Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/)

-   -   Stig gets Brio'ed! Red Honda Brio SMT (O) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/121672-stig-gets-brioed-red-honda-brio-smt-o.html)

Flashback to April 2012 -I got myself a cherished Esteem VXI, with 58k kms on the odo, the owner a friend of mine was in need for money, and i was in need of some wheels, with the conidtion that I will return him the car whenver he gives my money back, after almost 2 months and 3000 kms later he comes down with the cash and wants the car badly, yours truly also wants the car as I had major upgrades planned and to make this my project car. (more of which later in another thread.)

So again in need of a new set of wheels, i had shortlisted the following cars (I wanted this car to do the office runs and occasional (<10%) highway runs.)


1.2005 Baleno Vxi - (no point going gaga all over again about the Baleno's engine and capabilities.)
2.2012 Mahindra Thar 4x4 - (will do the office runs and also let me have some fun OTR)
3.2012 Honda Brio S MT (O) - Loved this car in Red the moment I saw .anshuman's review.

Punto was wild card choice,however Fiat badge on it made me stay away.

We T.D of the Brio on the 2nd of June.

4 Days after the test-drive the Brio is home. She's a Red SMT (O). I will use this thread as i start my new love affair with the Honda (the very first in our family).

The dealership experience with Sundram Honda is 11 out of 10, everything was done on the phone/email till the booking. Went to the showroom yesterday, they provided us a Chauffeur driven ride to the bank and back.
The sales guy (vamsi) and demo lady (rinku) were thorough professionals, courteous and made sure we came out of the showroom smiling.

Now I know, why Honda owners are so brand loyalagree:

On-road price, discounts etc - OTR Hyderabad is 5.89 lakhs, I got the car for 5.66 + 3k (for zero-dep insurance)

The odo has completed 80 KMS today.
IMO Brio looks the part in Rallye Red & Urban Titanium.

Overall build quality and fit & finish is typical honda, top notch. Interiors are pleasing to eyes save for the chocolate brown dashboard, I think it will grow on me.I personally would have liked a matte finish on the stereo instead of the glossy finish.

The brownie points

1.Brilliant engine and gearbox, at idle the only way you can know the engine is running is by the tacho. there is no vibration/rocking whatsoever.Gearshifts are short, precise. Though Swift betters the shift of Brio by a country mile

2.Engine pulls nicely from almost standstill in 2nd gear with A/C on 4 on-board. (Honda guys say they have retuned the ECU)- Can some1 confirm ?

3.The car is loaded to the gills (except for the alloys and front fogs), with twin airbags, abs, ebd, tilt steering, electronically operated mirror adjustment. I felt SMT (o) is the best VFM among all the other siblings.Love the way the console light dim, when headlamps are turned on.

4.Light steering is boon to drive in the city, it weighs up nicely at highway speeds.Car feels planted at 140 kp/h ( it was the T.D Car)

5.Stock Goodyear (my car) are less noisy than the Stock MRFs (TD Car)

6.Stock sound system is very good, upgrading to component speakers would make this a mobile juke box.

7.Boot is good for a 2 member family, no serious luggage space. Also the boot liner is exposed. The boot panel lining (INR 498) is a must have.

8.Driver seat is non adjustable.

9.Rear seat is comfortable (2 of my friends) 5'10 each had no issue with the rear seat for the hour drive from the dealership to home.

10.Honda accessories are priced sky high, IMO, the only three things from the list priced sensibly are Floor mats, Door Covers and the boot lining.

11.Styling is a bold and on your face, you either like it or hate it.

12. The size of this car from the outside doesn't reveal the space it offers.



Few things that irk.( I am not gonna talk about the rear wiper/demister)
1. Boot needs to have light

2. Absense of clading under the rear arch does cause a lot of road noise in the rear.

3. The front chrome grill needs to go!!! - something like the green brio from thai brio forums, makes the car look true to its nature.

4. Fog Lamp fitting by Honda is quoted 15k.


The first thing I did today morning, was to replace the stock Halonix bulbs with a Pair of Osram nightbreakers that were lying with me. Would check the difference in illumination later in the evening today.

The all rear glass hatch is a fingerprint magnet.

250 Kms clocked today, seems like my weekly travel distance has trebled over since 6/6/2012.:D

First week with the Brio.
1. Car is delivering about 12 (as per the MID) with 80% A/C.
2. This car is built tough. My watchman didn't open the gate properly i banged my RHS ORVM while reversing, to my sheer surprise, nothing happend to the glass, it turned 270' and the mirror shroud just fell off. Pushed it back in.
3. While playing bass, at volumes over 30, there is a vibration on the IRVM and on the tell glass.(I kinda like it, remember the blaupunkt ad). The AUX in provides much less sound at the same volume, than the USB.
4.Changed the headlamp bulbs to Nightbreakers and boy, theres a huge difference in lighting. (The after pics are attached.)
5.Gear shift has improved a bit, but still nowhere close to swift/ritz.
6.Nitrogen definitely improves the ride even further.
7.Waiting for ART leather seats....
8.She is an eye magnet for sure and lot of curious glances and questions.The very first being "kitna deti hai?"

She completed 1000kms and her first service on 29/6.

Observations are noted below.

The Good.
1. Engine has become even smoother and revs cleanly to 6600 rpm. (there is no electronic cut off at 6000 rpm.)
2. Gearbox notchiness has reduced a lot, but still slotting to 1st gear,while tackling a speed breaker is a bit notchy.
3.In city fuel efficieny averages about 15 km/l with 60% A/C. (All credit to that green ECO indicator.)
4.Highway Fuel efficiency was a revelation with a light foot and speed being (80-110) zone, she delivered 21.4 km/l.
5.As reported earlier the straight line stability on expressway is just great.
6.The steering which is feather light at parking speed weighs up just about fine on expressway speeds.
7.Upgraded lights are miles ahead of the stock bulbs.
8.1st service cost was 45 rs(windshield washer fluid).
9.It was no sweat carrying 6 people on board for a small city drive.(hats off to Honda packaging.)
10.Stock sound system doubles up as Android phone charger :D

The Bad:
1.GC is low with 4 people, and she scrapes medium sized bumps if not driven cautiously.
2.The ride quality on uneven patches is bad, on expressway its scary.(esp where the road joints or uneven sections just before a toll booth.)
3.The exposed rear boot panel is prone to scratches, unless you buy the protective lining from honda.
4.Honda *** polished the dashboard on 1st service and its reflecting like crazy, i loved that matt dull finish.:Frustrati


The Ugly:
1. No light under the bonnet.
2. No light on the boot.
3. Absence of dead pedal.

DIY
Installed LED DRL's with a fused connection and used the blank switch on the dashboard to control. (will upload pics for this later.)

Bottom line - One of the best cars available in india under 6L. Great for city and good for the highway. The ugly parts mentioned by me have been added to my DIY list.

Note From Team-BHP Support-Staff: Thread moved from Assembly Line to Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports section. Thanks for sharing!

Congratulations on your latest acquisition.

I like the Brio. There are a few things that do annoy me about the car, like the lack of a rear-wipe/wash and auto-fold mirrors. The boot too is quite small and its contents are on display, even more so without a parcel-shelf.

But it's a very fun car to drive. It feels great and eager to be thrown into corners. The engine is a lively one, albeit a little extra bottom-end wouldn't have hurt.

I'm glad that you've gone for the S(o) variant with the safety-kit. Kudos to you for not putting a price on safety! It's surprising that your Brio scrapes even with 4 on board. Despite that short-wheel-base? I suppose those were some mighty speed-breakers.

Please be sure to add more information and content. It's important that you keep updating with pictures too. Be sure to include your views on the ride and handling, performance, etc on a more detailed level. It would be highly appreciated!

Take care and drive safe! :)

Congrats adityasiera on bringing the Brio home!

I was pleasantly surprised with the space on offer too, especially compared to the Swift. which seems bigger on the outside but is quite a tight fit otherwise.

It is a very different buy from the other option on your list; the Thar.
nevertheless, wish you many a safe mile together and hope to see regular updates here.

Congrats on your Brio. My Wife is looking to buy one and having arguments over colour with my Son (red vs blue).
Enjoy your ride.

The Brio is really a cute little car. I like the way Honda have designed a small car without making it looks cheap (unlike the Etios). And I'm sure the light car with the iVTec engine must be real fun to drive! Congratulations on the car!

Congrats on owning the looker . Love the styling and the city driveability of the car. The brilliant silent Honda engine and the clever interiors make this a good package.
For 95% of the time of your life you would not need the boot while you can enjoy the nimbleness and the easy parking, for the rest you can hire a bigger car :)
Drive safe !

congratulations on your purchase!

plan for a tyre upgrade, that should - to some extent - solve the problems with scary handling at highway speeds.

Wow, Thar on one end and Brio on the other. Quite an extreme you had planned.
No one dares override Home Ministry orders; you are a wise man :D

Red Brio is a looker. Can you also post some interior pics especially with the glass hatch open with visible boot space? Thanks.

Enjoy many more (s)miles.

Thank you, like you said you cannot put a price on safety.
I honestly dont miss the rear wash/wipe. Defogger is 49$ retrofit (another DIY).
I will include a proper report soon after a planned road trip :)

Thank you.
My first reaction was Wow, how can they have so much space inside.

I have used my friends Thar for a week as a daily drive, and it does the job.Hence it was included.

Thank you bro.I would suggest you to go for S(O), irrespective of the color.

Thank you. The Vtec engine is a delight and the car snorts, grunts and pulls like a mad dog once the Vtec kicks in(2800-3500 rpm).

Thank you. Exactly my point, we hardly need a big boot, if the need be there are other cars in the family to take care of that.

Thank you bro. I doubt a tyre upgrade will solve the problem.Its more to do with the stiff rear-end that gets unsettled on uneven tarmac/concrete.

Will post the pics tomorrow

Excellent report. Take a bow. :thumbs up
Isn't the Defogger DIY a bit risky? I would really like to have a look.

Congrats Adi for bringing home Smt.O.Red Brio. :D

Brio is an excellent car and it looks hot in red.

Thank you.

Here is the link that got me thinking to make it a DIY.

Frost Fighter 2600 Clear View Defrosters

Thank you Bro :)

Congratulations on your car. The car looks beautiful with the LEDs.

Do post your experience with defogger installation, in case you go for it.