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Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0 review

Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0

CHOICE Expert Rating

81%
What is the CHOICE Expert Rating?
Good points

Good Points

  • Excellent motor responsiveness.
  • Very good motor assistance climbing hills.
  • Very good motor assistance at speed.
  • Very good display and controls.
  • Has a useful app to adjust motor settings.
  • Bike is very good to pedal quickly.
  • Bike has good slow speed balance.
  • Bike copes well on rough surfaces.
  • Has rear rack, metal mudguards and a rear-mount kickstand.
  • Has built-in lights.
  • Has hydraulic disc brakes.
  • Has a suspension fork.
  • Comes in full and mid-step frames.
Bad points

Bad Points

  • No obvious bad points.

Type

Bike type
Commuter
Frame type
Full frame
Cargo type
Not applicable
Drive type
Chain

Recommended products

Recommended
Not recommended

Test results

CHOICE Expert Rating
81%
Pedal assistance score
85%
Braking score
90%
Turning and low speed score
77%
Comfort score
70%
Handling score
78%
Controls score
80%
On-bike battery score
N/A
Off-bike battery score
N/A
Display score
N/A
Comments
This is the best e-bike I've ridden, said one of our test riders. The Turbo Vado is more of a commuter than a city bike as it's better suited toriding further and faster. The weight-forward rider position is set up for efficient pedalling, assisted by a very capable motor that pushes to 40km/h. Despite the ride position and high top-tube that hinders mounting and dismounting, our testers thought the Vado handled well when travelling through congested city streets, it was confident and assured at slower speeds. The motor was a favourite: powerful with smooth, consistent assistance, which made stop-start riding a breeze. There was also plenty of grunt for steep hills. The Vado comes well-equipped with mudguards, chainring guard and built-in lights. It has a rear rack, though its a little narrow and not the easiest on which to mount bags. The motor controls are simple and very easy to use. You can even pair the bike to your phone and use an app to adjust assistance settings and record rides. If you mix city cruising with longer distance riding, the Vado is an excellent choice. Note: the less expensive but similar Vado 3.0 model ($4800) comes with the lower torque (51Nm) 1.2 E motor. While we expect the bike to ride very similarly to the 4.0, its hill-climbing performance will be lower.

Related products

Availability
Discontinued model

Specifications

Sizes available
4
Bike weight (kg)
N/A
Motor brand
Brose
Motor model
Turbo 1.2
Motor location
Middle
Power (W)
250
Max assist torque (Nm)
85
Max assist speed (km/h)
45
Assist settings
3
Battery size (Wh)
460
Battery location
Down tube (top side)
Wheel size (inches)
27.5
Tyre width (mm)
47
Mudguards
Metal
Kickstand location
Rear mount
Rear rack
Lights
Gears
11 (trigger)
Suspension fork travel
Suspension seatpost
Brakes
Disc (hydraulic)
Frame warranty (years)
N/A
Battery and motor warranty (years)
N/A
Battery origin
N/A
Frame origin
N/A
Motor origin
N/A

Cost

Price
$6,900.00

Features

Walk mode
Thumb throttle
Quick release seatpost
N/A
Quick release wheels
N/A

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