[kingjulian]

Though Honda has clearly targeted the volumes' pie with price and timing of release, IMO it might have to settle for a tiny portion.
The Brio does not seem to have one feature of appeal that sets it apart from the rest. The Indian customer is nowadays more likely to ask "What makes it different from a Swift or an i10" and if the answer ain't good enough, the car ain't good enough. The Micra , the Beat , the Liva all tried to gatecrash the B-segment party but met with very limited success.

Things which could have turned the tide in favor of the Brio would have been
1. a Diesel engine(I know Honda doesn't have a diesel in India but could have partnered with say a Fiat or a Renault or even the Chevy)
2. an Automatic Transmission - guaranteed to be a hit with urban populace with the current options (or the lack of it).
3. (1) + (2) - A certain monopoly within the B segment if priced right (which I think Honda has with the Jazz and now the Brio). I still don't understand why any of the auto majors have not offered a diesel AT hatch

As it stands today, customers are spoiled for choice and the Brio (read as Yet Another Hatch) would not be considered a serious contender to upset the Swifts and the i10s, though I would be happy to be proved wrong.

[ethanhunt123]

A possible explanation - A-Star & i10 are exported out of India as well. So Hyundai/Maruti can justify enough volumes to run a production line for automatics. Brio will not be exported from Honda plant in India (not sure) and the automatic volumes in hatchbacks do not justify the financial outlay for a CVT box proudction line.

[sgiitk]

@ethaanhunt123; as far as I know the AT boxes are all imported. As you mentioned it is not economical to set up an assembly line in India for them.

[hell_rider]

Originally Posted by anu21v

Hell_rider, I couldnt have put in better words, Absolutely spot on.

Since Not only the Exterior design but also on Size and exterior Dimensions are closest to Beat, I find it surprising as to why this car is compared to swift, polo, micra etc, whereas it should have been just compared with i10, beat and Ritz. (I pointed it in my previous posts on this thread pg-7). I would love to see how it stacks up with these three cars than any other cars.



I don't quite agree on the above two points. Isn't Suzuki who is a Japanese company the king of small cars and Lowest cost engineering and design at acceptable quality.

On point 2 Honda has definitely not put up a low cost low quality product. IMO Brio decidedly brings an upmarket feel to the upholstery in segment of i10,Beat, Ritz and A-star

Anu,

suzuki is more maruti suzuki than suzuki. Honda is much less honda siel and more honda and toyota is much less toyota kirloskar and more toyota. You will agree with me when I say that for some reason MUL is more or less considered an indian manufacturer, whereas Toyota and Honda are considered Japanese. Having said that, I definitely agree with you that MUL has been far more successful at putting out decent quality cars on a budget, but this is kind of what I was saying, except that I considered MUL as an Indian manufacturer.

On point 2, may I request you to re-read the second point (at the end, which you quoted) carefully. I did not say Honda or Toyota put out low quality products when I made the second point. I said they make sure you realize that you have bought the cheapest product in their line-up.
Subtle but significant difference.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by hell_rider

On point 2, may I request you to re-read the second point (at the end, which you quoted) carefully. I did not say Honda or Toyota put out low quality products when I made the second point. I said they make sure you realize that you have bought the cheapest product in their line-up.
Subtle but significant difference.

Dont understand yout point ? Is it that Brio interiors dont feel as plush as City/Civic ? Well do you really think comparing a 4-5L interiors with 9-12L car interiors is a fair comparo ? You should be comparing them to the interiors of the cars in its segment - i10, Ritz, A-Star, Beat, Liva etc. On the other hand, if you are indeed saying that its interiors feel cheap compared to its competition, i wonder how did you have a chance to look at them without car being launched (photos can be deceptive and besides they dont look cheap at all in the pics compared to competiton).

[Ferruccio]

Brilliant review. Though I read all major mags Team BHP is becoming my first stop for all the reviews. It is the detail that makes the difference. Keep it up guys!

Regarding the pull out antenna - I personally prefer a traditional pull-out pillar antenna to the various new fangled options because 1) BBC reception on AM1413 is always better 2) Roof top antennas are a pain to use with a body cover

[Cooltronics]

I happen to see the car in flesh today at Whitefield Honda. Though test drives were not allowed, I was able to spend reasonable time around the car

What I liked
1) Superior interior finish
2) Rich feel (dual tone interiors)
3) Reasonably good rear leg room
4) Appealing Dash Board
5) Controls seemed to be of a higher quality

What I didn't like

1) Compact Boot Space
2) All-Glass rear

Brio, IMO would definitely be a good fight for i10 (which I have heard is going to be revamped by end of this year). Car looked marginally smaller than what I had expected from photographs and the all-glass rear added to the abrupt end of the car but overall a very nice package when compared with i10

[slackyboy]

Well thought and executed review. Loved the way all the info has been laid out. Thank you so much!

[samm]

Brilliant review! Excellent writeup! I guess one needs to go no where else to know about the car. Like a virtual drive and a virtual showroom.. actually much more with the details! Awesome stuff!

I kind of liked the rear glass. Something different to see on the roads. Yes, kind of hit or miss, like the Micra front. The only issue with the almost full sized glass is, you cant hide anything in the boot! Its out there for everyone to see, unless you put some dark film.

I didnt like the front so much, but the looks grow on us if we find value in the package! And the rear door is too small. Though the review indicates that there is good room for entry, so probably the small door may not be a problem. Nevertheless, the rear seat doesnt appear to be good place to be in, aleast from the pics.

[white-rabbit]

Great review!!I am impressed the way they fit Honda logo.From side view,it look like Beat.And I love the tail lamps

[sam003]

Looks promising. Rated 5* for thread too. Now see some growth for Honda.

[bkbkr1212]

This one is going to into i10's pie than Swift, Ritz etc since most other competitors have diesel variants.
Hyundai might come up with a more aggressive pricing with its new 10.
That will trigger a mouth watering competition

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by hell_rider

A
On point 2, may I request you to re-read the second point (at the end, which you quoted) carefully. I did not say Honda or Toyota put out low quality products when I made the second point. I said they make sure you realize that you have bought the cheapest product in their line-up.
Subtle but significant difference.

I do not agree with you on this.

Honda has always gives us quality products that don't 'feel cheap', like Marutis. The quality of plastics and parts in the interiors are great, and they do meet international standards. The only thing they skim on, is features, like auto-climate-control and auto-mirrors. We would have loved them on the Jazz and the City.

[baluundertaker]

Typically when we open the boot, we tend to to slam it down(mostly unintentionally). With a totally glass boot door, will it be as sturdy as a metal door - does anyone think there is any danger of damage to the glass door on heavy use ??

Personally find the rear kind of attractive though very quirky to say the least.

[Reddy@Hyd]

I went to honda showroom today to enquire about waiting period.I was told more than 3 months.
Is it true at all places?