Honda Brio, just how good is this new kid on the road from Honda? Not to forget that Honda is the leading maker of small petrol engines in the auto world. Honda has so far successfully lead from the front in India, be it the bikes or proud accord owners. Does Honda have the credentials to repeat the same success in the small car segment in India? So how far does the Honda Brio defend the company’s domination? Does it have the game to beat Maruti in India and go onto win?
Exterior: Though the front seats seem to have the major share of the boot space the same cannot be said about the back seats. A clean sweep of the Suzuki swift influence is evident from the kerb. This influence also extends towards a daring stance in the front of the car with a mix of the Honda’s usual tight and contemporary skin. Honda Brio is a quad door hatchback capable of accommodating 5 passengers at a time. It has a total length of 3610 mm, width 1680 mm and overall height is 1475 mm. This gives the car a beautiful and compact look allowing for smooth and easy handling.
Interiors: Honda Brio does have some stuff in the interiors along with advanced features. It has nice leg space and headroom. It also has power steering. The dashboard takes you back down the memory lane and has a built in entertainment system with the instrument panel. The feel is really niche with the chrome and circular chromes. Surely the comfort has been graciously delivered in this metal case. Both the front and back seats are adjustable.
Engine: The bad memories of Jazz seem to have gone down well with Honda and have more than made up with their earlier mistakes. The Honda Brio equipped with a petrol engine of 1.2-litre, 4 cylinder 16 valves, SOHC, i-VTEC petrol engine delivers up to 89 Bhp at 6200 rpm, with a maximum torque of 110 Nm at 4800 rpm. This one surely looks to be more robust in performance and greater in mileage as well for a hatchback category.
Handling and Safety: The safety seems to be a no compromise feature for the Honda’s. The huge 15 inch tyres with a good wheel base give total road control. The safety moves notch higher with airbags at the front and there are rumors of a high tech traction control, electronic stability system, ABS and Brake assist.
Price: The Honda Brio has an estimated starting price of 4.5 lakhs and speculated to be launched in 4 variants with the price going up to 6 lakhs. (Ex-showroom)
Colors: Five colors are available for the Thai Brio, these being the hero green shade called Fresh Lime, Taffeta White, Cerulean Blue, Alabaster Silver and a pearlescent Crystal Black. Officially the car has already made its debut in Thailand and is expected to make its entry in India by the fag end of September.
