[CarguyNish]

This is a good move.

Bridgestone India to supply tyres for Honda WR-V

Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone India is going to supply its ECOPIA EP150 OE for newly launched all new Honda WR-V, said the company in a media release.

Katsuyuki Yamamura, Director of Consumer Products, Bridgestone India said, “We are proud to be associated with Honda’s newly launched premium Sports Lifestyle Vehicle, the WR-V which has been launched globally first in the Indian market. WR-V showcases best in class fuel efficiency which resonates with our environmental friendly tyre range - ECOPIA

Some of the new features of the tyres are - Rib-linked blocks which uniforms ground contact when braking and enhances braking even in wet condition,

Source

[chintanhb]

Originally Posted by manishkapadia

My friends asked me about the WR-V today and I told them spend 1-1.5 lac extra and get the City SMT if you want to buy a Honda. You would be happier.

Yes I agree for Petrol City makes a lot of sense....For diesel if you see, VX diesel variant of City is 15.85l on road..So WR-V makes makes a case for itself in diesel VX variant with higher ground clearance, fresh looks and 3.3l cheaper..

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by manishkapadia

.....
On this topic since I own the 1.8 iVTEC, 1.5 iVTEC as well as the 1.2 iVTEC I don't know how good will the WR-V petrol be since its aprox 150 KG heavier than our Brio.

No matter what people say, I think the 1.2 engine is still a dead dog. You really need to Whip it an Whip it repeatedly to get performance out of it. I feel that in the light Brio as well, if 4 people are seated in the car. So I can imagine how sluggish it may feel on an apparent Recreation Vehicle if taken out of town with family and luggage in the boot.
...

Completely agree. We too own all three (Brio, City and Civic). The 1.2 petrol is unimpressive, it's just the light weight of the Brio that does the trick. The 1.8 in the Civic is the most revv friendly and smooth across the RPM range, things go progressively downhill with smaller engines.

With an additional 150 KG, family and luggage, it will be quite an effort keeping the WRV going on highways. The 1.2 iVTEC might be a better engine compared to similar capacity ones, but it still isn't as good as some people here seem to suggest. Lack of the 1.5 one is a definite deal breaker in that sense.

[drnilswap]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

There are many people who appreciate higher ground clearance and peace of mind that comes along with it.

I, personally have become so paranoid of Bangalore's Himalayas type speed breakers, craters and shoddy patch works, that ground clearance is now the top most priority for me in my next purchase.

Totally agree with you on that. I just hoped they had given that ground clearance with a better engine given the price proximity they have managed. My comment was based only on the premise that Honda had proclaimed they wanted to go premium in Indian market with their offerings henceforth. And a better engine would have enabled them to say that loud and clear. Given a choice between a 1.2 iVTEC W-RV and 1.5 iVTEC one, which one would you take?
I believe a vehicle should not be judged by the 'premium' or 'not-so-premium' image of the manufacture but by the value proposition it brings in terms of its tangible attributes at that price range. The hollow talk of perceived premium-ness that embolden manufacturers to command higher price, I find hard to digest.

[abhiram.soma]

I have been thinking about buying a new car for some time now. I was basically looking for a hatch back within a budget of 10 lakhs. This was the time when the WRV was launched. Got to know about the launch in new paper and went to look at the vehicle in person. I have never been a big fan of the Honda styling. Although WRV isn't a great or revolutionary styling, I felt it was better than its siblings. The Pride showroom didn't have any diesel vehicles for test drive and hence drove the petrol one. Me being 6' 2" tall, driving comfort is a major issue and hence drove the petrol version just to see if I was comfortable enough to drive it. The seating comfort was good. I gave my contact details to the SA and asked him to give me a call when the diesel was available. (The call never came back though). If I were to look at WRV, I had to stretch my budget to 12 lakhs and this opened up an all new segment of cars which included cross overs, sedans and mini SUVs. I then visited the Pride Showroom in Madhapur for the diesel version.

Test drive verdict:

1. Having driven only diesels through out my life starting from Indica to Freelander, the NVH levels were within quite acceptable limits. I owned a Punto for three years and this was better then Punto, so I can live with it

2. The ride quality I felt is better than any of the cars I currently own including Ecosport, Vitara Brezza

3. The initially pick up is decent for city driving and my major use would be to drive around in city traffic

4. Has got all the latest gizmos like touch screen, navigation, mobile mirroring and this is a big deal for me as I do a lot of calls during my commute and I'm one of the very few, who use sunroof, for my AC needs during the winter season so it being present is one more brownie point

5. Test drive vehicle was showing an average of 11.2 kmpl

Then went on to drive all the other vehicles such as

1. Skoda Rapid - seating wasn't comfortable
2. Volkswagen Vento - seating wasn't comfortable
3. Ford Ecosport - My dad has it and he recommended against it
4. Vitara Brezza - My mom has it and didn't want another Brezza
5. S Cross - Test drove the car and it was a really good deal. Never got to understand as to why really this didn't click in Indian Market

This was when the confusion started. Got a dilemma between S Cross and WRV. The top model of S Cross 1.3 was close to 13 lakhs and Mid Variant was 11.6 lakhs. There are 4 differences as stated by the SA between the top and mid variant of S Cross
1. Auto Head Lamps
2. Auto Wipers
3. LED and Projector lamps
4. Leather Upholstry

Pros of S Cross over WRV
1. For my height this offers the best driving comfort
2. Longer wider and bigger car at the same price as WRV
3. Initial pick up is great
4. Pretty good fuel efficiency, also as claimed by many fellow Team-Bhpians
5. Wider tyres and so better road grip

Pros of WRV over S Cross
1. Ride quality
2. In between S Cross and WRV, WRV is a better looking vehicle
3. Higher horse power and power to weight ratio is better than S Cross
4. Higher Ground Clearance, which is helpful for my occasional field trips
5. Newly launched vehicle and S cross face-lift is expected

Basis the above thought process I have decided to look at Honda WRV, basically for its ride quality and it being a new launch, and other vehicles such as Ecosport and S Cross are awaiting face-lifts. Had I got time in hand, I would have waited for these face-lifts or at least the Ecosport face-lift, but need to buy a vehicle on an immediate basis.

Planning to visit other showrooms today for
1. To get the best offer, although I doubt there will be any, as the SA was saying, the waiting is already 2 months.
2. Also I didn't want to go with Pride, as I didn't like the way the SAs treated their customers compared to Nexa or Skoda or Volkswagen. In this department Nexa was the best

[Hickstead]

Originally Posted by abhiram.soma

2. Also I didn't want to go with Pride, as I didn't like the way the SAs treated their customers compared to Nexa or Skoda or Volkswagen. In this department Nexa was the best

Hope you are in touch with Pride Honda, Madhapur.
If you are able to reach out easily to Miyapur, check with their Miyapur branch. That branch have a work shop including sales. SAs there were well behaved and courteous than that of Madhapur. I have done a purchase with them in 2015 and my experience was good.

[abhiram.soma]

Originally Posted by Hickstead

Hope you are in touch with Pride Honda, Madhapur.
If you are able to reach out easily to Miyapur, check with their Miyapur branch. That branch have a work shop including sales. SAs there were well behaved and courteous than that of Madhapur. I have done a purchase with them in 2015 and my experience was good.

Thanks for info. Will visit if time permits. Looking to visit Sundaram Honda. My friend had bought City from here and he said the service is good. So planning to visit there.

[chintanhb]

Originally Posted by abhiram.soma

Planning to visit other showrooms today for
1. To get the best offer, although I doubt there will be any, as the SA was saying, the waiting is already 2 months.
2. Also I didn't want to go with Pride, as I didn't like the way the SAs treated their customers compared to Nexa or Skoda or Volkswagen. In this department Nexa was the best

Hi..I am also on the verge of finalizing WRV. I agree with all your Pros.
One observaton I had with my dealership here in Mumbai is all diesel variants are with GoodYear Tyres and Petrol one has Michelin or Bridgestone. Can you confirm this in dealerships you visit?

Also I will be very grateful if someone can explain me if GoodYear tyre in this R16/195 will make a difference over Bridgestone or Michelin?

Also Hyundai has launched new model Eplus in diesel 1.4 for Creta with pricing around 11.5..If someone can throw light if Creta can be considered with 1.4 or it will be too underpowered and not worth a look as compared to WRV?

Thanks.

[abhiram.soma]

Originally Posted by chintanhb

Hi..I am also on the verge of finalizing WRV. I agree with all your Pros.
One observaton I had with my dealership here in Mumbai is all diesel variants are with GoodYear Tyres and Petrol one has Michelin or Bridgestone. Can you confirm this in dealerships you visit?

Had visited the showroom today and the SA has said that three manufacturers currently have a tie up with Honda
1. MRF
2. Bridgestone
3. Michellin
4. Goodyear

The display vehicle had Bridgestone and test drive vehicle has Michellin. He said any tyre may come along with the vehicle as per the stock availability in the factory. Also the currently being delivered WRVs had bridgestone to them.

[jetti]

abhiram.soma,

Could you give your impressions of the petrol version as well since you drove that too?

Originally Posted by abhiram.soma

The Pride showroom didn't have any diesel vehicles for test drive and hence drove the petrol one. Me being 6' 2" tall, driving comfort is a major issue and hence drove the petrol version just to see if I was comfortable enough to drive it.

[abhiram.soma]

Originally Posted by jetti

Could you give your impressions of the petrol version as well since you drove that too?

I'm not very used to petrol engine, but I stalled the engine once while doing a u-turn. After reading the reviews I realised that it might be because of the lesser power of 1.2. However the engine was very smooth and very silent. The acceleration was also linear. If the major use is for city, then this should be a good buy

[amit1214]

IMHO, If one is spending 11-11.5 lacs OTR, then among sedans - Honda City VMT and Ciaz Zxi/Zdi + are the best options and among compact SUVs and Cross overs : S Cross Zeta 1.3 and WRV Vx 1.5 diesel are the best options.

Honda Vs Maruti

S Cross and WRV both offer decent space and are loaded with features. Though personally I like S Cross better, here is a look at what WRV diesel 1.5 vx offers in comparison to scross 1.3 zeta

> Superior Engine Performance: Scross 1.3 performs decent enough but wrv has a little better performing 1.5 with excellent driveability. Don't discount it based on the test drive you took for Jazz. The engine is better tuned and NVH is also better in WRV as compared to Jazz
> Some other add on as compared to S Cross - Sunroof, Multi Mode Rear View Camera, 8mm more ground clearance, exterior styling

S cross offers all disc brakes, better seats esp. at back, more premium cabin feel IMO, Apple car play in addition to mirror link, better ride and handling balance, better build, its bigger and one segment up as compared to WRV

Everything from features to price is closely matched for both. which one would you suggest I should go for? Is it worth to wait for S cross face lift?

[abhiram.soma]

Originally Posted by amit1214

Everything from features to price is closely matched for both. which one would you suggest I should go for? Is it worth to wait for S cross face lift?

In my opinion, if you have got time in hand, then it is better to wait for the update as WRV has set some new standards for crossover or the urban SUV segment. Ford ecosport facelift should actually be a better buy than any of these. I think its better to wait

[CarguyNish]

Originally Posted by abhiram.soma

WRV has set some new standards for crossover or the urban SUV segment.

Since you have TD WR-V, is WR-V a better package ? What new Standards has it set in this segment ?

If you compare each & Every aspect, apart from Badge Value, the WR-V is definitely behind Ecosport if not the Brezza.

Apart from Space, the WR-V doesn't have anything to show up its rivals !! That 1.5 Diesel Ford is more portent then the 1.5 iDTEC. That 1.0 Turbo Petrol is more peppy then the 1.2 iVTEC.

Honda makes good engines, but the WR-V would have been much better if it had 1.5 iVTEC for the asking price.

In fact, WR-V has more Form then Function. I don't think the WR-V is worthy enough for its price & also doesn't even have segment benchmark things to make up for that. Even though Ecosport is in its 4th year, it's still the most worthy car in the trio (WR-V/Brezza/Ecosport). When Ecosport Facelift arrives later this year, the WR-V will be on Ventilator. Thats for sure.

[SmartCat]

April 2017 issue of Autocar India. Page 35.

Honda WR-V is likely to get 1.5 litre petrol engine. And CVT transmission. The article says Honda is "working" on this - so I guess this might take some time.

120 BHP on a 1.1 tonne car equals power to weight ratio of 110. It should fly! (not off the showroom floor I mean, but definitely off the traffic signal)