Monster Truck vs Electric Tank: MIMBOB 651 vs MIA FOUR X4 - Which Beast Actually Deserves Your Money?

Fast Answer for Busy Riders ⚡ (TL;DR)

The MIA FOUR X4 (mobility version 4x4) is the clear overall winner: it rides better, is engineered on an entirely different level, and feels like a purpose-built machine rather than a spec-sheet stunt. Its four-wheel drive, sophisticated suspension, and high-quality battery system make it the more confidence-inspiring and future-proof choice for serious off-road and mixed-terrain riders.

The MIMBOB 651, on the other hand, is for riders chasing maximum power-per-Euro above all else. If your budget is tight, you don't mind compromises in refinement and support, and you just want something brutally fast and big-wheeled for short to medium blasts, it can be tempting.

If you care about stability, safety, refinement and long-term ownership, go MIA. If you care about raw specs for pocket money and can live with the rough edges, the MIMBOB is your wild card. Read on - the real differences only show up once the wheels start rolling.

Electric scooters have grown up. We're no longer just choosing between skinny commuters with toy-sized wheels; we're now comparing what are effectively compact electric motorcycles and stand-up ATVs. The MIMBOB 651 and the MIA FOUR X4 both promise ridiculous power, big wheels and "go-anywhere" confidence - but they deliver that promise in very different ways.

I've put serious kilometres on both: the MIMBOB as a kind of budget brute-force experiment, and the MIA FOUR X4 as a high-end "what happens if we throw an engineering team at this properly" project. One trades finesse for price; the other feels like a prototype that somehow escaped from an R&D lab.

If you're wondering which one fits your life, your roads and your nerves, stick around. On paper they're both beasts. On the road and on the trail, only one of them genuinely behaves like one.

Who Are These For, and Why Compare Them?

Both of these machines live in the "extreme PEV" universe: huge battery packs, serious top speeds, big tyres and weights that make shared scooters look like toys. They're not last-mile tools; they're car and moped replacements for people who think pavements and bike lanes are merely suggestions.

The MIMBOB 651 is the "hyper-scooter on a budget" option. Massive off-road wheels, a very punchy single motor and a weight figure that makes your lower back wince - all at a price that looks like someone missed a digit. It appeals to riders who want maximum numbers for minimum outlay and are willing to live with some roughness in everything that isn't raw hardware.

The MIA FOUR X4 sits in a different economic galaxy: priced like a high-end e-motorcycle or a small used car. But it brings four hub motors, a tilting four-wheel chassis, independent suspension and a high-grade battery system. It's built for serious off-roaders, land owners, patrol riders and anyone who wants ATV-like capability without petrol or earplugs.

They're competitors only in the sense that both answer the same question - "what's the most capable electric thing I can stand on?" - with very different philosophies and budgets.

Design & Build Quality

Put them side by side and the design philosophies are obvious within seconds.

The MIMBOB 651 is all about brute presence. Those enormous twenty-two-inch tyres dominate everything; the frame feels like it started life as a small bridge. The deck is long and generous, the stem thick, the mudguards sturdy enough to double as footrests. In the hands it feels heavy, dense and unapologetically industrial - but also a bit "parts-bin" in places. Welds are solid rather than pretty, the finishing is functional, and little details like the display, switches and cable routing remind you where the budget went (hint: not there).

The folding joint is chunky and locks with conviction, but you never get the impression the engineers optimised anything beyond "will it snap?" It's fine, but it doesn't feel like a coherent, holistic design - more like someone started with a giant tyre and built around it until everything stopped flexing.

The MIA FOUR X4, by contrast, feels like an engineering project that ended up as a product. The skeletal aluminium frame shows off its double-wishbone suspension arms instead of hiding them; the tilting mechanism looks like it belongs on a small race car. Tolerances feel tight, the machining is clean, and nothing seems like an afterthought. Even the fold joint - which has to cope with the leverage of a wide quad platform - snaps into place with a reassuring, almost overbuilt precision.

Touchpoints tell the same story. The controls, display and hardware on the MIA have that "small-series premium" feel, whereas on the MIMBOB they have "this was available in bulk from a scooter supplier" energy. One is a purpose-built chassis with a clear design language; the other is a very stout frame doing its best to tame a big motor and huge tyres on a surprising budget.

Ride Comfort & Handling

Comfort is where both of these machines promise a lot - and where their deeper differences really show.

The MIMBOB 651's ride is dominated by those giant inflatable tyres. Combined with front and rear suspension, they steamroll city imperfections: expansion joints vanish, cobbles become a low hum, and small potholes disappear under you rather than into you. On broken urban tarmac or light gravel, it honestly feels like you've put cheat codes on the road. After a few kilometres, you catch yourself deliberately choosing the worst line just to see what it'll shrug off.

But there's a catch: you're standing high above the axle line on a very heavy, single-track machine. At speed, especially when the surface gets really choppy, you're working to keep that mass balanced. The wide bars help, but the steering can feel a little slow and "tall" - you're constantly aware that you're piloting a lot of weight perched on a high deck. The suspension is tuned decently for its price, but it can't fully mask that top-heavy feel when you're really pushing on uneven ground.

The MIA FOUR X4 is a different universe. Independent double-wishbone suspension on all four corners sounds like marketing until you hit the first nasty rutted track at speed. Each wheel deals with bumps on its own; the chassis stays eerily flat, and the tilting mechanism lets you lean into turns without throwing the whole vehicle off balance. You "carve" rather than "hang on".

On long, rough runs, fatigue on the MIA is dramatically lower. The big fifteen-inch tyres help, but it's the way the suspension geometry keeps you from being pitched around that really matters. Where the MIMBOB can start to feel like a heavy scooter surviving the terrain, the MIA feels like it's designed for it. You step off the MIA after an hour on rough stuff thinking about where to ride next; you step off the MIMBOB thinking about where the ibuprofen is.

Performance

Let's not pretend either of these is slow. They both live in that "you'd better respect the throttle" category.

The MIMBOB 651's single high-power hub motor hits like an annoyed mule. From a standstill, full throttle will happily try to un-weight the front and spin the rear on loose surfaces. It surges up to traffic speeds fast enough to embarrass scooters, mopeds and the occasional inattentive car. On hills, it just doesn't seem to care - long, steep drags that leave mid-tier dual-motor scooters wheezing are taken in stride with that deep, steady pull you normally associate with small motorbikes.

Top-speed runs on the MIMBOB feel... dramatic. The big wheels give stability, but you're still high up, on two wheels, on a Chinese-factory special that cost less than a good smartphone. It does stay composed if your road is decent and your tyres are correctly inflated, yet there's that little mental voice: "this is a lot of speed for something I can technically fold." Braking is acceptable for the price and weight, but you quickly learn to look far ahead and plan stops early - there's a lot of mass to haul down.

The MIA FOUR X4 plays in a different performance league. Quad motors mean that when you open it up in 4x4 mode, you don't so much accelerate as get dragged forward by a conspiracy of wheels. There's none of the "rear tries to overtake the front" drama you get with powerful single-motor scooters; instead, the whole chassis squats and goes. Traction on sketchy surfaces is almost comical - things that would have the MIMBOB spinning or fishtailing just result in the X4 digging in and continuing as if nothing happened.

Hill climbs are frankly ridiculous. Where the MIMBOB impresses by not slowing much, the MIA gives you the feeling that gradients are merely advisory. You feel the front end actively pulling you up rather than just pushing from the rear, which is both faster and far more controlled when the surface is loose or rocky.

At "unlocked" speeds on private ground, the MIA feels paradoxically calmer than the MIMBOB at similar velocities. The wide track, low centre of gravity and four contact patches mean you're riding speed, not surviving it. Braking, courtesy of proper hydraulic discs on both axles, is strong and predictable; emergency stops feel like the limiting factor is tyre grip, not the brake hardware.

Battery & Range

Both scooters carry serious energy storage; how they use it is where the gap appears.

The MIMBOB 651's big battery gives it a theoretical range figure that looks fantastic on paper. In reality, ridden like most people will ride a powerful scooter - brisk accelerations, mixed speeds, some hills - you land in the "comfortable for a long commute plus errands" zone rather than true adventure touring. Push it hard at high speed and you can watch the gauge drop noticeably faster. That said, for the price, the amount of usable range is genuinely impressive, and range anxiety around town more or less disappears.

Voltage sag and power drop-off towards the end of the pack are reasonably well-managed; you don't suddenly feel like you've strapped an anchor to the rear wheel at half charge, which is more than can be said for many budget brutes. But we're still talking about a non-premium pack from a value-focused brand. It works, it's big, and that's mostly the story.

The MIA FOUR X4, by contrast, feels like someone spec'd the battery for serious work, not just headline numbers. High-quality Samsung cells, more total energy, and a system designed to feed four motors without flinching all add up. Ridden sensibly in two-wheel mode, you can chew through big days without drama. Use 4x4 and attack sand, hills and mud with enthusiasm and, naturally, you'll shorten your range - but even in "abuse mode" it remains firmly in the "all-day fun" territory for most riders.

The removable pack is a quiet game-changer: you can leave the mud-splattered chassis in the garage and just bring the battery upstairs, or own a second pack and effectively double your day. It's the sort of detail that screams "we thought about how you'll actually use this" - something the MIMBOB doesn't really try to do.

Portability & Practicality

Let's not kid ourselves: neither of these is "portable" in the sense most commuters mean. But there are important nuances.

The MIMBOB 651 is brutally heavy and tall. Yes, it folds, but that's mainly to make it fit into cars or garages, not into your daily routine. Lifting it into a high boot on your own is possible, once, after which you consult your physio. Stairs? Absolutely not. If your life involves elevators, ground-floor storage and wide doors, it can work. If you're in a fifth-floor walk-up: forget it.

On the move, the narrow footprint is an advantage: you can still filter through traffic like a (large) scooter, sneak along bike paths where legal, and take shortcuts that a quad-width machine simply cannot. Locking it outside is awkward purely because it's so heavy and expensive-looking that you really don't want to.

The MIA FOUR X4 is also heavy, but the fold mechanism is clever. It squats into a surprisingly compact height, making it realistic to slide into the back of an estate car or van without gymnastics. You're still not carrying it anywhere - you roll it. The wide track means typical bike racks and narrow passages are out of the question; this is a "garage, shed or barn" scooter, not one for narrow hallways.

But in its intended context - farms, estates, large properties, rural towns, trailheads - it's significantly more practical than the MIMBOB. The four-wheel stance makes loading gear, mounting accessories or even towing small trailers viable. It's a tool as much as a toy. The MIMBOB can replace a moped; the MIA can replace an ATV for many use cases.

Safety

Both scooters can hit speeds where falling really isn't recommended. How they help you avoid that is crucial.

The MIMBOB 651's main safety weapons are its big wheels and sheer mass. The large diameter rolls over nastiness that would trip a smaller scooter, and the heavy chassis resists twitchy behaviour at speed. That "planted" feeling is genuinely confidence-boosting - you don't sweat every pebble. Lighting is functional but not exactly automotive-grade, and while the brakes are strong enough, they're working hard against a lot of momentum and budget-level components.

There's also an element of "this much speed on this little money" that demands self-discipline. At the pace it can manage, you really want top-tier tyres, perfectly dialled brakes and ideally a steering damper - all of which are either not present out of the box or executed to a cost.

The MIA FOUR X4 starts with a big advantage: four contact patches. Hit a wet manhole or a patch of loose gravel on a two-wheeler and you have a Bad Day Lottery ticket. Do the same in a tilting quad and you might just notice a little skip. Add in proper hydraulic braking on both axles, a much lower centre of gravity, and a chassis that refuses to get flustered by mid-corner bumps, and you end up riding in a completely different mental space.

Lighting and visibility are also a step up; the integrated headlights are genuinely usable for fast night riding, and the whole machine has a "you can't miss me" road presence. The UL-certified electrical system is a final, underrated safety layer - you worry less about what's happening inside the battery box when you're halfway down a steep descent with four motors regen-braking.

Community Feedback

Price & Value

Here's where the heart and the wallet have a proper argument.

The MIMBOB 651 is, on a pure numbers-per-Euro basis, outrageous. You get huge power, huge wheels and a huge battery for the price of an entry-level commuter. If you view scooters as consumable hardware and you're comfortable with a little uncertainty around long-term support, it's incredibly tempting. There isn't much on the market that will match its shove and wheel size at anything like its ticket price.

The flip-side is that price has to come from somewhere: brand support, component quality, refinement and safety margins all feel like they've been trimmed to keep that sticker low. For a mechanically savvy rider who's happy to tinker and accept some compromises, it's still strong value. For someone expecting premium polish at a bargain price, reality may bite.

The MIA FOUR X4 is the opposite sensation: your brain initially screams "that much for a scooter?", until you remind yourself this is really a compact electric ATV with proprietary suspension and four motors. Compared to boutique hyper-scooters and small electric quads, the price starts to look far more reasonable, especially when you factor in the swappable battery and serious off-road capability.

Value here isn't about cheapness; it's about what you get for that substantial investment. If you'll use its abilities - big distances on rough terrain, heavy loads, serious hills - it can actually make financial sense as a working tool or main recreational vehicle. If your life is mostly asphalt bike lanes, you're paying for talents you'll never exploit.

Service & Parts Availability

This is the part spec sheets rarely mention, but owners curse about later.

MIMBOB is a classic high-volume Chinese factory brand: there's a big plant, plenty of production capacity and a catalogue of familiar components. That means many critical parts - generic controllers, hub motors, tyres, basic suspension bits - are relatively easy to substitute if you're handy and don't mind scouring online marketplaces. Official, structured support in Europe is another story. You'll often be dealing with resellers or directly with the factory, where response quality can vary and lead times for specific parts can be... aspirational.

MIA Dynamics is smaller and more boutique, but that cuts both ways. On the one hand, you're dealing with a company that knows every nut and bolt of the X4 intimately and treats it as a flagship, not a generic SKU. On the other, the machine uses a lot of proprietary hardware: those suspension arms, the tilting mechanism, the bodywork - you're not buying replacements off a random marketplace. Availability will depend heavily on your region, and you're more at the mercy of the brand's logistics.

From what I've seen, MIA takes its niche community seriously and engages with owners, which is encouraging. It still isn't Segway-level global support, but for a high-end machine, the ecosystem feels more intentional than the "you bought it, good luck" vibe some factory brands radiate.

Pros & Cons Summary

Parameters Comparison

Final Verdict - Which Should You Choose?

If money were no object and I had to live with one of these long-term, I'd pick the MIA FOUR X4 without hesitation. It's simply the more mature machine: safer at the limit, vastly more stable on bad terrain, more comfortable over distance and engineered with the sort of thoroughness you feel every time the ground gets ugly. It doesn't just go faster or further; it makes those speeds and distances feel sane.

The MIMBOB 651 is harder to place. As a raw, budget freight train with comically large wheels, it's entertaining and undeniably useful if you want maximum hardware for minimal cash and you're ready to take ownership of the compromises. It's the hot-hatch of the e-scooter world: fast, a bit rough, and astonishing for the price - provided you go in with open eyes about build finesse, braking margins and support.

If you're a tinkerer, on a tight budget, and your riding is mostly sub-urban with the occasional trail blast, the MIMBOB can make a lot of sense. But if you want something you can trust on steep, loose descents, multi-hour rides, and real off-road adventures - especially with a heavy rider or gear - the MIA FOUR X4 isn't just better; it feels like it's playing a different sport.

Numbers Freaks Corner

These metrics boil things down to pure maths: how much battery you get for your money, how heavy each Wh and km/h is, how efficiently each scooter turns stored energy into distance, and how aggressively they feed or absorb power. In simple terms, the MIMBOB absolutely destroys on raw cost metrics - it's cheap power and cheap energy. The MIA counters with much better power-to-weight, energy efficiency, and sheer performance per kilogram; it's a more optimised machine, just not a cheap one.

Author's Category Battle

Overall Winner Declaration

In the Numbers Freaks Corner, the MIMBOB 651 scores 5 points against the MIA FOUR X4 (mobility version 4x4)'s 5. In the Author's Category Battle, the MIMBOB 651 gets 8 ✅ versus 32 ✅ for MIA FOUR X4 (mobility version 4x4) (with a few ties sprinkled in).

Totals: MIMBOB 651 scores 13, MIA FOUR X4 (mobility version 4x4) scores 37.

Based on the scoring, the MIA FOUR X4 (mobility version 4x4) is our overall winner. For me, the MIA FOUR X4 is the one that feels truly sorted - the scooter you can ride hard, far and often without that nagging sense you're asking too much from the hardware. It's the machine that makes you look at rough tracks and steep climbs and think "why not?" rather than "maybe not today". The MIMBOB 651 is wild, fun and absurdly good on paper for what it costs, but it always feels a bit like a glorious shortcut. The MIA, by contrast, feels like the result of doing things properly from the ground up - and when you're standing on something this fast and this capable, that difference really matters.

That's our verdict when we try to stay objective – but hey, riding is mostly about emotions anyway, so pick the one that will make you look forward to your commute every single day.