[-xplora-]

We know the good things about the BR-V, 6-7 seater, Honda reliability, CVT with PaddleShifts, iVtec etc. Things everyone is talking about and surely missing in the BR-V CVT:

-SUV stance / higher seating
-Powerful Engine
-MPV looks from the side profile
-TouchScreen / AVN
-Reverse Sensor / Camera
-Driver Seat ArmRest
-Autosensing wipers/lights
-Leather wrapped steering/knob
-Leather seats

What can we do about it?

-SUV stance / higher seating - Nothing. But for me it is what I need, I need car-like Ingress/Egress for the whole family and still fantastic GC. No "climbing up" into the vehicle. Maybe increase driver seat height
-Powerful Engine - Nothing. Well its a compromise between power and FE. In India everyone is interested in FE even if they drive 10km a day. Secondly, none of the competitors are givng any significantly powerful engines(petrol).Plus iVtec is a proven work-horse. Smooth CVT (barring little rubber-band) plus Paddle Shifters are a good enough package.
-MPV looks from the side profile - Nothing much. May be side chromes change after-market/larger cladding kits if needed. Indonesia has cladding/body kits. I am fine though with what it is right now.

-TouchScreen / AVN - I hated this. But now I feel its a great thing. ALL ICE in ALL cars are mediocre by default. First thing you do is throw out the paper-cone speakers and get components and AMPs in anyway and ideally replace the source unit. Best thing about BR-V is the large space there, just remove existing stuff, if not, plaster the tablet over it till warranty time is over. I am thinking of a custom solution, which will be my first DIY on the BR-V . Powerful Android tablet which has sun-light readability + a high-end 192k 24bit external DAC which links micro-usb to RCA. OBD controller and CANBus connectors. This gives me:

- Superb Audiophile Quality
- Must faster and lastest Android (unlike stock AVN which slow processors and hardly any RAM)
- BT / Phone connectivity
- WiFi / 4G
- Best Navigation system - GoogleNav
- Video players etc.
- All Android APPs ( Social Network / Weather etc. )
- OBD gives all the Torque APP data and gizmos
- Large Screen for Reverse Camera
- CANBus integration ( but I think will void warranty )
- Voice controlled functioning AVN
- You can use even motion/gesture controls with LeapMotion / Camera ( in-case you fancy it)

-Reverse Sensor / Camera Easy - Honda already has BR-V RVM accessory with reverse sensor, either plonk that or several other options. Camera can integrate with the Android tablet for guidelines there are APPs. I prefer sensors though.
-Driver Seat ArmRest Easy - Honda has accessory or you can do other options.
-Autosensing wipers/lights. Not necessary.
-Leather wrapped steering/knob. Easy - After-market
-Leather seats Easy - After-market. For me personally with Indian heat, I will stick to fabric and V models fabric is pretty good.

So there we have it. All of the above costing a total of say 60k-to 120k extra. Ahmedabad OTR V CVT is INR 13.50L and goes upto to 14.00L (optional extra warranty/RSA/Accessories etc.). So total OTR with these upgrades is less than 15L. Now doing a comparo with others including the above, I think it has almost everything expected plus Audiophile quality + much better Navigation/Android APPS.

Seme will still be cribbing about side profile / power / not an SUV, can look for Fortuners / Endevours or Range Rovers, cause Cretas/Dusters are not true off-roaders / SUVs either, albeit they have better SUV characteristics than BR-V.

Like I said earlier, a nice jack of all with the upgrades under 15L.

Mod Note: Post Edited. Smiley usage is restricted to two per post on Team-BHP. Please do NOT use more than 2 smileys in a post.

[kalleo4]

Sharing.. few of HONDA BRV - latest Reviews, Ive came across..

Auto Portal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IixbqhgoLbs

Motown India:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fme5c4D8GfI

Motor Trend India:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZA_dUV8b9k

Motor Octane:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5brE6J7Yq0

CarDekho:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bYBoKCdc_Y

[m8002?]

Checked out the BR-V today. The car is overpriced by a huge margin. Like I(and many others) had mentioned in the earlier discussion, it should have been the replacement for the Mobilio. Also, regarding the space, the second row is strictly for 2. I thought it was much tighter than the Ertiga. I wanted to check out the ertiga in the evening but the rain ended my plans.

I seriously doubt the dimension numbers shown by Honda.When you stand near it, its really puny. I felt it was more like the Wagon R inside and it is definitely less than my old Baleno whose width is 1690mm.

Why is this priced more than the city here while its almost 25% cheaper than the city in Indonesia? The Indonesia price is its real worth.

[drsingh]

From the sentiments expressed on this thread, it seems any new launch makes the Maruti Ciaz /Baleno/Ertiga /Brezza/S-Cross look like amazing deals. The premium brands are unable to charge premiums for their 'Made for India' /Asian models compared to Maruti Suzuki moving up the value chain comfortably at every launch.

Maruti at the lower end with all its new launches, Hyundai Creta at the upper end, the BRV is squeezed between a rock and a hard place.

The BRV with its Honda pedigree will find its loyal fans, but it has its work cut out.

[T.S.]

On papers, BR-V is wider than Ertiga by close to 40 mm. However, the general consensus of most of the official and personal reviews is that the middle bench is not a comfortable 3 seater for average size adults. The last row's use is mostly city bound and not for long runs for adults. If that's the case, then where were those extra mm's used and what are those extra lakhs for? A little more ground clearance, a slightly bigger engine and somewhat more baggage and pax leg room? Is it really worth the difference that you pay? I am confused as I was looking for an upgrade to my Ertiga.

[thatsdileep]

Dropped into Honda showroom today to check out the BR-V.

Checked out the display car:
- BR-V has decent looks in the front profile, but I couldn't comprehend with the side profile and is unmistakably Mobilio.
- The rear looks alright
- The panels gaps seemed inconsistent (the gap above front left headlight was much more than front right one) and some places it felt out of place. Even the gaps on the rear hatch were more than expected. See below pics for reference.




- The wheel wells don't have any plastic cladding and it was an ugly sight there with crude finish. Not sure if it's the same on Diesel version as well. But I felt a car of this price should have it which will further add to reducing the NVH levels.

- The interiors were alright (much better than mobilio) but nothing to right home about. The plastics still feel hard and cheaper quality to touch (similar to Jazz). Could have been better. Probably I had greater expectations.
- The driver seat is comfortable and has sufficient lumbar support.
- IRVM was quite small for the size of the car and will have serious blind spots. To add to the agony there is no reverse parking assist.
- No touch screen at this price is a glaring miss when the competition provides it. Forget about this segment, even the entry level Kwid has a touch screen. To make things worst that inner air circulation slider is straight from 80's when Maruthi 800 use to have it. Come on Honda.

- The vanity mirror on passenger side doesn't get illumination

- I thought the second row seats could've used a bit more of under thigh support. Although they do have sliding and reclining as well as one touch tumble mechanism. This made the ingress into the last row quite easy (similar to Jazz magic seats)
- the last seat row is best for children and can be used by average height/built adults for short runs. Severely lacks underthigh support. But this was expected. It does give the flexibility of seating extra 2.
- There is no under the body protection (not covering plastic or metal plate)

- Engine bay has acres of empty spaces. This should make mechanics life easy to access everything.


Overall was not too impressed with BR-V. But stills wanted to take the test drive to see if that could make up for misses from interiors and the mediocre side profile. That's where the entire experience went sour due to incompetence of the dealership. More on this below

Dealership: Sundaram Honda, Anna Salai, Chennai


Date &Time of Visit: 8/May/2016; 1:45pm

Experience: First of let me admit that I didn't give prior notice by calling in. It was just a walk in. But still would expect highest level of courtesy levels regardless. When we walked in there were about 15-20 visitors in the showroom and almost equal no of associates. Most of the associates were seated near the entrance and didn't look too keen. When we started staring at them one SA walked towards us and started talking. When I said I wanted to look at BR-V first thing I would expect from SA is to inquire about the engine version and variant required and then hand over a brochure and pricing. Instead he asked if petrol or diesel and straight away walked us towards the CVT version. We then started looking around the vehicle and clicked pics. He asked if I was from automobile industry. It was a CVT version with keyless entry and start stop button. It didn't have a key hole on driver side. I didn't check out the passenger side yet. When I asked him will there be a key to open the vehicle manually in case the battery goes down, he said no key. I was surprised and asked him again and he was certain. Then when I walked around to passenger side I saw the key hole on the door handle for which he answered of course there will be a key to get in but not to crank the engine.

Of course the key can't be used for straying the engine as it has a push button start and further when the battery is dead what's the point of trying to start the vehicle using ignition. After that confrontation he walked away and didn't bother to come back again. We still went through the entire vehicle and then we're looking for a SA to ask for TD. There were still atleast a dozen SAs sitting and staring but didn't bother to get up.

Finally upon calling one he came over. I was frustrated at that point with the whole treatment and reprimanded him (Sundaram Honda in common) for such reckless behavior. Didn't bother to take the TD and walked out. This was one of the worst experience I had in Honda showroom, in fact among all car dealerships I visited till date. This was not the first sour experience with this same Sundaram Honda as I recall when Amaze was launched I called them multiple times and even gave my phone number for a TD. They never bothered to call back. At this rate

I can't imagine how the ASS would be. Even if I decide to buy a Honda now or in future I will never go back to this dealership again.

That's ends my interest in BR-V

[Hvt77]

Hi,

I checked out the BR-V more than once, on friday (at powai linkway) on my own, and then today at two dealers (bhandup arya, powai linkway), with family.

Here are a few observations:

1) On fri, the powai dealer forgot to hide the mobilio, so i did an outright comparison quickly, exteriors much improved except side profile, interiors better with all-black and better equipment, but space, esp 3rd row raised knees etc very similar to the mobilio. Today, there was a decent number of visitors in both places, and almost all looking a the BRV, the City, Jazz etc were sulking in corners!

2) In both showrooms, they had kept the S variant as the display car, red and white, looks like that is what Honda expects to sell most?

3) Did a TD of the V iVtec, quite nice to drive, and family tested 2nd and 3rd rows both, and had no complaints in terms of ride quality on the potholed speed-breaker-ed Mumbai roads. Nice cooling too.

4) Normal V variant had the amaze steering, but SA said CVT will have the previous gen city one due to the paddle shifters. CVT TD vehicle expected only next Monday (5/16)



Now the family seems to be sold onto the BRV, V CVT red color, looks like we will book it soon, need some advice:

- SA said booking amount is 21k even now, just like the pre-booking, and rest of the process, full payment etc, will start 6 days prior to delivery when the car gets dispatched from factory. CVT is not common, so he said it might take 2-3 months for delivery. Is this the standard operating procedure? Is this what others are experiencing with their BRV bookings? Especially the CVT ones?

- SA at bhandup said that they can put an alpine (or 2 other brands, i forgot names) rear-camera HU in place of the standard one, without voiding warranty. SA at linkway showed me one with no brand name on it, but he said its a blaupunkt one made for honda, and again, no voiding warranty. Is that ok to do? Or I need to wait 5 years without doing anything to keep (plan to take: extended) warranty intact? (will certainly take the rear sensors on IRVM then) Both guys said cost is around 45k, does that include buy-back price of the HU that comes with the car?

- There were some chrome stuff added by the linkway guy, one small garnish just ahead of the front doors, and he also talked about adding a chrome strip like on the VX one on the bottom of all 4 doors. Is it ok to get some of these done? These are also not mentioned on the website list of accessories.

- How costly does Honda paid maintenance works out, after the free ones are done? Some AMC package etc that is the best practice?

- Finally, how to transfer the no-claim-bonus from my santro hdfc ergo insurance to whatever honda gives? or do I need to go for BRV insurance also from ERGO to get the NCB? I am getting 50% off on the current one, do I get same 50% off on the new car? Or its the monetary amount which gets discounted?

Thanks in advance for all your comments guys...waiting for the TBHP review too!

[-xplora-]

Originally Posted by Hvt77

Now the family seems to be sold onto the BRV, V CVT red color, looks like we will book it soon, need some advice:

- SA said booking amount is 21k even now, just like the pre-booking, and rest of the process, full payment etc, will start 6 days prior to delivery when the car gets dispatched from factory. CVT is not common, so he said it might take 2-3 months for delivery. Is this the standard operating procedure? Is this what others are experiencing with their BRV bookings? Especially the CVT ones?

It will take more time than manual, however 2-3 months is a bit stretched. You need to check out what is your booking / pre-booking number with them as it is first come first serve basis. They might have already got a few CVT bookings ahead of you, hence quoting 2-3 months. My number with the dealer here is 2. Will get an idea next week.

SA at bhandup said that they can put an alpine (or 2 other brands, i forgot names) rear-camera HU in place of the standard one, without voiding warranty. SA at linkway showed me one with no brand name on it, but he said its a blaupunkt one made for honda, and again, no voiding warranty. Is that ok to do? Or I need to wait 5 years without doing anything to keep (plan to take: extended) warranty intact? (will certainly take the rear sensors on IRVM then) Both guys said cost is around 45k, does that include buy-back price of the HU that comes with the car?

- There were some chrome stuff added by the linkway guy, one small garnish just ahead of the front doors, and he also talked about adding a chrome strip like on the VX one on the bottom of all 4 doors. Is it ok to get some of these done? These are also not mentioned on the website list of accessories.

There are HUs approved by Honda for BR-V, I am not sure if they are already available here. I would just wait for a couple of months and go for a RVM sensor for time-being. Chrome strips are available for all vehicles its more of a show then anything else.

- Finally, how to transfer the no-claim-bonus from my santro hdfc ergo insurance to whatever honda gives? or do I need to go for BRV insurance also from ERGO to get the NCB? I am getting 50% off on the current one, do I get same 50% off on the new car? Or its the monetary amount which gets discounted?
Thanks in advance for all your comments guys...waiting for the TBHP review too!

Yes you can transfer your NCB to any Insurance company and any car as long as the owner of the new and old car are the same. You will get 50% off on the new BR-V insurance from any car insurer. No depreciation insurance extra charges might not be 50% less, check individual policies for that.

[itzvicky201]

Checked out BRV in Whitefield Honda. To start with, it is a Mobilio with a change in front grill and and rear, new dashboard. Well, that is all I could make out from the initial observation. Did not do a test drivez as I could not see a test drive vehicle. Seats were not comfortable, cannot compare it to a Jazz or City. Panel gaps were inconsistent. No touch screen even in top-end, come on Honda, even a Kwid gets one. Whitefield Honda stands up to its reputation of the worst customer service, none bothered to even attend and ask the interest or show a demo of the vehicle. On one side, I did see a customer see fighting with a SA for charging him incorrectly, no surprises here.

Overall, if I am in the market for a compact SUV, it has to be the Hyundai Creta hands-down.

Honda, you really need to step up, this Mobilio like design will not fly with customers, atleast this is my honest opinion. Checked with an SA on the number of bookings since launch, it is just 5 bookings till date, that should not be a surprise, is'nt it?

[Doge]

Originally Posted by -xplora-

2. Side-impact beam architecture has been replaced with ACE body structure which is in all Hondas. It is designed for shock absorbtion and distribution of the flow of impact shock throughout the body frame, reducing the possibility of the frame collapsing and hurting the occupants.

The ACE body structure has been here for a while and i don't think it's possible for it to replace side impact beams. ACE basically distributes crash forces evenly like you mentioned but how does that affect the side impact beams? The door isn't a part of the frame and beams are essential in a side impact. Without them, the door just a metal lid, a thin one in the BRV's case. Could you list the source which mentions that beams have been replaced?

[vharihar]

Test drove the petrol versions of Honda B-RV and the Hyundai Creta this weekend. Here are my notes:

1.5 liter BRV:

• Not very spacious, but definitely better than the Mobilio. More apt as a 6-seater, as the 2nd row would struggle to accommodate 3 adults
• Very poor pickup
• Very, very noisy
• No central arm rest for driver. Thats a deal-killer
• Poor console and dashboard
• Gear lever looks el-cheapo and slots very poorly and roughly

1.6 liter Creta:

• Very spacious 5-seater
• Pickup is almost as good as my present Maruti SX4 (not clear how these power numbers are measured. My SX4 is rated to have lesser power than both Creta as well as BR-V, but actual on-road test shows my SX4 having a better pickup than both)
• Has a central arm rest for driver
• Very nice console and dashboard
• Driver foot well is spacious, unlike Verna
• Drives well

The overall winner is the Creta in my opinion, unless you are necessarily looking for a 6-seater.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by vharihar

Test drove the petrol versions of Honda B-RV and the Hyundai Creta this weekend. Here are my notes:

1.5 liter BRV:

• Not very spacious, but definitely better than the Mobilio. More apt as a 6-seater, as the 2nd row would struggle to accommodate 3 adults
• Very poor pickup
• Very, very noisy
• No central arm rest for driver. Thats a deal-killer
• Poor console and dashboard
• Gear lever looks el-cheapo and slots very poorly and roughly

1.6 liter Creta:

• Very spacious 5-seater
• Pickup is almost as good as my present Maruti SX4 (not clear how these power numbers are measured. My SX4 is rated to have lesser power than both Creta as well as BR-V, but actual on-road test shows my SX4 having a better pickup than both)
• Has a central arm rest for driver
• Very nice console and dashboard
• Driver foot well is spacious, unlike Verna
• Drives well

The overall winner is the Creta in my opinion, unless you are necessarily looking for a 6-seater.

What exactly do you mean by "pickup". Are you referring to the low end torque/ppwer or mid/high range performance?

In any case, SX4 is not the right comparison for performance of these cars, I guess (even though your "on road tests" show it having better pickup than both )

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by DCEite

What exactly do you mean by "pickup". Are you referring to the low end torque/ppwer or mid/high range performance?

In any case, SX4 is not the right comparison for performance of these cars, I guess (even though your "on road tests" show it having better pickup than both )

Well, by pickup I was referring to the extent to which I got thrown back against my backrest when I floor the pedal in the lower gears up to say 3rd gear, beyond which it got hard to compare. I guess that would be an assessment of the torque at high RPMs.

I compared with my SX4 simply bcoz I was evaluating these cars for my next upgrade.

[zenx]

It's not a badly packaged product, but I daresay the pricing is seriously wrong. They're projecting a premium to it that does not hold up scrutiny, clearly, and at current pricing, I'd take a slightly used XUV anyday!

[-xplora-]

Originally Posted by Doge

The ACE body structure has been here for a while and i don't think it's possible for it to replace side impact beams. ACE basically distributes crash forces evenly like you mentioned but how does that affect the side impact beams? The door isn't a part of the frame and beams are essential in a side impact. Without them, the door just a metal lid, a thin one in the BRV's case. Could you list the source which mentions that beams have been replaced?

My bad. Just found out that door side beams are there, however it is nothing to highlight hence I guess it is not mentioned. If you check Indonesian / Thai websites like "carbay" It clearly lists that as a safety item along with ACE.