – 1465, Dominar 400 – 1435

Ground Clearance (mm): Mojo – 173.5, Dominar 400 - 157

Tyre Size: 
Front: Mojo – 110/70R17, Dominar 400 – 110/70R17
Rear: Mojo – 150/60R17, Dominar 400 – 150/60R17

Comfort & Ergonomics Comparison: 
It does take a while, for the rider to get used to the Mojo’s ergonomics. It has a long, soft cushioned seat, with fairly forward set foot-pegs, and slightly tall handlebar position, which feels a little bit like sitting in the cruiser position, on a streetfighter. It would have felt more natural, if the handlebar was slightly lower and the footpegs were mildly rear-set. The Dominar has done a better job, with the handlebar-footpeg-seat triangle. Dominar's huge, plastic-clad tank and bulbous tank extensions, feel quite intimidating at first. But thanks to the riding position, the bike feels much more maneuverable, once it starts rolling. However, the Dominar has faltered on the other side, especially the handlebar position, which is set a bit on the lower side, putting quite a bit of the riders weight, on his palms.

Seat height (mm): Mojo – 814.5, Dominar 400 - 800

Verdict:
Mahindra has made a decent first attempt at an aspirational motorcycle. Especially that gem of a powertrain, which is surprisingly better than what some well entrenched players in the market have been able to produce. But apart from the powertrain, the bike still feels like a work in progress. Mahindra needs to stop doing things the 'Kinetic' way, and infuse some fresh blood and new thinking, into the way things are done, back there. Rational bikers have been patiently waiting, for a non-Enfield tourer for decades. These are the people who have shown the most interest in the Mojo.

However, Mojo's monopoly has been quite short lived. Ever since the Pulsar CS400, unexpectedly took the thunder away from its stablemate, the RS200, which was supposed to be Bajaj's star of the show at Auto Expo 2012, our netizen bikers, have been waiting for the Dominar, to finally hit the showrooms. As motorcycle, the Dominar is technically much superior to the Mojo. The Dominar is quicker, faster, more agile, more maneuverable and also has upper-shelf cycle-parts like the perimeter frame, slipper clutch, ABS etc. At the end of the day, neither of these are perfect products, but amongst the two it's the Dominar which gets our vote.

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