KTM Macina Gran 610 wins fourth test at Stiftung Warentest

Is this slowly becoming a regularity? Stiftung Warentest tests ebikes and in the end a KTM model ends up at the top of the winners’ podium. This happened in 2018, 2020 and 2022. And in 2024, the KTM Macina Gran 610 continues this winning streak. With an overall score of 1.8, it was crowned the best trekking ebike in the test.

A colourful mix of participants

The Stiftung Warentest editorial team pitted a total of eleven trekking ebikes against each other. The test was to some extent a system comparison. On the one hand, three inexpensive ebikes from discounters with a rear hub drive and prices between 1,100 euros and 1,600 euros. On the other side, high-quality models from well-known manufacturers, which are based on a mid-motor and cost between 2,150 euros and 4,500 euros. What they all had in common, however, was the diamond frame shape. In addition, all bikes had the typical profile of a trekking ebike. Consequently, their equipment includes a suspension fork, derailleur gears, disc brakes, mudguards, a rear rack, a permanently installed lighting system and wider tyres that offer a firm grip both on the road and on paved forest paths.

All the trekking ebikes in the test

Cube Kathmandu Hybrid One 625
Fischer Viator 4.2i
Hepha Trekking 7
Hercules Futura Sport I-10
Kalkhoff Endeavour 5 Advance +
Kettler Quadriga CX 10 LG 625
KTM Macina Gran 610
Llobe Utah 2.1
Maxtron MT-11
Pegasus Premio Evo 10 Lite
Zündapp Z810

‘Eccentric’ with many talents

On closer inspection, the appearance of the KTM Macina Gran 610 in the test is a little surprising. Unfortunately, we don’t know whether it was specifically requested or rather selected by the manufacturer itself. What we do know is that it is one of the eUrban models in the KTM range. It is actually intended to be a loyal companion on the bike lanes through the city. At the same time, however, it has qualities that make it a suitable candidate for longer tours. A suspended and dropper seat post, for example, not only makes it easier to get on and off the bike, but also promises increased riding comfort, especially on long or uneven routes. At 80 millimetres, the suspension travel on such a bike is sufficient. And the derailleur system with nine gears from Shimano offers a great gear range, as KTM combines the 42-tooth chainring with the largest available cassette. The sprockets cover a range between eleven and 36 teeth. This makes the KTM Macina Gran 610 a trekking-orientated model among the manufacturer’s urban ebikes, which has a certain special status.

Tough selection

Without this versatility, it would probably not have met the requirements of Stiftung Warentest so well. After all, the editors put the test bikes through their usual tough tests. Each bike had to cover several hundred kilometres through the hills of Styria in Austria. By day and by night, the bikes were put through their paces on varying surfaces with and without luggage. The programme also included evasive manoeuvres at high speeds and braking tests on wet surfaces and long descents.

For the second part of the tests, it was back to a special test laboratory. The aim there was to find out how safe it is to ride the selected trekking ebikes, how resilient the installed components are, how powerful the ebike system is in terms of battery capacity and charging times and what value the manufacturers have placed on using environmentally friendly materials. Traditionally, these tests check, for example, whether splash water can actually penetrate the battery, motor and display.

KTM Macina Gran 610 ebike test winner at Stiftung Warentest 2024 in the trekking ebike category — On the test bench, the KTM Macina Gran 610 easily brings the simulated total weight of 150 kilograms to a halt in good time.

Stable and comfortable

The KTM Macina Gran 610 was able to convince Stiftung Warentest in this respect as well as in numerous other aspects. Above all, the jurors were impressed by the riding experience with the model. In their verdict, they emphasised the stable handling, which was evident on climbs, descents and bends, and which coped well with the addition of luggage. They found the riding position comfortable, accompanied by wide tyres and good suspension. The Bosch drive system, a Smart System with Performance Line CX motor, PowerTube 625 battery and Intuvia 100 display, also ensured complete satisfaction. The motor provided powerful support and was optimally tuned, according to the verdict. KTM also scored points with its self-developed battery removal system. The manufacturer works with its own mount, which makes it much easier to remove the battery with a separate handle at the top. On other models in the test, the battery could only be removed from below. The handlebars were not to the taste of the testers, who described them as too curved and not very sporty. All in all, however, the KTM Macina Gran 610 was ‘very good to ride, comfortable and easy to handle’.

During such a test, the jurors selectively evaluate specific aspects of each model. These are then used to determine the overall score. A look at these sub-disciplines shows how well KTM performed not only on the whole, but also on a smaller scale:

Scores for the KTM Macina Gran 610

Riding: 1.6 = best score in the test
Drive: 1.8 = best score in the test
Handling: 2.3 = best score in the test
Safety & durability: 1.8
Pollutants: 1.0 = best rating in the test

Duo at the top

Despite this impressive result, the race for overall victory was really close at the end. Finally, the KTM shared first place with the Kalkhoff Endeavour 5 Advance +. In terms of price, it came out on top. At 3,890 euros, it undercuts the Kalkhoff by around 600 euros. ‘KTM Fahrrad’s focus is on quality and innovation,’ says Johanna Grabner-Urkauf, Managing Director of KTM Fahrrad, commenting on the test victory. ‘Quality results in satisfaction. At the same time, it ensures a long product service life. The longer the service life, the more sustainable the product. Awards like this, and consistently over many years, confirm the outstanding work that all employees put into the products day after day.’

The three cheapest ebikes with rear hub drives were at the bottom of the ranking. None of them scored better than 3.2, which corresponds to a ‘satisfactory’. The introductory words to their short reviews were ‘Weak brakes’ (Maxtron), ‘Unreliable’ (Llobe) and ‘Out of date’ (Zündapp).