The Japanese manufacturer’s still in pursuit of producing affordable cars in India. They first introduced the Jazz, a small car a couple of years ago. They seem to be back with the introduction of Brio this time around that is a more meaner, smaller and important of all a cheaper car. The tentative date set for the launch would be September 27. India would now be the second car market when Honda launches Brio, but the car faces bigger challenges when it’s launched globally.
The pricing of the car and the variants to be introduced is not yet known. This is a small preview of the car.
The Honda cars which have been introduced before have appeared a bit smaller, but not seemingly so. Brio is really a much smaller car the way it looks. Brio faces competition from cars like Polo, Swift, i20 and Liva. Brio is taller than the Polo, but the shortest car so far with the width being considerably smaller too.
All the elements combined together in the making of the car make it look even smaller. The chrome grille is short and the Honda logo can be seen on it, which takes quite a bit of space. The headlamps are almond shaped and are large, but comparatively smaller.
The most neglected part of small cars in most manufacturers is the rear. It can be questioned whether they are negligent or become a bit lazy while designing the back.
The taillamps of the Brio are very attractive. The fitment of the cluster which is triangular in shape is placed properly at the car’s rear. This is a striking feature in that its presence would be missed if it fails to glow.
The boot lid of the Brio is quite a feature in that the boot lid isn’t conventional, and the hatch comprises of a large glass going up all the way. This makes the frame a bit high and is not comfortable for loading or unloading, but the lid being unconventional does give character to the Brio.
The standard fitment doesn’t come with alloys, but ones fitted on the high-end variants look pretty basic too. Swift’s alloys are much better when it comes to comparing the Brio with the Marutis.
The instrumentation cluster and dash board are pretty much basic too when it comes to the design of the interiors. Perhaps, measures like cost cutting are implemented here. The Brio comes with dual white and black instrumentation panel with no Bluetooth, though USB connectivity is available for the music system.
Space is big enough to hold necessary items along with bottle holders that can accommodate around 4 full-sized bottles. Glove box is small and does lack a chiller.
Though the car appears small, rear seating space is roomy enough, and the car accommodates 2 elders comfortably. Exit and entry to the rear seats is easy and done with precision with the rear doors a bit smaller than the front doors, but nonetheless isn’t much of a problem.
The Brio’s engine is powerful in its segment with a 1.2-litre Ivtec engine that is seen in Honda Jazz. The engine generates 88 bhp and a torque of 109 Nm. Given that the car is light and small, the engine is quite a powerful one.
Boot space of the Brio is 175 litres with probably the design thought put into it being Indian cars always travel fully loaded, but having said that, boot access isn’t an easy one. Nothing to be disappointed about this, yet some extra space is always a pleasure.
As previously told, Honda Brio is light, small, has a powerful engine and is quite economical too. Honda launched Brio previously in Thailand, its first market, and sells it under eco cars giving around 20 km per litre. The Indian versions for Brio would be slightly retuned to give more fun while driving with the overall fuel efficiency at 18 km per litre, which is a bit low.
Our guess about the pricing would be somewhere at 3.99 lakhs or even a bit lower. The higher-end versions of the Brio that come with airbags and ABS would cost 4.6 lakhs.