Swiss companies have a reputation for quality, and VMAX is definitely leveraging this in their marketing materials; they've been manufacturing electric scooters for almost a decade now, and have put significant effort into improving the design and build quality of their products. They are an OEM which means they own their own manufacturing facility, giving them full control over the entire process. In fact, they make every component on their scooters except for the tires and battery cells!
Today's review is all about their flagship scooter model, the VX4. It's a well rounded scooter that can tackle just about anything; city commuting, off-road adventuring, and long-distance treks (especially if you have the GT version). I'm specifically reviewing the US version of this scooter, which has two main differences compared to the EU version: It's faster, and it's cheaper! I've spent quite a bit of time test riding the VX4, including a full range test which you can check out in my video review.
Design & Build: Refined Swiss Quality in Scooter Form
The VX4 is one of the best scooters I've ever had the pleasure of reviewing. It's meticulously designed, built extremely well, and has high-quality components across the board. VMAX may be new to the US market, but they've had nine years to iterate on and improve their designs in the European market, and they've put that time to good use! The VX4 has a sleek appearance with almost no visible cabling, and the setup process was a breeze thanks to the detailed instruction manual, written specifically for the VX4 (whereas most manufacturers have a generic manual used for all their models).
Probably my favorite part of the VX4's design is how well the lighting & signaling components are integrated. Almost all scooters miss the mark here, but VMAX has absolutely crushed it:
The headlight is positioned high up on the handlebars, very bright with an excellent spread, and has cutouts for excellent side visibility
The rear light is bright enough to see in the daytime, with even brighter brake activation
The turn signals are positioned in the ends of the grips, incredibly bright and visible from all angles. There are also additional turn signals mounted on the back of the deck
The flick bell is surprisingly loud and easy to engage
This makes a significant difference when riding the VX4 in the city; I felt confident that other people could see and hear me, regardless of if they were other riders or vehicle drivers. The control system is also laid out intuitively, with a clean cockpit that has just enough room to sneak in a phone mount (there's even a USB port for charging on the go). Top-to-bottom the VX4 just feels high quality. It's something about the sturdiness, and how every component just looks like it belongs By contrast, many cheaper scooters feel like they're cobbled-together parts from different manufacturers... which they usually are!
I do, however, have one small nitpick with the VX4's design, and that's the latching mechanism. The stem folds down for easier transport and storage, and you can sort of secure it in the folded position via a small lever that folds up from the back of the deck, hooking in to the bag holder at the top of the stem. Here's why I don't like it:
It's a bit fiddly and difficult to line up the two latch components
Once latched in place it lets you pick the scooter up, but it's not secure. As soon as you set the scooter down it unlatches, and it's possible to have it unlatch when carrying if you bump it hard on something
Ultimately the latch mechanism gets the job done for carrying the VX4, but it's useless if you want to secure it during storage or while transporting in a vehicle. Still, this is a pretty minor nitpick, and it's really the only negative thing I found after spending many hours with this scooter.
Battery + Motor: The VX4 is surprisingly zippy!
You've got three battery options for the VX4, with the standard offering 34 miles (55 km) of range, while the heftier GT advertises up to 62 miles (100 km). As with all manufacturer range estimates, you should take these with a grain of salt; If you're a big person (like me) and ride at maximum speed (also like me), your range will be a lot less. I was able to squeeze 34 miles out of my GT before running out of juice; check the above video for more details on my range test.
VMAX uses top-tier cells in their batteries, which are fully UL certified for maximum safety. Their BMS (Battery Management System) and controllers are very well done too:
You get a precise percentage readout for remaining battery capacity, and it drains smoothly without jumping around when under load (a common problem on small electric vehicles called "voltage sag")
The system is quite efficient and uses little power when on flat ground with light loads; when you hit a steep incline, the motor will peak as high as 1300 watts and effortlessly maintain speed
The VX4 has a sine wave controller, which means a smooth and consistent acceleration curve. The top-end acceleration (from 18 mph or so up to the top speed of 25 mph) is particularly impressive
The single motor is 500 watts nominal, which doesn't sound like a lot... and really, this motor doesn't sound like anything! All I can hear when riding is the sound of the tires on the pavement, although you will hear the motor when the electronic brakes kick in. It's sneakily powerful, peaking at over 1,300 watts and with enough torque to climb a 33% incline. That's much steeper than any of the hills where I live, which the VX4 zoomed up like it was still on flat ground.
A triple braking system provides both safety and regenerative capabilities
There are three independent braking systems on the VX4:
A drum brake in the front, activated via the right lever
A mechanical disc brake in the rear, activated via the left lever
An electronic brake in the rear motor, also activated via the left lever
This triple redundancy is great for safety, as you could lose one or even two brakes and still be able to stop effectively. Statistically the only system likely to fail is the electronic brake, which is the least powerful of the three. It's primary purpose is actually extending your range, as it's a regenerative brake that captures your kinetic motion and feeds it back into the battery. If you squeeze the left brake lever just a little bit (not enough to activate the mechanical brake) it will trigger the regen brake and it's enough to stop you in most situations.
Of course, if you need to stop quickly you can use both levers, and here the VX4 displays excellent stopping ability. I like that the mechanical disc brake (the strongest one) is positioned in the rear, to prevent you accidentally going over the handlebars if you squeeze too hard and lock the tire.
Advanced features: cruise control, top speed unlock, and app integration
VMAX has a smartphone app by the same name which you can pair with the VX4. Setting it up was seamless, and the app is surprisingly well done! Its most useful features are mapping, navigation, and ride tracking, with detailed tracking metrics and the option to optimize for maximum range when navigating. You can also see more information about the scooter's current status, including a remaining range estimate (which you can improve by entering in your height and weight in settings). There are some other things I'd like to see added to the app in the future:
A way to update the scooter's firmware (right now you'd have to send it in to VMAX)
A way to lock/unlock the scooter for more convenient anti-theft
Ability to toggle cruise control and top speed unlock
The last two would be huge quality of life improvements. There is a cruise control, which you can enable by rapidly pressing the power button three times. Unfortunately, there's no indication on the display to let you know it's turned on; there is an icon that pops up when cruise control is engaged, but it can be confusing not knowing if it's enabled or not.
Similarly, the top speed unlock is not intuitive. The first stage is easy; you can enter the display settings menu --which is very easy to navigate-- and change the top speed setting as high as 21.7 mph. Side note: that's pretty fast on a scooter, and will probably be enough for most riders. But if you want a bit more zoom, you can unlock the top speed by rapidly pressing the power button five times. Again, there's no indication on the display to let you know you were successful; either the scooter will now go faster, or you'll have to try it again.
I'll also note that you can only actually hit 25 mph when the battery is above 70%. As you lose power your top speed starts to slowly drop off, once you get down to 30% you'll only be able to hit about 22 mph. This is not a strike against VMAX, but simply how lithium-ion batteries work, getting less powerful as capacity drains. In fact, the VX4 performs significantly better at low capacity than literally any other scooter I've tested!
The VX4 is both easy and fun to ride, and can handle any terrain
The VX4 is intended more for use in urban environments, but I took it on some pretty rough trails and it did better than some of the dedicated off-road scooters I've reviewed. Both front and rear suspension are premium quality with about 2" of travel, with thick rubber grips and deck surface which help to absorb any vibrations that get through. Honestly, the only thing that holds it back is the 10" diameter of the wheels; this is a pretty standard size for scooters, but it has a steep attack angle against obstacles, compared to larger wheels which can more easily roll over things. Even so, the VX4 feels awesome on rough terrain, especially with the satisfying acceleration on tap.
Paved surfaces are where this scooter really shines, with an incredibly smooth ride feeling. It's well balanced and easy to control, and even though the acceleration is quite powerful it has a smooth roll-on so you never feel surprised by it. It also requires a kick to start, a nice safety touch. I found I was able to keep pace with or beat most cars off of stoplights, even at low charge levels; I didn't notice any drop in power until I got under 30%, which is truly impressive!
Who's it for?
The VX4 is an excellent all-around scooter. It does everything well, but doesn't excel at any one thing in particular. It's a competent commuter, but it's size and weight make it less portable and convenient than purpose-built commuters like the VX5. Similarly, the VX4 is pretty darn fast, but not as fast as VMAX's racing scooters. If you're only going to be riding off-road, you'd probably want to look elsewhere for something with bigger wheels.
But if you want a reliable scooter that can do everything, you'd be hard pressed to find anything better than the VX4. It's incredibly versatile, and the VMAX name is worth quite a lot; they have an excellent reputation for quality, evidenced in part by their outstanding 24-month comprehensive warranty.
