When I first saw the Bajaj Qute, I knew I had to give it a try. After all, I had to figure out whether it is classed as a car with a motorcycle engine, or a motorcycle wrapped up in an enclosed body, masquerading as a car. As it turns out, it is classified as a quadricycle, whatever that may be. Still, when the opportunity was presented to me to drive it, I gratefully accepted!
The body of the Qute is a mixture of plastics and metal and it measures only 2752 mm long and 1312 mm wide. It has four doors with sliding windows, and even a roof rack to carry luggage. Like a Porsche, the engine sits at the back and in the front, you have quite a spacious, lockable cavity.
The performance, however, is nothing like the car from Stuttgart. The engine is only 216 cc, providing a modest 11-ish hp. It is probably sourced from Bajaj’s motorcycle engine parts bin and is therefore mated to a 5-speed sequential gearbox. It has all the mod-cons of a car: lights, indicators and even a windscreen wiper (yes, singular). I had a good chuckle at the stalk that you use to activate the wiper. It has two settings: on and off. There is no variable speed or even an intermittent mode. It either rains or it doesn’t. The severity of the downpour is irrelevant!
There is no getting over the diminutive size of the Qute, but looks can be deceiving. The interior is actually remarkably spacious and cleverly thought out. You can pack quite a lot of luggage in this car, but you will have to scatter it around the cabin a bit. Obviously, the front boot can hold a small suitcase and a few loose items.
You also have storage under the two front seats for your valuables, as that will hide them from view. The rear seat can fold forward in a 60:40 split, which will reveal a limited amount of space behind the seat. There is also a fire extinguisher back there, which is probably there because of some Indian by-law. As a last resort, whatever does not fit in the car can go on top of the sturdy roof rack.
The rear passengers will have nothing to complain about. I am 6 foot 1, and I can comfortably sit in the back with more than enough head and leg room. There are roof-mounted fans for both rows of passengers and there are two adjustable vents in the A-pillar. They may look primitive, but they are very effective.
The front of the car is very driver-focused. Only the driver seat can adjust forward and back, but the backrest is fixed in place and ends about halfway up your back. The front demister has only one outlet in front of the driver, and the driver is the only one with a sun visor. There are two lockable cubbyholes on the dash, on either side of the instrumentation, which can be used to store your valuables. Just be aware that they lock with the key, so once you are on the move, you are not getting anything out of them. The door pockets are very generous. One thing you can credit the Bajaj with, the car is a lot roomier than its dimensions would suggest. The car even has seatbelts for four passengers!
South Africans are notoriously picky when it comes to cars. It has to have every single luxury item and electronic gadget, just to keep up appearances. With that in mind, most people might scoff at the little Qute, but you have to evaluate the car within its intended purpose parameters. There is really nothing else to compare it to in South Africa, though. The only other vehicle that comes close might be a Tuk-Tuk, and by those standards, the Qute is very luxurious.
Getting into the Qute is simply no effort, as the doors swing out almost 90 degrees. They close with a solid-sounding thud and overall the fit and finish are reasonable. Even though it is small, the controls are laid out like you are driving a truck. Your arms reach down towards the steering wheel, and the pedals require a downward, rather than forward movement.
The gear lever sits proudly in the middle, and if you have ever ridden a motorcycle, the sequential box will be easy to operate. There is even a small MP3 player with built-in radio in the dash, as well as a 12 V socket for your electronic devices. Getting the car into any gear requires a firm hand, and each gear change is accompanied by a reassuring mechanical clunk.
With four very thin 16” wheels at each corner, you can appreciate that the ride is a tad firm. The steering is not power-assisted but is light enough for it to not be an issue. I took the car to a local parking lot, and the turning circle is less than the width of three parking bays. The small wheels do make the handling vague, and cornering is best done at low speed. Because the Qute is so slim, your passenger is sitting very close to you, and you will be rubbing shoulders through a fast corner. Not the car for you if you are not a fan of other people in your personal space.
Thankfully, the top speed is only 70 km/h, and it gets there without much fuss. You can easily keep up with city traffic, and you should not be frustrating too many people. Do not venture onto the highway, though. I tried that for a short period but got off at the very next off-ramp. You never realize how slow 70km/h really is, until trucks pass you at speed – a positively terrifying experience.
In the suburbs, it is a different story. When I returned the car, I took the long way there, winding my way through the city, and here you don’t notice the lack of power as much. I had a blast driving the Qute. It is slow, and makes an awful racket when you are driving, but not once did I not have a smile on my face. Smiling people stared at me, and I got a lot of inquisitive onlookers wherever I stopped.
I do not see these cars being used by families as their everyday vehicles. However, it will be the perfect car to nip to the shops quickly. We did our weekly shopping with it and it was probably cheaper than using Checkers sixty60! You can easily achieve a fuel consumption figure around the 30 km/L mark. Combining that with the selling price of R 85 000, the Qute makes a lot of financial sense!
Bajaj Qute
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