Team-BHP - Honda Brio SMT (O) - Ownership Review, 5 years and 40,000 kms

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Originally Posted by amitayu (Post 2843266)

The sales agent did not even give me a test drive!!!!! Flatly said that they do not have test drive options for Brio!!!
That was the end of my Brio aspirations.

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Originally Posted by torquing_points (Post 2842118)

Having experience with dealers of Toyota, Skoda, VW, Honda, Chevy, MB and Mitsubishi, I can say Honda ranks among the top few, even after my last experience.

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Originally Posted by puchoo (Post 2842015)

I dealt with 2 honda dealerships while finalizing the new City - South End at Saket and Ace at Noida. Coming fresh out after my experience with the Skoda guys i was stunned with the treatment i got from Honda.

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Originally Posted by torquing_points (Post 2841357)

On a different note, I was recently in the market for a new civic - I had a similar show-room experience with the sales team - they were not being courteous, making it seem like giving a TD would be a favor, not returning calls etc. My experience was a month-ish ago in NCR. It seems like theres some motivation training that Honda needs to do!

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Originally Posted by Thilak29 (Post 2843006)

I took my father to Peninsular Honda Showroom in Mangalore. After I paid the booking amount, I was really surprised by the callous response and shift in the tone of sales executive who was handling the case. He was talking with me as if he is doing favor by selling a car and lousy responses really turned me off so I decided to cancel the booking.

I am surprised at the varying responses in terms of C-SAT ratings for Honda. While most of you seem to have had good experiences, there are few (like me and Thilak29) who have had a below par experience. Honda needs to pull up their socks and get their act together to ensure consistency in C-SAT levels across the country.

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Originally Posted by gpa (Post 2843947)

Thanks, for the wishes mate. I think each ownership thread is unique to a user and will have to be kept separate. :)

When you say coasting between downshift, do you mean shifting to neutral or coast till the lowest recommended speed for that gear and then downshift?
.

Aboslutely, e.g I know there is going to be a speed breaker in 100 meters, instead of driving right upto it and then braking, I prefer coasting as much as I can and with minimal braking I am through. :)

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Originally Posted by adityasiera (Post 2842995)

Rony I got an average of 8 today, point being it was choc-o-bloc traffic with 100% AC usage. Try upshifting early and feather the throttle, you should be able get 14+ easily

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Originally Posted by rony180 (Post 2843338)

Even I try keeping it in the Eco mode and shift appropriately. But I have not been able to get 14 in city. The maximum I have got is 12.5. I drive with 75% AC and switch off the ignition and a/c whenever in a traffic signal to save fuel.

On the topic of FE, the drive-by-wire throttle of the Brio is extremely sensitive to inputs of your right foot. I noticed the following.

Case 1: On cruising at 60 kmph, the ECO indicator is on and as I approach a speed-breaker and gradually drop my speed, it stays on. I take the speed-breaker at ~25-30 kmph in third gear with the ECO indicator still on in green. Once clear of the speed-breaker if I feather the throttle with my left foot and the ECO indicator stay green as the revs build up gradually and then finally the indicator goes off once the revs climb to about 1850 rpm.
Case 2: On cruising at 60 kmph, the ECO indicator is on and as I approach a speed-breaker and gradually drop my speed, it stays on. I take the speed-breaker at ~25-30 kmph in third gear with the ECO indicator still on in green. However, if my right foot is heavy on the throttle as soon as I clear the speed-breaker, the ECO indicator goes off almost instantly as the revs build up really fast and the car accelerates quickly.

If you drive as illustrated in Case 2, then it is likely that you will get a lower FE. If you accelerate smoothly and gradually build up speed, and shift to the next higher gear at 2000 rpm then your overall FE will be higher even if you use the a/c. Give it (Case 1) a shot for one tankful-tankful trip and then see if there is an increase in FE.

hey congratulations gpa. Its a beautiful looking car you've got yourself. Wish you long and happy association with it.

we have a blue V MT at home that my father is driving these days. He is so in love with this car! He had actually booked a S MT but his booking got delayed (because of Thailand floods) and he had to wait for more than 3 months before he was told he could have a V MT (maybe V MT doesnt sell very much) as S MT's waitlist was still very long. He wanted it so much that he went for it!!! When I was home in May I got to drive it and I could understand why. Its such a lovely car to drive. I felt guilty about asking him to cancel his Brio booking and go for i10 (thankfully he didnt).

Let me answer that - The FE on the highway for my brio varies between 13.5 to 19 depending on how I drive. Mind you I have upsized MRF ZLO tyres so the efficiency will be higher with the stock rubber.

You can cruise comfortably at 120-130 and still get an FE of around 15-16. If you drive between 90-100, it'll shoot up to around 18-19. It also depends on time of day, the best FE is during early mornings when its cold outside.

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Originally Posted by Chitta Pradhan (Post 2884862)

Is it better than Swift to drive? Have you tested the FE with AC on on highways on TFM? What is the top speed on highways you are comfortable with?

Thanks

Its better than swift in terms of acceleration and overall fun factor, however the first gear is still notchy (3000kms) on my car. In gear acceleration is typical of any Honda Vtec engine and if you are in the sweet spot, you get rewarded with a hoooosh!!

One thing to note about the Brio is its iVtec engine and technology. The ivtec in the new L series engine is designed to save fuel, and is very very sensitive to your throttle input. The ECO light actually says that ivtec is disabled and car is running in fuel saver mode.

I get around 20- 22 kpl with AC around 90-110.

Sorry for jumping in late gpa, but hearty congratulations to you. I am very glad to find a partner now as I too have a Taffeta White Brio S(O). I got mine on April 24, so it is 4 months now and I have been too lazy to pen down an ownership report. Guess I better start working on it before I forget anything.

I completely agree with all the "good bits" and "bad bits" that you have listed. The only surprising thing is the rattling that you have described, I have experienced none until now and hope it stays that way! The goof-up by the SA is somewhat surprising, as generally Honda is known for its customer friendliness.

The equipment list is short compared to competitors, especially the i20 which has something that even cars from a segment higher do not, but the Brio is an absolute joy to drive, no doubts about that.

I have felt the AC drains the acceleration to a fair extent, that is the car needs to be revved higher, what do you say?

Congratulations once again for the perfect choice.

Congrats gpa! Nice car there! Ride safe and enjoy!

Since my son is enchanted with the Brio and pestered me to take a test ride, I dropped in to a showroom with him a couple of months back, though I have no intention of replacing the Alto now. It was only 9.00 AM and there was only one person to show me the car. When I wanted a test drive, his reaction was "Sir, this is a Honda! Why do you need a test drive"? :)

So I told him I need one since I had never ever driven a Honda! Then got the stock reply that the TD car had gone out and will be back by 11.00 AM and then they will give me a call. I am yet to receive the call!

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Originally Posted by Gansan (Post 2885172)

For the sake of others, can you please register a complaint on Honda website? This might help others even though it might not help you! Dealers with pathetic attitude like this let down companies despite good products on show.