The Swagtron Swagger 5 review is an affordable scooter, though this one is a little faster at a top speed of 18 mph. It’s well-equipped, with a collapsible chassis, a 250-watt motor, and an air-filled front tire, which makes for a smooth ride. The Swagger 5 weighs 27.5 pounds and supports up to 320 pounds on the journey. It also comes with a shock-absorbent spring and a phone mount, which you can use to monitor the Swagger’s top speed and battery power along with the Swagtron companion app. However, its range is a bit more limited, and it struggles up hills more than scooters such as the Glion Dolly.
Features of Swagtron Swagger 5 Scooter
- The mobile app enables you to control most settings on your scooter.
- Pneumatic tires make for a smoother urban ride.
- A strong disc brake in the rear that lets you stop in no time.
- Headlight and brake light for good visibility in the dark.
- Large built-in display showing real-time data.
Top Speed and Range
The Swagger 5 has a top speed of 29.0 km/h and a range of 13.8 kilometers. The value of the range is less than Swagtron’s claim of 19 kilometers, which might be possible under ideal conditions. The scooter is ridden as fast as possible in its quickest (least energy-conserving mode) mode. The Swagger 5 has a 216-watt hour lithium-ion battery pack, which is a good size for such an inexpensive scooter. It’s nearest-priced competitor, the Gotrax GXL V2 has only a battery, yet gets 16.3 kilometers of the tested range. However, due to its higher top speed (the GXL V2 tops out around 23 km/h), the Swagger 5 depletes its bigger battery much quicker.
If you ride it in one of the lower-speed modes, you’ll get a significantly greater range.
Construction and Build quality
The Swagger 5 has an IPX4 IP (water-resistance) rating. This means it can tolerate splashes but not being submerged in water. Overall, build quality is good when you take into account this is one of the least expensive electric scooters. Some components, like the brake lever, feel cheap. The brakes needed some adjustment, and the cable routing isn’t the best design. The brakes are also a little noisy. Despite this, they are still very functional. However, things that affect the overall scooter experience: the frame of the scooter, folding mechanism, motor, and stem all feel very solid. The powder-coated frame and welds, in particular, seem to be nearly identical in design and quality to that of the Xiaomi Mi M365.
Portability and Compactness
Swagger 5 is a very portable scooter, though not at the level of ultra-portable ones like the U Scooters Booster V or Glion Dolly. The main feature it lacks is folding handlebars, which stick out about 43 centimeters. This isn’t normally a problem, except if you try to bring it on a crowded commuter train, where space is a limited premium. The Swagger 5 weighs 12 kgs. When folded, it is 114-centimeters by 43-centimeters by 48-centimeters. It’s compact enough to fit into the trunk of most cars.
The folding mechanics are identical to the M365 and a handful of other scooters — including both the folding and latching mechanism. This folding mechanism is solid when locked into place, and the handlebars feel stable. Folding is quick and simple as you simply rotate a safety plastic collar, then pull down on a lever. A mechanism on handlebars engages with a hitch on the rear fender, securing the stem for carrying. When folded, most people will have no problem carrying it up a flight of stairs.
Design and Connectivity
The cockpit of Swagger 5 features a bright central display LED that gives battery status, speed, and Bluetooth pairing information. This makes this scooter a very smart scooter choice over the other models and it is one of the most distinguishing features. There is just a single button just under the display of the Swagger 5 that is to power the scooter on, control “gear,” and turn the lights on. The “gear” is a mode that limits the top speed of the scooter. In “gear 3”, the scooter tops out at 29 kilometers per hour.
The handlebar grips screw into the side of the stem. They have a tendency to loosen spontaneously, which is an annoyance. One trick we discovered is that unscrewing the handlebars was super useful when loading into a packed car. If you do this, be careful that a plastic ring that slips into the side of the accelerator doesn’t fall out when the right handlebar is off.
The Swagger App connects your smartphone with the scooter over Bluetooth. It is not needed to use the scooter, which is good. Many people don’t want to have a phone out while cruising around. The Swagger 5 comes with a free phone holder in case you want to do this. The main benefit is that it allows you to control the lights, change gear modes, or lock the scooter without having to tap out morse code on the power button. The app also allows you to deactivate the powered start mode. Turning this off (which will require you to kick start the scooter) will help to extend range significantly because it takes a ton of energy to get you rolling.
Tires and Mounted Light
The scooter has a forward-facing LED that is mounted high on the stem and rear fender lights. As is the case with electric scooters, the rear light is mounted in a low position on the fender and difficult to see from a distance.
When it comes to the tire choice for the Swagger 5, Swagtron has split the difference. The scooter comes with 21.6-centimeter tires. The front tire is pneumatic, while the rear tire is airless with an internal honeycomb structure. Because rear tires more often get flats, this is a nice trade-off between performance and maintenance. We universally favor pneumatic tires on all scooters, because they provide better traction in wet conditions and a better ride. However, they come with the risk of flats. Most tire flats can be prevented or easily repaired with slime.
Comfort Level and Off-roading
The Swagger 5 has decent ride quality and is best suited for roads that are in good-moderate condition. If you end up riding on poor terrain, you will get rattled around. The Swagger doesn’t have a mechanical suspension, so the only cushioning you’ll get comes from the tires. Its combination of a pneumatic (air-filled) front tire and rear honeycomb (airless) tire provides a surprisingly smooth ride.
The rear tire has an internal polyurethane honeycomb structure that acts as springs and provides a much better ride than a typical solid rubber tire. The outer rubber of this tire is quite supple, it provides good traction compared to other solid tires we’ve tested.
Performance and battery life
Overall, Swagger 5 proved very enjoyable to ride. It has three-speed modes. When Swagger 5 is kept on the top model, it reached the top speed of 17 mph on flat roads. Because the front tire of the Swagtron 5 is air-filled rather than hard rubber, this scooter rolled much more smoothly over both suburban and city streets than the Glion Dolly did. However, Swagger 5 has a shorter range and is less powerful than the Glion. Acceleration was a bit more gradual, and the Swagger 5 had a harder time getting up hills.
Going up a hill with a 6% grade, the Swagger 5 slowed so much that I had to get off and walk; the Dolly slowed to a crawl of about 5-6 mph but made it to the top of the hill. Following a 6-mile ride that included a few hills, the Swagger 5’s battery died less than a quarter-mile afterward. By contrast, the Dolly was good for at least another mile.
Specifications of Swagtron Swagger 5
Size (unfolded): 45.3 x 41.5 x 17 inches
Weight: 27.5 pounds
Max rider weight: 320 pounds
Max speed: 18 mph
Motor: 250 W, front-wheel drive
Max range: 11 miles
Battery: 36 V, 6 ah
Charging time: 3.5 hours
Pros and cons of Swagtron Swagger 5
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Wrap Up
Then the latest addition to the Swagtron electric scooter lineup, Swagger 5, might be the solution to your problem. For a few hundred dollars less you can get a similar looking scooter with just as smooth of a ride, but with less power.
And yes If you’re looking to spend less than $500 for an electric scooter, consider the Swagtron Swagger 5; it’s a very capable machine, and thanks to its air-inflated front tire, it offers a smooth ride. Those who live in hillier areas might need something with more power, but for most others, the Swagger 5 is a good all-around electric scooter.