[sgiitk]

In a small hatch do not expect the safety of a large sedan. There is not much space for a crumple zone. Also, they are much more serious about the low weight as economy is God. Only, weight reduction may not be that bad due to special steels. LNMs son has gone on record that most if not all steel sold for cars was not even in existence five years ago!

I agree that we can expect the Brio to come loaded with ABS, Airbags and the rest of the Alphabet soup. It is best to avoid a shunt in the first place.

I have not seen any comments on the rear visibility. This is BAD in the City & the Civic. The large glass in the rear should help.

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I agree that we can expect the Brio to come loaded with ABS, Airbags and the rest of the Alphabet soup. It is best to avoid a shunt in the first place.

I have not seen any comments on the rear visibility. This is BAD in the City & the Civic. The large glass in the rear should help.

Agree, Honda is good at loading safety kit atleast, we can live without a few goodies here and there, but we definately do not want to compromise on safety systems.
But when you get rear ended there is not much you can do, especially if you were stationary at a signal etc. and that's where this rear glass hatch could be of concern.

I am sure the rearward visibility will be quite decent. hatches are much better at providing a decent view out back.

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

This one?

Attachment 586009

The whole hatch door must be uber-light, due to the large glass area. The rod looks sturdy enough, but I wonder if that glass is.

Originally Posted by mdsaab

I did mean the sturdiness of the hatch in a rear ended situation.
and one worry i really have is what is a bus touches the glass in bumper to bumper traffic situations. in a hatch you will get a small dent. But in this case it may turn out into a serious situation with glass even entering the cabin.

That's called illusion!!!

If you observe carefully the picture attached by RavenAvi,
only the grey area (the area where there is a sunfilm kind of strip) is longer
than a comparable normal hatch rear glass.
The frame is metal. Other than that it's just a normal hatch back.
Also, remember that the rear bumper is quite high. Looks like
it is almost 1.5 feet in height. That should take care of the rear end collision safety aspect.
A clever design by Honda designers, i would say.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by Daewood

That's called illusion!!!

If you observe carefully only the grey area (the area where there is a sunfilm kind of strip) which is longer than a compareable normal hatch rear glass.
The frame is metal. Other than that it's just a normal hatch back.
Also remember that the rear bumper is quite high. Looks like
it is almost 1.5 feet in height. That should take care of the rear end collision safety aspect.
A clever design by Honda designers, i would say.

The frame is metal, and the threading around it is plastic with a rubber beading on top to hold the glass. And GC on the back is acceptable as well.

But that's not the point. The object in question is the huge rear glass, which doubles as the 5th door for the Brio (for storage). In the event of the Brio getting rear-ended, the glass area doesn't look like it will keep the occupants safe inside. The rear bumper might absorb the impact, but it's a definite that the glass will shatter and fly, unless it's unbreakable or bulletproof.

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by Daewood

That's called illusion!!!

If you observe carefully the picture attached by RavenAvi,
only the grey area (the area where there is a sunfilm kind of strip) is longer
than a comparable normal hatch rear glass.
The frame is metal. Other than that it's just a normal hatch back.
Also, remember that the rear bumper is quite high. Looks like
it is almost 1.5 feet in height. That should take care of the rear end collision safety aspect.
A clever design by Honda designers, i would say.

But usually the glass ends before the tail lights.
Here it goes down all the way to the tail lights.
So it is much lower. And thats where my bus rear ended accident scenario spooks me.

On another more positive note.
Just spoke to my sales rep. He said the Brio would be launched end september and maybe push to October.
He said Honda is aiming bang on for Diwali.
So atleast it will be this year and not at the auto expo

[Daewood]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

But usually the glass ends before the tail lights.
Here it goes down all the way to the tail lights.
So it is much lower.

Hope this comparison pic will clear your doubts.
The only difference here is around 10 centimetres of glass area.
And the brio has the added advantage of having a frame below the glass area.
The reason why i chose Figo as comparison is because of similar car height.

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by Daewood

Hope this comparison pic will clear your doubts.
The only difference here is around 10 centimetres of glass area.
And the brio has the added advantage of having a frame below the glass area.
The reason why i chose Figo as comparison is because of similar car height.

My point precisely even that 10cms will make a difference. I have had Chicca's bumper scratched from the top side by a bus from the rear. In the case of the Brio i think it may end up being the glass.

Another point being the brio i feel is more low slung than the figo. Which would be a further point of concern

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

Another point being the brio i feel is more low slung than the figo. Which would be a further point of concern

Look at the pic carefully, the difference is not much. The bottom part of the bumper on the Figo is Black, so it looks higher. Also, effective road clearance depends on the springing. Soft springs will lower the car much more when going over bumps and potholes. If my experience is any guide then I will expect the Brio to have stiffer springs.

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Look at the pic carefully, the difference is not much. The bottom part of the bumper on the Figo is Black, so it looks higher. Also, effective road clearance depends on the springing. Soft springs will lower the car much more when going over bumps and potholes. If my experience is any guide then I will expect the Brio to have stiffer springs.

while i agree that the figo bottom end of the bumper is black and so may appear visually higher. I still feel the Brio is more low sprung. Which could cause an issue in bumper to bumper traffic with bigger vehicles behind. Like a truck or bus, even some tempos. But then again i have not seen the car in the flesh. So i better hold back any further comments before i get my foot stuck in my mouth

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Daewood

Hope this comparison pic will clear your doubts.
The only difference here is around 10 centimetres of glass area.
And the brio has the added advantage of having a frame below the glass area.
The reason why i chose Figo as comparison is because of similar car height.

The 2 pictures are shot in different zoom distances. I dunno how if you can make such a comparison. Try to find numbers for loading height measured from ground.

[vivriti]

Originally Posted by Mpower

The 2 pictures are shot in different zoom distances. I dunno how you can make such a comparison. Try to find numbers for loading height measured from ground.

I agree with this. The bottom of the tires are not aligned either.

In many countries, buses and trucks typically have a low bumper height to comply with regulations. Many newer buses/trucks in India do have lower height and bumpers placed low but there are many old ones which are much higher. This is especially for the old Fargo kind of trucks.

[vb-saan]

I don’t think the rear is much of safety concern. Knowing the way Honda function, they would’ve surely taken care of that bit.

Just for reference, this is something which the Volvo has tried with C30 (see pic below)
Picture courtesy: www.oneshift.com

[mdsaab]

I dont think the safety of rear passengers will be compromised in an accident.
I have confidence in Honda and the way they operate.
My only concern was, in India, where the gap in traffic is in mm. What if a bigger vehicle bumps into the Brio. There would be damage in which the glass could shatter. So where no casualties would otherwise take place. Rear occupants may get a few cuts due to the pieces of glass.
That is my only point of concern.

[vb-saan]

Look at the two pictures below. I am not sure if the whole rear door is of glass. Checkout the line above the Honda logo.


And the second picture has the body shell on the left. It does look like any other hatchback.


Picture courtesy: Honda TH website

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Look at the two pictures below. I am not sure if the whole rear door is of glass. Checkout the line above the Honda logo.

Thats just the black stickering that goes around the glass. Your car's front will also have it but not as wide as this.