Products

17th March 2007

Three wheels are better than two for motorists looking to beat the jams. Piaggio’s new MP3 is aimed at drivers who are worried about swapping their car for a scooter, as its clever two-wheeled front end gives unheard-of stability and security compared to a conventional machine.

It banks into turns less readily than a two-wheeler, but once there the pair of front tyres grip the tarmac well. In a straight line, the MP3 runs truer and is less prone to wiggling over white lines, while keeping upright at walking pace is easy. The brakes are stable and pow­erful, with a claimed 20 per cent reduction in stopping distances in the dry and 24 per cent in the wet over a two-wheeler.

Drivers will also like the long, shallow underseat boot and comprehensive dash. Plus, at the flick of a switch (below), the wheels’ tilting mechanism can be locked to allow parking without the centre stand.

Large owners may find the bike cramped, but the big screen limits buffeting on motorways. And for fast roads, you’ll need our test machine’s punchy 250cc engine, as the 125cc we tried at the launch struggles with the heavy three-wheeler. A great design, but it needs to be cheaper to tempt drivers.

Piaggio MP3 250 scooter, price: £4,299, rating: 4/5, buy from: 0800 818 29800, www.piaggio.com