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Old 27th September 2011, 23:24   #331
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Guna View Post
Had a quick look at the Brio today

Positives
  • Good space in the front seats
  • Good looking (read inoffensive) front nose
  • Good steering wheel

Other impressions/observations
  • Driver Seat is low set, coupled with high dashboard, the visibility is not great. Dimensionally it is supposed to be as wide as City but the front view seemed narrow. Far from the commanding view you get from the likes of i10
  • Shiny and hard plastics (darker tones) did not feel upmarket. Pieces of brown on the trim/inserts could have been avoided (there are far too many shades and textures creating a visual noise
  • Back seat is not too comfortable. Backrest is short and doesn't provide enough support
  • Locking mechanism for the rear hatch is on the body (and not on the hatch lid) like in India. This is left exposed along with the surrounding metal panel.
  • If you turn back from the rear seat, you see these ugly fittings and the rear glass which is so close to you (can make you feel vulnerable)
  • Overall the dash did not look elegant or upmarket to my eyes
  • The high mounted stop lamp looks like it has been screwed from outside! (made for India? certainly not)

Overall, the car did not feel well made and I would any day buy i10 (I am not even comparing it with Swift which is in a different league IMHO).
Forgot to add:
The headroom in the rear is not great. My head was almost brushing against the roof when I tried the back seat.
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Old 27th September 2011, 23:35   #332
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Guna View Post
Forgot to add:
The headroom in the rear is not great. My head was almost brushing against the roof when I tried the back seat.
Now, thats not so good news.. Whats your height, if you dont mind?
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Old 28th September 2011, 01:59   #333
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

Pricing is not bad.. hopefully the dealerships should have a TD car by the weekend.. Has anyone booked the car? If so is there any indication of the waiting periods?
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Old 28th September 2011, 05:30   #334
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by algos&autos View Post
i dont think the brio provides the VFM that Jazz does.
+1. While the pricing is competitive, the Brio top end is priced closer the to Jazz base version. With all that space and safety features, Jazz base version makes more sense than the Brio top end.
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Old 28th September 2011, 08:19   #335
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by C300 View Post
While the pricing is competitive, the Brio top end is priced closer the to Jazz base version. With all that space and safety features, Jazz base version makes more sense than the Brio top end.
+1 . The base version of Jazz is more VFM when compared the the top end Brio.
But if one is looking for a CITY car then Brio makes more sense than the Jazz even if its in the V trim.
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Old 28th September 2011, 08:49   #336
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Equus View Post
Now, thats not so good news.. Whats your height, if you dont mind?
hmm, i am 5'11 and i dint have a problem both in the front and back seats regarding head room. though getting out of the driver seat wasnt easy.

Last edited by Rehaan : 28th September 2011 at 13:13. Reason: Dint = Didn't. Please type in full words and not "sms" language. Also please use capitalization. Thanks.
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Old 28th September 2011, 09:51   #337
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Equus View Post
Now, thats not so good news.. Whats your height, if you dont mind?
I am 6'. Back seat is good for kids, small adults as tall people find the support lacking on the upper back/neck/head to sit and travel long distance.
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Old 28th September 2011, 12:04   #338
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

What I did not like in Brio.

1- Driver Ingress and Egress is not good. Steering comes in way when you try to get out of the Car.
2- The front glass has a very low angle, so if you try to poke you neck to look at your bumper, you ll inadvertently bang against the front window.
3- Boot space is not even avg.
4- I did not like the rear power window buttons. I am skeptical how long can they last with kids around.

Shall update more after test drive today.
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Old 28th September 2011, 12:15   #339
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

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Originally Posted by Durango Dude View Post
I see this scene playing out in the not too distant future.
Eon will be priced below Santro, which will be competition to Alto. Brio and i10 has nothing to do with Eon.
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Old 28th September 2011, 16:38   #340
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by dipen View Post
No way, the BRIO can priced like that.

Note that
  • the Jazz Select (Ex-Delhi : ~ 5.75) is the model comparable to the Brio V.
  • the Jazz Base(Ex-Delhi : ~ 5.5) is the model comparable to the Brio S with ABS/Airbags.

The Jazz would have slightly better components and features like dash, carpeting, trims, wheel well cladding, wiper, defogger, higher end music system, reclining seats, etc in addition to more metal.

If you look at the i10 and 120 pricing, there is around 75 ex-showroom difference between the Magna models. All features remain the same with the most significant exception being i20 Magna gets music system.

The Brio is a direct competitor to the i10, Ritz while a little premium over Beat. It cannot compete head-on with Swift at Swift prices though it may take away some sales from the Swift and others.

Where the Jazz Base and Select costs ~6.5 and ~6.8O OTR Mumbai, the S(with ABS Airbags) would be priced less than 5.6 OTR Mumbai and the V topping out at near 6.00 OTR. The S without ABS/Airbags could retail for 5.0-5.1 undercutting the Swift by about 40-50k.


This is the max upper limit for Brio pricing if they want volumes like Maruti and is bang into the i10 price territory. It another story that i10 usually has near 30k discounts round the year.
Just thought of priding myself a little. Had predicted / calculated / guesstimated the Brio prices on 20th Sept and they seem bang on target post the launch.

Brio OTR pricing for Mumbai (Source : MotorBeam - Indian Car Bike News & Reviews)
  • 4.6 (E) - Forgot to predict :(
  • 5.06 (S) - had calculated to be 5.0-5.10.
  • 5.71 (S Option) - had calculated to be 5.6. Though close, went wrong in feature calculation. Thought Honda would price V at 30k more for alloys, small interior trims and fogs. But Honda kept only 20k difference for the same.
  • 5.94 (V) - had mentioned 6.00

For prospective buyers, the price is near same as that of i10, but do note that i10 has always had good discounts. While 30k i10 discount may/may-not be not too much considering the resale might fetch similar difference, buy one that you like and not only by badge value. Both cars are good and great in their own way.

Last edited by dipen : 28th September 2011 at 16:39.
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Old 28th September 2011, 21:00   #341
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by acroback View Post
What I did not like in Brio.

1- Driver Ingress and Egress is not good. Steering comes in way when you try to get out of the Car.
2- The front glass has a very low angle, so if you try to poke you neck to look at your bumper, you ll inadvertently bang against the front window.
3- Boot space is not even avg.
4- I did not like the rear power window buttons. I am skeptical how long can they last with kids around.

Shall update more after test drive today.
Well, I saw the rear power windows switch and commented it in this thread. They are lower than ordinary class. Driver Ingress/Egress is a news to me. I was annoyed with the boot size and Non-availability of Parcel Shelf. The rear claustrophobic seat due to Poking back-side of front seats, not so comfortable rear seat and the feeling of Head almost touching the rear windshield are big downer.

I am Just hoping there are enough buyer in the market who are willing to pay that extra bucks on Brio. Jazz for its price point is the Best Value for Money even if one considers top end of Brio and starting variant of Jazz. EON undobetedly is better Looker than Brio. Atleast due to its height & stance in pictures, EON doesn't look like a car which will have basic flaws of Ingress/Egress and Boot Design.
Even the car like Beat which is considered Looker by many and still considered as best value for money did not do good because of Boot Size (atleast in its Petrol Avataar).

No offence Mates, In my opinion, even if Hyundai EON comes with 3.25 Lakh price point; Both Honda Jazz and Hyundai Eon makes better sense than buying a Brio. Just checked, Honda Jazz has 6 months waiting in NCR area.

Last edited by anu21v : 28th September 2011 at 21:04.
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Old 29th September 2011, 09:43   #342
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

I checked out the Brio at one of the dealerships in Gurgaon...Blue Color...and I am mighty impressed.

I am on the lookout to buy a hatch and hence have been evaluating all n sundry thats available..and when you are close to buying, you look at it differently as compared to when you are there to just take a look.

Having evaluated all...Marutis, Hyundais, VW, Chevy, Ford...no Tata/Fiat and owned an Etios for 9 months now..I know exactly what I am looking for and thats what I get in Brio.

Spacious: Very very as compared to Ritz/Swift/Wagon R/ i10/Polo
Fit and Finish: As good as a Jazz..Top Class
Ergonomics: Miles ahead of the competition
Glass Hatch: Well, you dont feel its a glass hatch...its sturdy, its flexible and if by chance ur hand is squeezed between the glass and the body while closing it...a rubber lining protects it from being hurt
Gear shift, as slick as any other Honda
Clutch: More travel than an Etios but very light
Seat Fabric: Not as good as new Swift but far ahead than the rest
Looks: Its subjective, but I love it!

Now for the catch: Waiting period: 2 months if I booked yesterday..I did not coz I have a Jazz in line already.

Loved the Blue Color

Given its a Jazz engine..with the body wrap around it...its a killer.

Go Honda!!! Finally...
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Old 29th September 2011, 11:16   #343
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Guna View Post

Overall, the car did not feel well made and I would any day buy i10 (I am not even comparing it with Swift which is in a different league IMHO).
Exactly my thoughts.. Previously when this thread started also I had the same comment when GTO compared this with swift and i10, swift can never be compared with this car, even the 1st generation swift is definitely ahead than this car.

Well the competing car's price at a glance (all Petrol):

Ford Figo 3.49 - 5.29 Lakh (there might be a slight difference in this)
i10 1.1 3.60 - 4.05 Lakh
i10 1.2 4.20 - 5.27 Lakh
Ritz 4.03 - 4.38 Lakh
Wagon R 3.35 - 4.20 Lakh
Zen Estilo 3.20 - 4.14 Lakh
Beat 3.59 - 4.30 Lakh
Micra 4.10 - 5.38 Lakh (with ABS and EBD) 4.72 L is without these 2 features

Brio 3.95 - 5.10 Lakh

Definitely its competitive with regards to i10, micra and ritz. Brand image might be a crowd puller here, but definitely all the other 3 are bigger in size in comparison. When I looked through the features that brio was offerring, I was quite surprised for this price point, but was equally dissapointed on looking at the vehicle 100 m away today (Just my thoughts). I also accept that the power that this vehicle is delivering and the FE is top class.
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Old 29th September 2011, 11:27   #344
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

A well made car, with a good engine. I do not like the looks of it though. Maybe I am too old school for these over the top designs, the weird rear ends started with Ritz, then Beat & now this !!

Having said that, this car will roll out numbers for "the" Honda, as none other has - just my gut feel.




Cheers
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Old 29th September 2011, 11:33   #345
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Re: Honda Brio : Test Drive & Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by informmaha View Post
Exactly my thoughts.. Previously when this thread started also I had the same comment when GTO compared this with swift and i10, swift can never be compared with this car, even the 1st generation swift is definitely ahead than this car.
I don't know how you've come to this conclusion.

During my 1st and 2nd years of college, I'd driven a friend's Swift extensively. Despite the skinny tyres, the car handled like a dream. The steering and gearbox were fantastic.

But the interior quality was appalling. Almost ugly. My 8 year old Santro seems to have the same or maybe even marginally better quality than the Swift. I'm talking about the old Swift. Quite frankly, the interiors of the old one were a huge let down, in terms of quality. The plastics were very cheap and were crudely put together. Parts would even come off very easily.

In comparison, the Brio feels like an 8 lakh car on the inside. It's miles ahead of the Swift, even the new one, in terms of interior quality. The space seems to be the same too, and it's surprising considering that the Swift is a much larger car.

If you're talking purely on the basis of exterior dimension, then the Swift is one step ahead, for sure. But everything else just proves that the Brio has been more effectively packaged and designed than any other car without a boot.

And despite being small on the outside, the Brio packs in quite a lot of space on the inside. More than the Ritz, marginally more than the i10, more than the Micra, more than the Wagon-R, more than the Estillo, and more than the Swift too (the old one, haven't been in the new one yet) That reflects Honda's design and engineering ability to a great extent.

One must not pit two cars against each other and determine the better one purely on the basis of its exterior dimensions.

Last edited by suhaas307 : 29th September 2011 at 11:39.
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