Currus Panther
$3,599
In this Currus Panther review, find out just how fast this beast scooter purrrforms (Spoiler: as of January 2021, it’s the fastest we’ve ever tested) — with brakes that bite and serious power.
Technical Specifications
| Tested top speed: 47.5 mph* | |
| Weight: 112 lb* | |
| Max rider weight: 330 lb | |
| Water resistance: None |
Highlights
| Widest deck we have tested | |
| Fantastic stopping power | |
| Roars uphill | |
| Very active rider required | |
| Tall folded height | |
| Super heavy |
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Summary
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Our Take: Raw Power Requires an Experienced Rider
Wanting to own a Currus Panther is a lot like wanting to own a giant jungle cat. It seems like a great idea to have a beast with tons of raw power at your fingertips, but the novelty of owning such a rare creature may lose its charm when you put it through its paces. It’s an interesting beast scooter in a scary sort of way, but is it something you really want to own?
Although the Panther has a cool, erector set-eseque appearance that’s very appealing, on closer inspection its construction is a festival of bolts that leaves you wanting for welds. We did not feel comfortable testing the manufacturer’s claimed range of more than 70 miles, because the Panther has one of the least comfortable, most awkward rides that our team has encountered. Especially at high speeds, the Panther was perilously difficult to hold stable.
When it comes down to performance, the Panther keeps pace with other beasts in its class and has the widest deck we’ve ever ridden, but it takes an attentive rider eager for a challenge to tame this beast.
Best Alternatives and Competitors
| Model | Top Speed** | Range** | Weight** | Price |
| Currus Panther | 47.5 mph | - | 112 lb | $3,599 |
| Apollo Pro Ludicrous (60V) | 44.0 mph | 29.6 mi | - | $3,499 |
| Kaabo Wolf Warrior 11 | 45.0 mph | 30.2 mi | 108 lb | $2,899 |
| Minimotors Dualtron X | 50.0 mph | - | - | $5,999 |
Currus Panther Review
Results below are based on our independent testing and not data provided by the manufacturer. Read about our testing methodology or compare with other scooters on our electric scooter performance testing page.
| Acceleration (0 to 15 mph) | 2.2 seconds |
| Acceleration (0 to 20 mph) | 3.1 seconds |
| Acceleration (0 to 25 mph) | 4.2 seconds |
| Acceleration (0 to 30 mph) | 5.8 seconds |
| Acceleration (0 to 35 mph) | 7.9 seconds |
| Acceleration (0 to 40 mph) | 11.8 seconds |
| Top speed | 47.5 mph |
| Braking distance (15 to 0 mph) | 11.6 feet |
| Hill climb | 7.8 seconds |
Acceleration
The Currus Panther is truly among the fastest of the fast in a straight line. Once you’ve experienced the raw acceleration of it’s highest performance mode, merely waving your finger over the trigger throttle will elevate your heart rate, and make your body instinctively lean forward to brace for the rush of acceleration. When you drop the hammer, the front wheel instantly starts scratching for traction, taking nearly a second (though it feels like 10) to finally hook up with the pavement, no matter how hard you lean forward. In our acceleration tests, the Panther earned it’s membership card to the “quickest scooters club”, with a tested 0 to 30 mph time of 5.8 s.
The downside of riding the Panther in its highest acceleration mode is that throttle control feels very abrupt, and you need to use a lot of finesse with the trigger throttle to avoid spinning the front wheel while executing turns.
Hill Climbing
Hill? What hill? The acceleration on the Panther feels nearly as fast uphill as on flat ground. It’s the 5th fastest hill climber that we’ve ever tested up the 200-foot distance.
The Panther roared up the hill in 7.8 seconds, and had an average speed of 17.4 mph.
Compare with other scooters on our performance page.
Top Speed
The Currus Panther has an ESG tested top speed of 47.5 mph, and although it’s fast, isn’t a good-fast when it comes to how it feels to ride.
At speeds around 35 mph, the steering on the Panther becomes very nervous. At 45 mph and above, it took intense concentration to hold the scooter stable and maintain a straight line. Any sort of lateral maneuvering at that speed would be perilous. The steering geometry appears to be lacking enough trail to keep the front of the scooter stable. In other words, the contact patch of the front wheel appears to be forward of the steering pivot, making the Panther feel unbalanced.
In contrast, riding the Wolf Warrior 11 at high speeds feels relaxed and composed.
Learn more about our extensive ESG certification tests.
Range
We did not perform a full range test on this scooter.
Currus claims that the Panther boasts up to 75 miles of range, even when holding 50 mph speeds. However, we didn’t hit 50 mph on the Panther and don’t expect it’d sustain a 75-mile trip at that speed.
The Panther comes with a 2100 wh Samsung SDI Li-ion battery, and based on the capacity, it’ll have enough range to get you anywhere you want to go but not likely as much as they claim.
Braking
One of the best features of the Panther is its braking. It has excellent stopping power, with a tested braking distance of 11.6 ft when stopping from 15 mph.
Given its weight and often-hectic handling, we imagined we would have our hands full when bringing the Panther to an emergency stop. But that’s where the Panther handed us our biggest surprise. When it comes to stopping power and poise under heavy deceleration, it turns out to be among the very best scooters we’ve ridden. The front and rear hydraulic brakes were very easy to modulate, right up to the limits of traction, in spite of having so much power and a strong initial bite. The suspension did a great job of keeping the front end from diving under hard braking, which also helps the rear end stay on the ground, so it can do its part to help slow you down, and keep you pointed in the right direction.
Ride Quality
The Panther is a scooter that requires your full attention, especially when it’s in Turbo mode. The throttle has to be applied carefully; turns have to be executed thoughtfully. It’s kind of exciting to ride a machine that requires that kind of attention.
While the braking is among the best, the handling is, in deep contrast, the worst ever; at speed, it’s positively diabolical. For one of our team members, its handling ranks below more than 2,000 motorcycles and hundreds of cars he’s road tested (as well as a homemade go-cart).
Due to the unstable handling and abrupt throttle in Turbo mode, the Panther is a challenge to conquer. For example, when making a left turn through an intersection after being at a full stop, we found we had to pull the throttle, let off it, and pull the throttle again because the front wheel lost traction during the turn. The knobby tires made this effect more pronounced than it would have been with road tires, but knobby tires come standard on the Panther.
The front and rear spring suspension work well, but not enough to make up for the wonky steering geometry. The front spring is enclosed in the skeletal stem, while the rear suspension is beneath the foot rest.
Currus Panther Features
Portability
Portability? The Panther is not about portability just like it’s feline counterpart can’t sit on your lap. The Panther looks at you and says, “You are never picking me up,” sort of the same way a motorcycle or a car earns that mutual respect.
On a serious note, the Currus Panther has a smart stem folding mechanism with a large pin and a release button. When you push the button, it allows you to withdraw the pin from a nicely machined hole. Once you fold the bars down, there is a different hole that you slide the pin into to secure it in the folded position.
The handlebars also fold. Not very far, but far enough that the deck becomes the widest part of the scooter. The handlebars are the same Xtasy folding handlebars that we have on our Zero 10X, and the folding mechanism is very secure once in place. The handlebars provide no wobble.
Once the Panther is folded, make sure you’re very close to wherever you plan to place it because there is no way you want to carry it anywhere. It’s possible for a single person to carefully load it, but probably better to team lift. If you’re by yourself, you could place one wheel on the tailgate and then lift the other wheel and roll the scooter in.
The Currus Panther measures 50 inches long by 50 in wide by 51 inches tall. The Panther has a particularly tall folded height of 25 inches. In fact, only the Dualtron X and Dualtron X II have taller folded heights at 30 inches.
Cockpit
The straight handlebars on the Panther are exceptionally wide at 27 inches. This design gives the rider a pronounced “elbows out” feel while riding. Your body position somewhat adds to the unique character of the scooter. It’s like wearing a big cowboy hat. It feels weird at first, but not uncomfortable; that somewhat describes the whole scooter, actually.
There are rubberized button controls for the lights and horn on the left handlebar as well as an unlabeled metal button, which toggles the scooter between Regular and Turbo modes. On the right handlebar are a keystart ignition, EY3 LCD trigger throttle and voltmeter.
Lights
The Panther has a very bright, high mounted front headlight, and a taillight that’s nicely integrated into the rear footrest.
For riding at night, you may want more lighting for better visibility.
Tires
The 11.0 in knobby pneumatic tires make enough noise to make you feel like you’re riding a wild animal. It’s kind of a nice, thrumming sound, similar to when you’re driving next to a really tall 4-wheel drive truck.
Read more about preventing and repairing flats.
Deck
The deck is like standing on a grip tape-covered dance floor, measuring 16.0 inches long by 12.5 inches wide with 5.3 inches of ground clearance. There’s lots of standing space, as well as the grip tape-covered foot rest over the rear wheel.
Build Quality
Manufactured entirely in Korea, the contruction of the Currus Panther is particularly unusual, as it’s built out of many, many pieces of aluminum which are bolted together rather than welded. Unfortunately, most of the bolts were loose after around 100 miles of rough riding, and the four bolts that hold the right side swing arm bearing in place were gone, so the swing arm pivot was riding directly on the frame (but was easily corrected with 4 new bolts and a little Loctite).
The cable routing is nicely done, as the cables run through a small hose where the wires enter the deck. It gives the scooter a cool, robotic feel, but the design is inconsistently executed. For example, the front fork is built like a forklift while the rear swing arm pivot is clearly a weak spot.
With formidable speed comes formidable size, with the Panther weighing in at 106 lbs. It is built to carry over double its weight, including big dawgs up to 265 lbs. Given that weight, it needs a sturdy kick stand and the one that is included is not quite up to the task. Fortunately, Currus offers this aftermarket kickstand, which is one of the nicest we’ve ever seen.
Currus Panther: Review Conclusions
The Currus Panther is an interesting scooter, for certain. We’re glad that we got a chance to ride it as it’s definitely a unique scooter for those brave enough to try taming it. The Panther’s a hill-climbing beast that claws itself to a stop quite skillfully, but for those shopping in the $4K price range there are other scooters that are less challenging and more rewarding to ride.
Our content is independent, but buying through our links may earn us a commission.
If the Currus line doesn’t fit your needs, check out our ESG Editor’s pick of best electric scooters.
Currus Panther Specifications
| Make | Currus |
| Model | Panther |
| Weight | 106 lb |
| Folded dimensions | 50 by 13 by 25 in |
| Motor power, continuous | 5400 W |
| Top speed | 50 mph |
| Range | 75 mi |
| Battery capacity | 2100 Wh |
| Battery recharge time | hrs |
| Max rider weight | 330 lb |
| Brake type | Disc + Disc |
| Tire type | 11.0 in Pneumatic (Inner Tube) + Pneumatic (Inner Tube) |
| Built-in lights | Front + Rear |
| Water resistance | None |
