[raksrules]

I have never seen ad for Honda Brio on TV. This has a major impact as well. People don't even know about the car and in India, jo dikhta hai woh hi bikta hai. So if you don't bombard people with the ads, they won't get it.
But they are advertising Amaze and City a lot.

I told my brother that we can consider Honda Brio for an automatic hatch and he rejected saying do you see lots of brios on road. For me safety comes first and this is the only hatchback AT which is giving me that.

[srs_shetty87]

I read in a lot of posts regarding the F.E. being 11-12 kmpl, which comes as a real shock to me. Do you guys live in the Ghat areas? How many people do you drive around with generally?
I never managed such F.E. even within Mumbai where my average driving would be 80% city - 20% highway. My F.E. never dipped below 15 kmpl i guess apart from the first few thousand kms, when i was learning to get the best out of it.
The least i have ever seen within the city is 13-14, when i probably give it the stick all the time.

I think since the engine being on the smaller side and with a lack of too much of torque, the F.E. within the city takes a real hit only when there are more than 2 people on board.

[reignofchaos]

FE for my car has been between 10-12 in the city over an ownership period of 2.5 years. Of course it has upsized sticky rubber (195/60 R14) and I drive with a real heavy foot.

However if all one cares about is FE, please do not buy the Brio. It is hard to keep the revs of this engine under check as it is really really rev happy.

[sgiitk]

I get 10kpl from my AT, all city driving in the madhouse called Kanpur!

[amalji]

Originally Posted by Kratos453

I am quiet surprised by your statement that says "poor rear leg room" for a car that costs 60k approximately less than swift and has equivalent rear leg room. Please see this video for reference: http://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=JMVsHObz-Wk

A few points.

1. The reasonings I gave were from my perspective. For me, the swift offers poor leg room. So that's not my benchmark in terms of leg room. I prefer the rear seat of an eon better than the swift because I can burry my feet comfortably under the rear end of the front seats. Not so on a swift.
2. The main fun spoiler is the boot space. The rear leg room just adds to the inconvenience.

That's the reason why a Brio even though I love its performance, would never be my only car. But, if it's a second car, I would probably go for it. If the requirement is just city drive, I would opt for a celerio automated manual instead - a very practical and value for money vehicle with superb driving comfort.

[bharatbs]

Originally Posted by srs_shetty87

I read in a lot of posts regarding the F.E. being 11-12 kmpl, which comes as a real shock to me.

I get 12.5 in my Honda City Petrol in the crazy Bangalore traffic. Similarly my friend gets 12 in his Amaze petrol.

You should get at least 13 with Honda Brio, Manual, Petrol. If not you are probably not driving right.

[bread]

I consistently get 14.5 to 15.5 in Navi mumbai. 80% city driving. lowest i have got is 13 on SV road,andheri to goregaon part.

The trick is to maintain 3rd gear within city for speeds 20kmph to 45-50kmph. then switch to 4th or 5th.
On highways reach 60-80kmph on 3rd gear(quicker than doing 3rd n 4th gear) then switch to 5th.
Just keep in mind the speed you want to end up at then switch up from 3rd gear accordingly.

[srs_shetty87]

http://bonsaibiker.com/2014/03/17/br...i-di-thailand/

Urgh. Just found this on the internet, look at what happened and how! I used to feel safe in the Brio until today. After looking at this, I wonder what would happen if something untoward happens.
There is also a new thread on the Amaze rear ending an Alto and my god the damage is inexplicable. Only if it has anything to do with pedestrian safety can my mind accept such kind of damage in an collision with a small car, where the other car has minor damage to show.

[bread]

Originally Posted by srs_shetty87

http://bonsaibiker.com/2014/03/17/br...i-di-thailand/

Urgh. Just found this on the internet, look at what happened and how! I used to feel safe in the Brio until today. After looking at this, I wonder what would happen if something untoward happens.
There is also a new thread on the Amaze rear ending an Alto and my god the damage is inexplicable. Only if it has anything to do with pedestrian safety can my mind accept such kind of damage in an collision with a small car, where the other car has minor damage to show.

that is one horrifying crash. Reading the posts on the link you provided and the related forums(google translate) tell me that the car was travelling at 88mph = 140kmph. Such a thing was bound to happen if you crash any 1000KG car into a rock solid lorry at 140kmph. this accident is a result of the drivers stupidity.

[msmatic]

Originally Posted by raksrules

Is it only me who feels that if there is a consumer like me who wants safety in his car (minimum 2 Airbags and ABS) and also wants to buy an AT hatchback, Honda Brio is the sole option (Under 8 Lakh or so).
I am doing lot of research since past 2 months and have checked the details of cars and found this..

A-Star -> No new cars available now I guess, Also no airbags, only ABS.
Grand i10 -> No ABS/Airbags in AT variants (Sportz or Asta)
Brio AT -> Has both Airbags and ABS
Micra CVT -> Good contender but around 40K-50K price over Brio. But for some reasons I do not see much CVT Micras.
Celerio AMT -> No safety features in the AMT and waiting periods are ridiculous. I would consider myself lucky if I ever saw any Celerio (AMT or MT) on road.
Ritz AT -> No Airbags

You are not alone, I was in the same situation for more than a year and finally bought the Brio VX AT. Primary req. were AT, ABS, Airbags and Ergonomics.

Looks are a major deciding factor(if not the only factor), in car purchase decisions in India, which is where the Brio scores less when compared to others in its segment. Space wise, three people can be seated more comfortably at the rear seat when compared to Grand i10 and Swift.

[goingelectric]

My 1 year 2 month old VX-AT gives me anywhere between 10.0 - 12.0 kmpl on Bangalore roads. My air-conditioner is on 100% of the time.
I haven't been able to find any shortcoming for the car, except probably the boot space, which at times feels miniscule when compared to lets say a polo.
Most people I know who didn't give the brio a shot when buying a car felt that the space inside was not enough (most of these folk didn't bother to get a test drive even), it's only when they sat inside did they really get how spacious this car actually is (and not to mention it's above par all round visibility and simple cockpit design).
I agree with msmatic that the other thing not working in it's favor is it's 'unconventional' styling.

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by goingelectric

My 1 year 2 month old VX-AT gives me anywhere between 10.0 - 12.0 kmpl on Bangalore roads. My air-conditioner is on 100% of the time.

I haven't been able to find any shortcoming for the car, except probably the boot space, which at times feels miniscule when compared to lets say a polo.

Most people I know who didn't give the brio a shot when buying a car felt that the space inside was not enough (most of these folk didn't bother to get a test drive even), it's only when they sat inside did they really get how spacious this car actually is (and not to mention it's above par all round visibility and simple cockpit design).

I agree with msmatic that the other thing not working in it's favor is it's 'unconventional' styling.

I am currently planning to buy an automatic hatchback and of all the available choices, Brio is currently my top contender. I know design is unconventional. But I want safety features as well. I want to have the VX AT as well. I am also aware about boot space being less. But for city driving I don't think it will be a problem. My brother without even sitting inside the car says it is very small and not spacious. I have also never sat inside brio but most user reviews say it is spacious.
I along with my dad and brother are planning to go to solitaire Honda in borivali this weekend to have a look at the car.

[goingelectric]

raksrules, the Brio VX-AT is a wonderful car to drive in the city. It's compact dimensions hide a reasonably large interior for 5 full grown adults.

It's also a pretty good drive on highways. I've done more than 4 outstation trips with 5 adults (including driver + luggage) and found the car to do well. Highway runs have given me an avgerage FE of 16-20 kmpl keeping the car between 80 & 100 kmph.

The ABS with EBD has helped us quite a few times especially one very scary instance when a truck decided to shift lanes without finding out if a vehicle was in it's blind spot (if not for the ABS my vehicle would have lost control).

I think your family would love the car if they were to experience the car from the inside.

[msmatic]

Originally Posted by raksrules

I am also aware about boot space being less. But for city driving I don't think it will be a problem.

The Brio's boot is pretty deep and i have never faced a shortage of space even in the supermarket runs. The rear seats can be folded to liberate more space for those airport runs. We generally have a tendency to buy more storage be it in mobile phones, computers etc. in anticipation that more is better, but hardly ever use it. I'm yet to meet an urban user using his boot's full capacity consistently.

[sourav9385]

While searching for our 2nd car that my wife could drive to work, we happened to take a TD of the Brio. We wanted to drive the Brio AT, but it was not available. Instead, we were offered a TD of the manual.

First things first, the price. The Brio AT costs nearly 7 big ones, on-the-road. In case you want to go for the extended warranty and the RSA plan, price is going to be 7.14 on road. Expensive proposition if you ask me. Not just that, there is no AT option in any lower variant. What's the reason for such an exclusivity, Honda?

Secondly, the feel of the car. I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but the interiors, exteriors just do not feel worthy of the big asking price. It just does not. The doors are tinny, the dashboard trim is all hard plastic, and the equipment list lacks rear defogger, CD player & driver seat height adjustment even in the top end variant! Just because you are providing ABS, EBD & Airbags, doesn't mean you can skimp on stuff that is just as necessary as safety features.

Next, the ride. I don't know about other folks who drive a Brio, but we found the ride to be totally choppy and unsettled over broken roads. Just does not have the planted feel of, say, a Figo or Polo for that matter. Highway manners feel nervous, if you ask me. Another thing which really bothered me was the NVH. On broken roads at about 60-80 kmph, the tyres were making so much noise, that we had to raise our voices to carry on a normal conversation. Something that is perfectly doable in just about any other hatch. And no, the car had not run a few millions miles. It had done just over 10k.

Finally, the un-availability of a diesel variant. Putting all the aforementioned points aside, I think the absence of a diesel motor is the single most important reason for the dismal sales of the Brio. I don't know the mentality of every Indian on the planet who is out looking for a car, but if it was my money I'd rather spend it on something that offered me the best value, or the best comfort or the best mileage. Something the Brio cannot give me. All it seems to offer me, is the legendary Honda tag, and supposedly hassle free ownership. Honestly, if all I wanted was reliability and fuss free ownership, I think we can all agree that there are cheaper alternatives out there that people can go and buy.

And now, let the flame wars begin!