Thanks to this new displacement, Piaggio offers a more versatile MP3 scooter than the 250, but also less expensive than the 400. The ideal compromise?Plush red Apart from the transmission casing, nothing externally differentiates this new MP3 LT 300 from the 250 and 400 models. and an automotive-style front end.Immediately identifiable by the two wheels located at the front and its generous size, the 300ie nevertheless adopts a slightly metallic red livery.Associated with a neat assembly of plastics and enriched with a few touches of chrome, the whole gains an undeniable presence.For the rest, those who have already adopted the MP3 LT are on familiar ground.They will therefore find orders that naturally fall under their hands.They will always appreciate the electronic lockout of the front suspension which allows you to stay in the fire without putting your feet on the ground.Finally, their gaze will fly over a complete and well-arranged instrumentation.Sitting upright on a comfortable two-seater saddle, they may rail against the pedal activating the coupled braking device.Its prominence does not allow you to be perfectly comfortable and we regret that the coupling of the rear and front discs is not also activated by the left lever.However, it is a definite asset for reducing stopping distances, especially when you are already taking advantage of the stability inherent in the tricycle configuration.But the main thing is elsewhere... Engine!Livelier A nudge on the starter and the tachometer needle springs to life.Discreet, the single-cylinder 278 cm3 lets filter very little vibration at idle.A good point compared to the LT 400 version. The use of an electronic gas control, called "ride by wire", immediately translates into an absence of resistance to the rotation of the handle.Pleasant therefore, it is also very precise.Rated for 22.5 bhp at 7,500 rpm, the 4-stroke, 4-valve engine develops maximum torque of 24 Nm at 5,750 rpm.This value is 15% higher than the 250 model and the driving force is available earlier.To take the measure of the gain provided by the use of this new engine, we timed 100 m DA (standing start).Result: the latest Piaggio covers this distance in just under 8 seconds on average.Not bad for a copy not yet broken in.It is thus inserted exactly between the 250 and the 400 which fly over the same exercise in 8.5 s and 7.5 s respectively.Blurring one of the main faults of 3-wheelers, the 300ie starts faster than other MP3 LTs.Very linear, its accelerations are no less effective and as long as you are good at traffic lights, this new model will hold its own against the 400 cm3, which nevertheless boasts 11.5 hp and 13.6 Nm more.He takes advantage here of his "featherweight".Probably almost identical to that of the MP LT 250, the 300 displays some 26 kg less than the 400 when weighed.A difference that we also feel in use.Whether you have to weave through traffic on a daily basis before grabbing a (big) mouse hole to park or chaining turns on the weekend, the 300 is much easier to handle and its liveliness is comparable to that of the 125ie model.The icing on the cake, the homogeneity of the 250 model is now enhanced by a little more frank raises from the midrange.All pictures on Scooter Info