[AJ-got-BHP]

We are getting influenced largely by the West and I must say that in the times ahead, find a driver will be a big challenge considering the Earnings an Owner Driven OLA/ Uber makes on a monthly basis. To be independent is the way ahead ! It is difficult to practice what you preach but leading by example, I got rid of my driver considering the series of his erratic leaves and absence from work which I had been tolerating for a while.

On the 4th of March 2018, I got this thread live on Team-BHP asking for opinions of our BHPian brothers on which AMT/ AT to buy. Link of the Thread : https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatch...t-5-lakhs.html (Confused on which AMT Hatchback to buy within a budget of 5 lakhs) However, the replies got me more confused and it was time for a reality check.

For Whom ? - For my wife who inspite of being a Driving Licence holder was not comfortable with the idea of Driving.

Why an AMT/ AT ? - Since it would be a daily drive for my wife and since she was not comfortable driving a Manual Car within the Maddening City Traffic, it was better to let her have a more relaxed option, a Automatic Car

Purpose ? - City driving mainly in close proximity. The monthly running would not exceed 1000Kms on the maximum side which might include some odd highway dashes from my side

The Options looked into and a feedback of the experience :
1.) Alto K10 AMT - Not an option as want something more spacious
2.) Celerio ZXi AMT - Considering it but not completely convinced
3.) WagonR VXi AMT - Seems as the Best Buy (fully loaded) of the Lot and is Tried & Tested
4.) The Renault Kwid 1.0L RXT AMT - It was an option for the same price point as the WagonR VXi. However, I felt it being cramped for space and did not bother to test drive on the face of it. Also, the fact that it lacks overall quality in plastic and comfort.
5.) Entry Level Variant of IGNIS - A 2017 Model was available in a dealership at a higher discount was luring. But ultimately was a No from my side.
6.) TATA Tiago 1.2 Revotron AMT XTA - The experience of the 1.2 Revotron Engine was fair to be honest. May be I was going in with Higher Expectations.

A Critical Point to be considered and the change in thought process :
Amidst all this and with the responses on the Team-BHP Thread, I was compelled to think otherwise. I definitely did not doubt my wife Eshita's driving skills with an Automatic but it is always better to be prepared for the worst. Considering the fact that she will actually be brushing up her driving skills with whatever car we bought, buying a Pre-Used Car seemed to be a better option.

The Mind Block :
I have never purchased a Used Car before. So what ? There is always a first time ! Let's be the change we want to see in the world.

Now the shortlisting and zeroing on what to buy :
I was set in my mind that if it has to be a Pre-Used Car and a Petrol Engine considering the monthly running, it had to be a HONDA !! Now the point was HONDA WHAT ? I started scouting for all the available options on OLX, CARTRADE, TEAM-BHP and other such platforms. I was getting lured to the Honda Civics but it was a outright no from my wife as she did not want something so big for her daily drive. The other option was Honda City AT and the BRIO AT.
The BRIO AT was captioned a Lady's Car in our civilization, however finding a good piece was a challenge !

A Teaser Image of what we got :

[AJ-got-BHP]

Knowing the Shree Honda Dealer at a personal level, I asked him for best possible pre-used vehicles. I was shared a picture of a Honda BRIO VX AT from his sales team's side which had come in for exchange. The vehicle was owned by a relative of the Dealer and it had been very sparingly used. The following are the pictures that I received on WhatsApp :

Sparingly used 8,500Kms ONLY on the Odometer :


The interiors :


The side pictures :




I guess it had gone Treasure Hunting in recent times :


The Test Drive :
Although the car did not look very promising in the pictures, I wanted to see the car in flesh. It was at the Honda Dealership itself and we confirmed our interest and requested the dealership for an earliest Test Drive. We went to the dealership the following evening and drove the car around for a bit. The initial observation and feel of the Test Drive :

1. The car seemed to be in pristine condition under the hood, i.e.- as good as new
2. The interiors were plush and clean
3. There were some minor hairline scratches on the car which could go off with a good polish as per the dealership
4. No signs of any bodywork/ repaint or Rusting
5. It showed a FE of 10kmpl on the Display which was OK for me
6. Gave the ignition, started it and the sound of a Petrol Car was music to my ears after 16-17 Years of driving Diesels
7. The drive was smooth and I had no complaints
8. Drove it in the Manual mode also and on D3 Mode it was like a Dream
9. No Rattles and No Squeaks
10. The car felt as good as new

Evaluating what we have in hand here :
I could not buy time thinking and give any chance to this lad to slip out of my hands so evaluating the proposal was very important. After the test drive, we headed back to the dealership to check the details of the car in detail and this is what we had in hand here :

• A New Honda Brio VX AT was costing 7.40 Lakhs
• This one was a Manufactured in 2014 Model
• However, it was registered in 2015
• In 3 Years the car had only munched 8,500Kms as varified/ certified by Honda
• The Vehicle was under warranty until March 2019 which was a Bonus for us
• The Vehicle was covered under Road Side Assistance (RSA) of Honda as well
• The Insurance was Valid till March 2019
• The 5 Year Road Tax was Valid till March 2020
• No Finance Pending/ No Hypothecation on the Car
• Complete Service Record was available in their system and I asked them for a copy of the same. Found nothing apart from 3 Scheduled Maintenance Services
• That the Dealership would do a complete Service with a thorough Interior Cleaning and Exterior Polish before delivering the vehicle to us
• It was a top of the line Model with Touch Screen Infotainment System and Alloy Wheels (which I did not like)

The Deal :
My 4 Year Old 65,000Kms clocked Ford Figo TDCi and a Rs.1,50,000/= Remittance was the ask. However, we closed the deal with a round about 6 Digit Remittance which was fair as per the market standard and I was overall happy with the buy.

Paperwork :
I asked the dealership to prepare the paperwork with the Form 29 & Form 30 along with the respective Delivery Notes ready. I wasnot going to go in for any finance so it was a clear sales/ purchase at either end which reduced the formalities substantially. No Loan, No EMI, No Hassle and No Issue with Paperwork since the vehicle was exchanged from a HONDA Authorized Dealership.

A Special Favour : Retaining the Figo Alloy Wheels :
Although the BRIO VX AT comes with OEM Alloy Wheels in stock condition, I wanted to retain the Alloy Rims of the Figo and use it in the BRIO since the specs were the same. I arranged OEM Alloys of the Figo from MAD METAL and installed them on my Figo. The Figo Alloys I gave it to Shree Honda to install it in the BRIO and asked them to Return the BRIO OEM Alloys to me, which I in turn gave it to MAD METAL in Exchange. A win win situation for all ! Those alloys would be memoirs of the Figo for me.

Taking Delivery and Leaving the Figo Behind :
On the 30th of March 2018, the decision was taken ! One of the most difficult decisions to make, yet made it and exchanged my Ford Figo 1.4TDCi with a Pre-owned Honda BRIO VX AT and paid the difference amount through cheque while taking the delivery.

A picture of the Parting Shot of the Figo & welcoming The BRIO VX AT into the family at the HONDA Dealership :


An extremely emotional moment for me to let go of the Figo. Sharing a Link to the Ownership Experience of the Figo : https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...0-km-gone.html (My Diesel Ford Figo Zxi - 3 years, 64,000 km and gone)

[AJ-got-BHP]

All the formalities completed and we were ready to roll with our Honda. In our case, this google image and our scenario matched perfectly !!



We left Shree Honda located on Akanksha More, Rajarhat and headed straight to the closest Fuel Station to tank up. The First Fill is always so special !! The BRIO posing at the Fuel Station :



The drive from the fuel station to home was a pretty long one; being two opposite sides of the city. The taste of driving an Automatic in Kolkata's maddening traffic was effortless indeed. We enjoyed every bit of it ! We went to the Temple for the customary blessings of the almighty and then took the Brio home. Parked it and admired it !



We were excited on our first Honda !! This is what it had to offer :

• A puny little 1.2L i-Vtec Engine having 86BHP Max Power which delivers 109Nm Torque
• 4 Cylinders unlike the 3 Cylinders from Maruti & Renault
• 5 Speed Automatic Transmission
• Front Wheel Drive Hatchback weighing less than a ton
• Seats 5 adults reasonably
• Luggage Space of 175 Litres - although small does the household job right
• Ground Clearance of 165mm = Same a Figo

So now lets come to how well was the BRIO Equipped in it's stock condition :

• Air Conditioner with Heater
• All Four Power Windows
• Tilt Adjustable Power Steering
• Height adjustable Driver's Seat
• Touch Screen Infotainment System with 4 Speakers (on all 4 doors) with AUX, USB, Bluetooth Compatible, Navigation & DVD Player
• Steering mounted Audio Controls
• Ariel/ Antenna within the A-Pillar Enclosure
• Rear Defoggers
• Central Locking with Keyless Entry
• Anti Glare Rear View Mirrors
• Low Fuel Warning
• 12V Socket
• Child Lock on the Rear Doors
• Vanity Mirror on the Sun Visor of the Co-Passenger
• Driver and Co-Passenger's Seat with a Back Pocket
• Body Coloured Door Handles
• Body Coloured both ORVM's
• Company Installed Front Fog Lights
• Company Installed Dual Horns (Including wiring)

What it missed over the Figo :

• No Distance to Empty (DTE) Indicator
• Single Touch Indicators for Overtaking
• Remote Boot Lid Opener
• No light in the boot
• A Manual Transmission
• The Handling of the Figo

[AJ-got-BHP]

We drove the BRIO for around 1500Kms to actually ascertain what we liked about and and what we did not like about it. However, our (meaning my wife's and my) opinion did not match on this one. No arguments there Sharing a consensus of our opinions as under :

What we Like :

1. The soundless 1.2L Petrol Engine
2. The Honda Automatic Transmission
3. The Rally type Front Seats
4. Space management within the Cabin
5. Excellent Infotainment System
6. The Throw and Focus of the Headlight Beams - No Upgrade Required
7. The Dual Tone Black & Beige Interiors

What we Dislike :

1. A not so tough build quality
2. An extra wide track for it's puny little size
3. The Fuel Efficiency is not upto the mark within the city/ traffic conditions. We have seen figures as low as 6.5kmpl at times
4. The beige coloured fabric seats which get dirty pretty quickly - Thanks to the Kids

A picture of the HONDA BRIO on the Magical Figure of 10,101 Kms towards the End of April 2018 :


This hatch might be a hot, but I do not find it quick off the block. It needed a Fully Synthetic Engine Oil Change and a much needed Air Filter Upgrade. Got the Engine Oil Changed and installed the BMC Stock Replacement Air Filter which costed me Rs.6,490/= and a small DIY at my workplace and the BRIO was good to go !

The Brio posing with the BMC Air Filter :


The Stock Filter Vs the BMC :


A customary picture of the warning sticker from BMC which is pasted onto the Airbox :


I had the Brio at my disposal that day and after these changes it felt like a different car altogether. With a better intake the Brio was sounding like a track car and felt much lighter and faster off the block.

A picture during the day :

[AJ-got-BHP]

I do not get the opportunity to drive the BRIO much. However, being a responsible husband, I make it a point to drive it at least once a week to make sure that the car is running fine. An odd drive to the temple or just an evening drive with the kids does the recce right for me.

Driving an AT sedately can make you achieve wonderful mileage within city limits. The mode the vehicle is on the ECO Mode, the better the fuel efficiency. However, rapid acceleration and erratic braking habits can never let you achieve those figures.

A picture of driving where the car goes into the ECO Mode by itself :


The mileage :



UPDATE : JULY 2018 : Come monsoon and we have fights w.r.t. the Negative (Slightly Offset) Figo Alloy Aheels being swapped with the BRIO. They definitely look better than the OEM Alloys wheels, but the results/ after effects on a rainy day can be catastrophic. One day, I had taken the BRIO for some work wherein I had some under construction site visits. Once I got back home early that evening and the car looked messy.

A Picture :


Before my wife could notice it, gave it a thorough wipe with the Jopasu Duster and it was sparkling :



UPDATE : OCTOBER 2018 : Durga Puja in Kolkata attracts many tourists from all over the Globe. The traffic is maddening, chaos rather and finding your way through it can get really difficult at times. Furthermore, finding parking can be that much more difficult. We happened to be in Kolkata and we planned our days in a manner where we would set our sail from home at around 02:00am in the night for Pandal Hopping around the city. The BRIO made the drive effortless and combating the traffic and the parking issues was a breeze.

Sharing some images of the PUJAS 2018 :




My Cheerful Family :






The Reliable Steed :


A detailed Thread on Durga Puja from my side is already available on the Forum. Link to it is : https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...l-kolkata.html (Durga Puja Diaries : A guide to the city with a soul, Kolkata)

[AJ-got-BHP]

UPDATE : NOVEMBER 2018 : Shocks do not come with prior notice !! One fine afternoon, wife was heading to park street for lunch with her friends and I was in New Town for some work. Basically we both were in two opposite ends of the city. I got a call from her saying that an Innova Crysta had rear ended her stationary car on Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and in turn she hit the car ahead of her. She sent me photos of the car and it seemed to be in bad state. More than that, she was in a state of shock. I asked her to keep her calm and asked her if she could drive down to Alok Automobiles in Topsia ? She said that the car was driveable and we decided to meet there.

The condition of the Car when I saw it : (internal damage unknown)




Now, you may ask why not a Honda Service Centre and why a local garage. The issue was that the car was having a 3rd party insurance which we did not change after purchasing it. That means No Insurance Claim was possible

The car did not have a comprehensive insurance, but Eshita had already got the issue covered ! The Innova driver had got off his car and apologized to her. She in turn took away the Innova Keys and asked the driver for the papers of the car. Strangely, the Car Documents were neither with the driver nor in the car. Instead it was in his office which was 100 Meters away from where the accident had happened. The driver called his boss and the gentleman came down to the location and was in disbelief seeing the clash. Considering an undesirable damage being caused by his driver to a lady driver, he shared his business card and said that he shall take responsibility of all our costs/ losses and consequences. That was news to me !

She gave me his Business Card and I spoke to the Gentleman and asked Suman @ Alok Automobiles to prepare an estimate.

The Damage :

1. Front Bumper
2. Rear Bumper
3. Rear Windshield
4. Rear RHS Tail Light
5. AC Condensor
6. Front Bonnet Denting Painting
7. Rear Boot Panel Denting and Painting

The reason for the Damage :
The driver was reading a text message and his eyes were not on the road

The car once it was done up at Alok Automobiles :


Strangely the Rear Windshield and the Tail Light was not available in the market and I had to source it from Honda itself. Sent the car to them and they fixed it in a day at a cost of Rs.3,500/= approx which is very very reasonable.

Once the body work was done, the car was taken to Daga Automobiles for replacing the condenser. A complete AC Service and a condenser change costed us around Rs.6,500/=. Time taken was less than a couple of hours !

A picture of the Daga Team at work :


Got the Interiors also cleaned, it was long due :




I sent a copy of all the bills to the gentleman who had promised to pay for the damages without expecting much as I did not want to get into any argument or any tussle of any manner. My office boy reached his office without prior notice to just drop the bill copies. It was extremely nice of him to oblige and pay up for the damages as per the details sent to him. It is difficult to find good souls these days. I guess God was with us !!

[AJ-got-BHP]

UPDATE : SEPTEMBER 2019 : It has been smooth sailing for the BRIO so far. A periodical Service with an Oil Change at 20,000 Kms was done and the Car seems to be fine. However, the Tyres have been bothering us for sometime now. I guess they are nearing 5 years age and thus the rubber compound has become hard. The tyres keep on losing air regularly and it can become challenging for my wife to manage it. Although a HD Tyre Inflator is placed in her car, I thought that it is wiser to replace the tyres.

Inflating in the morning :


In a span of 18 Months, the car has done around 12,500 Kms and previously it had clocked 8,500 Kms in 36 months. So now the choice of tyres was an important thing as in the next 5 years, the car would anyways not do more than 40,000 Kms. I would rather change them again in the next 3 years; that is if I retained the car for so long.

Checked with a few tyre dealers in Kolkata and M/s Indo Radial Club had a solution for us. I asked my son to hop in and we both checked into their Topsia store to see what was available.

Mivann wanted to put these on the Brio :


I was advised to put these KELLY Branded 176/65 R14 Tyres on the BRIO which were manufactured by Goodyear India and was meant for the purpose of exports. They were coming cheap at an unbelievable price and were solving my purpose. Cost Rs.10,000/= for a Set of 4 Tyres

The Treads were identical to the Bridgestone tyres which usually comes in OEM Supplies along with the vehcile.

Some pictures of the KELLY Tyres :








How happy he was seeing the footwear of the BRIO being changed :


At 21,000 Kms :


Now with the New Tyres, I had the opportunity to explore some untamed rural roads and see how well they were performing. It exceeded my expectation on good roads and on bad roads.

Sharing some pictures of the consequences :





UPDATE : OCTOBER 2019 : Some minor colour mods were in the pipeline since long. I thought it was a good time to indulge in some blacking out some parts. Notice the Black Paint around the Rear Number Plate Region and on the top portion of the Front & Rear Doors beside the B Pillar to match the Matt Black B-Pillar and the plastic around the corners.

Some pictures to show the same :

[AJ-got-BHP]

UPDATE : 19th of March 2020 : 5 Years & 26,000 Kms The vehicle just completed 5 Years and it's Road Tax, Insurance and Pollution falls due to be renewed and paid. Never knew that the Road Tax Calculation remains as 5% of the Ex-Showroom Value of the Vehicle. Oh ! It was going to be a month of substantial expenses for me Went for a Over the Counter Payment of 5 Year Road Tax which shall be valid upto March 2025 and amounted to Rs.35,845/=. Subsequently the Pollution and Insurance also was renewed and paid for to keep the documentation upto the mark.

With all this, I thought that the Car Deserves a pampering on it's Birthday. Why wait for it ? There was still 10 days to go and considering the global pandemic, me and my son took it for a complete Interior Vacuuming and Exterior Washing to the nearest Car Spa available in town.

It was a overwhelming experience for my son and he loved the experience.

The interiors after the Vacuum Cleaning and the Dashboard and side panels glazed :




I feel that the seats now need a cover. It gets difficult to remove the liquid stains which is spilled by the kids. Shall probably go in for it soon when I have the money. Currently I am broke paying Taxes !!

Sharing some photos of the Wash, see how the car shines with a coat of Wax sprinkled on it after the Foam Wash :








The BRIO has sailed pretty smoothly so far and has been a very hassle free ownership so far. Barring the erratic mileage, I do not have much complaints from the car. It is an ideal city commuter and more importantly a perfect self drive car for a lady. However, it is not that bad a highway commuter also for short trips. I have taken the BRIO for short highway distances ranging from 200 to 300 Kms in a day and it has been a pleasure to drive it on the highways. The Maximum Highway ileage that I have got on this is around 17.8 kmpl. But, I feel that the rear shock absorbers needs to be a little stiffer to make such drives pleasurable.

I do see certain upcoming expenses on the BRIO which is listed as under :

• Change of Brake Pads
• Replacement of front ABS Bearings
• Front Ball Joints Replacements
• Front Shock Absorbers (might need a replacement)
• Another Oil Change coming up soon
• Putting Seat Covers

Anyways till the time the Lockdown continues there is nothing on my mind. We will see as it comes. Currently the present survival is more critical than planning anything for the future.



It is sad that HONDA discontinued the BRIO in 2019.

Hoping for good times ahead and sharing a happy snap of the BRIO to bring this thread live on the Forum !

[Sheel]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[JithinR]

Thanks for sharing. Has this been in the assembly line for 2 years now?

Even I was looking for used Brio in Bengaluru but seems prices for well engineered cars like these with AT are too optimistic for my taste.

Great choice! Are you sure though that the transmission is a CVT? I remember reading on Team BHP that it's the 3rd gen TC just without the paddle shifters.

[omar]

The Brio does seem like a fun to drive car. Love the stance of your car with the rims. Looks very sporty.

[aerohit]

Its a 4 speed TC, not a cvt. Its a good gear box, only downside is city mileage is on the low side, obviously.

[Samba]

Excellent report. Rated 5*.

This is no doubt a superior car, from the list you have shared in the beginning of this thread.
The sweet iVTEC with the CVT and the small footprint with a go-kart like handling is just an awesome combination. This car has no alternative till now. I will keep Brio ahead of the Nissan Micra!

Sad to see your Figo go! Had loads of memories with your Figo during our Ladakh trip and some more!

In 2015, we almost picked up a Brio by exchanging our Alto K10. A red Brio MT was what we were looking for. But at the end Eastern Honda, Howrah played the spoilsport and they pissed us to such an extent, we decided not to buy a Honda and ended up picking up a Figo TDCI. No regrets on that! That was one hell of a fun to drive car! I miss our Figo now!
There was a time both of us had loads of fun with our Figo's on the roads of Kolkata & beyond! No speed-limit was implemented back then! Be Fast but safe were our motto!

[GTO]

Great review, totally my kind of a purchase . Congrats pal.

Originally Posted by Samba

The sweet iVTEC with the CVT

Guys, just a note = It was the Thailand-Brio that got a CVT. The Indian one got the 5-speed torque converter from the City.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Unlike the Thailand-spec Honda Brio that uses a CVT transmission, the Indian version gets a traditional 5-speed torque converter unit. This gearbox is the same as that of the Honda City, but with different ratios and the paddle shifters removed.

[AJ-got-BHP]

Was out to but some essentials today. Instead of taking out the truck, took the BRIO out for a spin. Felt good to drive after a week.

It went back in it's cover once we reached home. Protecting it in the lockdown period with the cover on, to avoid unwanted dust to settle on it. A couple of pictures :