[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sydras

I don't think that simply applying a beige theme to the Brio would make all the difference in space though it does certainly help. Having sat in a Jazz many times and after owning a City, I can say that Hondas certainly seem to have more in-cabin space than the competition. However, I will reserve my opinion on this point until I've had a chance to do a personal comparision of the Brio's in-cabin space against the Beat.

A friend of mine owns and drives a Chevrolet Beat in Bangalore. I've driven her car and even sat in the back seat. It is actually surprisingly pretty spacious. Of course, I was comparing it to my straight-jacket Santro which is so cramped at the back that you'd think any car is spacious.

That said, I can safely say that the Beat is decently spacious for a small hatch. The Brio, going by pictures, seems quite spacious too. It's probably marginally more spacious, If at all, than the Beat. The Beat's cabin feels more airy though, due to the use of lighter colours and a larger green-house.

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by Guna

Even Thai model doesn't have rear wiper. Wiper on the all glass hatch is tricky as the glass need to have a hole and the wiper assembly with all wiring needs to be mounted from inside etc.

When Volvo can do this to perfection why not Honda, especially since its a safety feature and not a luxury, take a look;
C30 Gallery - Download Images, Video, Pictures - Volvo Cars UK

[karty_83]

Is the in gear acceleration figures available for Brio ?
Would it be same as it is for the Jazz in the 'small car guide' thread ?

[funkyp]

Originally Posted by karty_83

Is the in gear acceleration figures available for Brio ?
Would it be same as it is for the Jazz in the 'small car guide' thread ?

most likely it will be better. Same engine on a lighter body definitely will yield better figures across the range. acceleration, drivability, FE

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

When Volvo can do this to perfection why not Honda, especially since its a safety feature and not a luxury, take a look;
C30 Gallery - Download Images, Video, Pictures - Volvo Cars UK

The C30 by Volvo is an expensive car, even abroad. You get full sized family sedans for the same price, and is a niche car, of sorts, since it is a 3-door car. The VW Golf, Ford Focus and the Mini are its competitors, and all these cars will be 15-25 lakhs (landed cost in India). Incorporating a wiper into the rear windshield would be expensive, even in this Volvo, but it wouldn't make much of a difference since the car itself is quite expensive for a hatch.

But in a price sensitive market like India's, the Brio's price is expected to be 4-5 lakhs, and to keep it down to such prices, some expensive features must be given a miss. It's not just this one component though, it's several features that have been not added to the Brio, in order to keep the costs down and make it an affordable car.

Honda should have, however, thought of a way to ensure that the lack of a rear wiper doesn't cause too much inconvenience.

Originally Posted by karty_83

Is the in gear acceleration figures available for Brio ?
Would it be same as it is for the Jazz in the 'small car guide' thread ?

I expect the Brio's in-gear acceleration figures to be marginally better thn the Jazz. The reason could be attributed to the tweaked gearbox and tuned engine for better city-driving. Power and torque would now be available at lower revs, so you wouldn't have to rev the nuts off it. But yeah, it is a Honda, and it would love to we wrung by its neck.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Honda should have, however, thought of a way to ensure that the lack of a rear wiper doesn't cause too much inconvenience.

Perhaps a top mounted wiper like in buses?

[xingamazon]

I was thinking of something, and then it struck me, here is my view.

With an all glass rear, I do not see why is there so much fuss about the rear-wiper not being available. If at all I buy this car, and during rain time if I have trouble seeing the rear side.
I will just open the rear hatch and drive no fuss about it.

Its not all that impractical to think of, you cant expect all bells and whistles of an attempt meant for lowcost. Lets face it, I know its not going to be everyday that I wil need a rear wiper. If at all there is some situation like that I will rather open hatch and drive or wait on roadside for rain to subside

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Guna

Perhaps a top mounted wiper like in buses?

That is a smart idea. But is there enough space and integrity in the top-half of the boot-lid (circled in the picture) for the wiper to be incorporated? Ideally, the wiper mechanism should have been incorporated where the Honda badge is affixed (also circled in the picture).

Originally Posted by xingamazon

I was thinking of something, and then it struck me, here is my view.

With an all glass rear, I do not see why is there so much fuss about the rear-wiper not being available. If at all I buy this car, and during rain time if I have trouble seeing the rear side.
I will just open the rear hatch and drive no fuss about it.

Its not all that impractical to think of, you cant expect all bells and whistles of an attempt meant for lowcost. Lets face it, I know its not going to be everyday that I wil need a rear wiper. If at all there is some situation like that I will rather open hatch and drive or wait on roadside for rain to subside

Jokes apart, this car is expected to be priced at 4-5.5 lakhs. At that price range, you can't really expect expensive mechanisms like the rear-wiper to be present. Also, I thought about it, and realized that the wiper-mechanism would take a couple of inches and protrude into the boot area. The boot in the Brio is very small. So with a mechanism like that protruding into the boot, it would limit the limited versatility that the deep boot has, and storing larger objects would be a lot harder.



Try and picture a plastic component that protrudes into that small boot bay. (the picture of the boot in the post will help understand the limitations of the same) It would not make sense, really.

EDIT: * Remember, the Brio is priced between 4-5.5 lakhs here in India, and the Thai version (after conversion) is 6-8 lakhs. And even the Thai version doesn't come with a boot. So it isn't exactly cost cutting for the Indian market, per se.

[uday.ere]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

I will just open the rear hatch and drive no fuss about it.

That certainly was hilarious.

Alternately, we could have a manual mechanism like in the autorickshaws and have someone in the back seat to operate it whenever it rains.

Originally Posted by karty_83

Is the in gear acceleration figures available for Brio ?
Would it be same as it is for the Jazz in the 'small car guide' thread ?

Attached pic is from the Autocar test drive report for Brio. Hope that helps. Couldnt access the Jazz numbers, so cant compare and tell the differences

[funkyp]

i am not sure how reliable this info is, but in passing, my SA told me that the top end brio would be priced at 5.5l OTR mumbai, roughly translates to 4.7 (ex showroom)! now thats killer pricing in my opinion. i hope honda lives up to that.

Do you guys think its possible

[karty_83]

@uday : Those numbers look impressive. I think the figures are more or less the same for Jazz as per the info available in the other thread.

Max speed of 130 in 3rd gear, Wow !! Would this be the quickest for a hatch ?

[sa_kiran]

I got a message from Crystal Honda, Pune inviting me for the exclusive unveiling of Honda Brio. Date and time are not mentioned :-(

[wartikars]

Originally Posted by GTO

*Rates your thread an extremely well-deserved 5 stars!*

When I see the Brio, I see the effect of competition on Honda. Absolutely brilliant hatchback + solid mechanicals; I rate it right up there with the i10 & Swift on my list of petrol favourites. You don’t need to spend big money to have fun, and the Brio proves it. Immensely pleasurable to drive (more than the Jazz!!!) on the open road, & in the city as well. Simply love fast cars, and the Brio is amongst the quickest from its segment. The compact size & quick steering makes it feel like a small go-kart (Alto K-10 too). That engine just loves to be revved, and revved again....time to look up after-market options to remove that early limiter . The interior quality is amongst the best in the segment and, honestly going by Honda’s history, I didn’t expect things to be good on the inside. I think it’s a lovely urban hatchback, and will especially be a hit with the fairer sex too (light to drive, easy within the city, cute looks et al). Considering the recent price-cut on the City & Jazz, and Honda's immediate need for volumes, the Brio is expected to be priced well (we were already told that it's going to be a sub-5 lakh car).

Unfortunate, but like most Indian Hondas, the Brio too doesn’t ride well on bumpy Indian roads. I didn’t like the vertical movement from the back on irregular tarmac, or the fact that you feel every ripple on the highway (well, almost). Cars like the Figo, Liva, Vista and gang are in a different league altogether when it comes to ride comfort. And the weird rear end design isn't to my taste either; I prefer the cleaner look of the Liva. Shocked to see the lack of a very vital rear defogger! This is a necessity in our driving conditions. That apart, the Brio has the necessities...even steering mounted audio controls that my Civic lacks!

Overall, it's very (read = VERY) close between the Brio, i10 & Swift in terms of an overall package. To me, these three outclass every other petrol hatchback from the segment. Honda is still not receiving full supplies from Japan (Earthquake tragedy) and I'd expect high volumes to only kick in after a quarter.

I thoroughly enjoyed high-revving this car with you Anshuman, and I greatly respect your attention to detail. Thanks for contributing the best, most unbiased review there is on the Brio today.

BTW, here’s a picture that we took illustrating how the items in the boot remain visible:
Attachment 606248

Thats a great and indepth review. The car looks nice and value for money and seems to be better than Liva where lots of cost cutting is evident. I would be planning to buy it after taking a test drive. So finally Honda is seriuos about the Indian customers.

[sidindica]

The Brio is coming in 4 variants-the V and S tested here, besides there will be an S variant without ABS and airbags and an E variant without stereo I think. No guesstimate for pricing.

6 shades- rallye red, energetic blue, urban titanium, black, white, silver.

[acroback]

Someone come up with concrete prices guys.
It is just one day away and still no prices?

Come on guys, shell out some beans.