On the road, the Vespa's performance disappointed a lot of our judges, with pedestrian-like takeoffs and accelerations. "The engine lacks power and gusto," warned Henri. "At high speeds, you can feel some vibration through the frame and under your feet," added Bertrand. Fortunately, the brakes were well up to the task.

This most comfortable scooter of the test fleet will also set you back the most at purchase time - style and quality do have a price!

HONDA JAZZ
The Jazz scored big styling points with its traditional yet attractive lines. "While low, this scooter looks great and the retro-theme instrument panel works beautifully," stated Donna.

The Honda Jazz was the most compact machine of the lot, ideal for teenagers - at least until they grow out of it! (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)

As the smallest scooter of the group, the Jazz is perfect for shorter riders, with not much room for longer legs, let alone for a passenger. The comfortable seat hides a tiny trunk that won't swallow a full-face helmet.

Our two techies confirmed the quality of the materials and their assembly. Lightweight and nimble, the four-stroke Jazz delivered steady accelerations, even when going uphill. Pascal argued that its CVT has no equals.

On the other hand, the Jazz took the longest distances to stop from 50 to 0 km/h, paying the price for the tiny front drum brake, whereas all the others sported a disc at the front.

The handling did not impress all our testers. Alexandra and Henri did not appreciate the twitchiness resulting from the light weight, especially through the steering. One rider's agility is another one's twitchiness! Four of our pure bred riders reveled in the little scooter's agility. Pascal raised a good point: slightly firmer shocks would instill more confidence in the rider, without turning the ride into an unwanted massage. Logically, this smallest of scoots sported the smallest wheels and tires of the group.

YAMAHA XF50 C³
The bread box shaped C³ (Aka "C Cubed") clearly puts function above form. Either you like it or you hate it. As far as most of us are concerned, we liked it. And our most experienced boss did note that it reminded him of the Cushman scooters from the 30s to the 60s.

The Yamaha C<sup>3</sup>, a look only a mother could love? No, as most of us liked it by the end of the day. And get a load of that long underseat storage space. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)