Honda pulled the plug on the Brio in India back in February 2019.

Honda has launched the 2023 Brio facelift in Indonesia. The updated hatchback gets a bold new front fascia and redesigned rear end.

The styling of the Brio facelift is based on the latest design trend at Honda, which includes a large grille with a chrome bar and sweptback headlamps. The car also gets a resigned front bumper and reworked rear end featuring new tail lamp clusters and a roof spoiler. As expected, the Brio RS gets a bit of sporty treatment with a piano black grille, black ORVMs, LED headlamps, fog lights and 15-inch alloy wheels.

The interiors of the Brio facelift look similar to the outgoing version. It has a 3-spoke steering wheel with an analogue instrument cluster and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the centre console. The front seats now get adjustable headrests.

The 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine is the same as the old model. It makes 89 BHP and 110 Nm and is offered with a CVT in Indonesia.

Honda pulled the plug on the Brio in India back in February 2019.

Cars considered so far include a Honda Brio, Etios Liva, Santro Xing & Corolla Altis.

BHPian jomson13 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello folks,

I'm looking for a car for my sister who recently got married. She's been driving for quite a while. We've had an Alto and currently have a Celerio at home. Brother in law is learning to drive.

Requirements

• Petrol, Manual gearbox. Airbags would be nice to have.
• Primary usage would be shopping runs in the city and the occasional drive towards some touristy places.
• Highway running is minimal (once in 6 months or so).
• Must be low on maintenance (trouble-free ownership).
• Plan to hold onto it for at least 5 years.
• Budget - 4L, don't want to spend more now since BIL is in the army and they plan to get a car through CSD later.

Cars considered till now

• 2015 Honda Brio S MT, 32k kms (Cars 24). Low-run car and is in decent shape. I found the asking price (3.5L) to be a bit high for a 2015 model.
• Etios Liva (Cars 24 - Haven't driven this one yet. Car is in Mumbai
• 2009, Santro Xing, GLS, 66k kms - Is a known car hence under consideration. Haven't driven it yet.
• 2012 Corolla Altis G, 32k kms (Spinny) - This one suddenly came into the consideration set. I drove it yesterday and the car is in top shape. Asking price 5L.

My Opinion

I quite liked the Brio and I feel it fits the bill nicely for my sister. It also falls within their budget.

They are more attracted to the Corolla due to its safety features. I know it has airbags, I'm guessing the G variant has ABS too.

While the Corolla is in top nick and is quite a deal at 5L, I feel it is a bit too much of a car to be their first car. It's designed and manufactured to transport 5 people, comfortably over really long distances; not to go grocery shopping or for the occasional weekend getaway. Moreover, it's too powerful for a new driver.

The argument in favor of the Corolla is about its safety quotient to which I countered by asking them to consider a Polo which would cost them pretty much the same and would have pretty similar safety features.

What would you guys advise? Does it make sense to get the Corolla or should they go for a small hatch?

Here's what BHPian lamborghini had to say about the matter:

I'd suggest looking at the Etios (preferably) or the Liva to be honest.

The Brio is a touch too small and if they are planning a family : the Brio could fall short on space a lot quicker than the others.

The Santro is just too old! Any old car will require maintenance : even if well maintained, there will be wear and tear. It may not burn a hole in the pocket but it is an inconvenience.

The Liva is nice : good visibility, you can look for a higher-end model with ABS & Airbags, it has a stable structure, etc. The Etios takes this a step further with boot space & a better 1.5L engine for those highway runs. It's popularity in the taxi market makes maintaining it that much easier and the car is abuse friendly.

The Corolla too is a good option, but as someone new to cars and car ownership : it is a little too old for my liking and it is very easy to be taken for a ride in terms of maintenance cost. Plus you wouldn't get zero dep insurance : so any accidents would be costly to fix as parts pricing will still be on par with that of a new Corolla.

About performance, etc : I wouldn't be too worried - it is important to first find a car with good visibility, good ergonomics, and linear acceleration & braking. In a month or so, they will get used to the power and size.
At the end of the day, the Corolla is a family car - not a performance car where the rationale to suggest something slower / practical is different : I wouldn't suggest a stiff suspension, low profile tyre performance vehicle to a beginner as it would just be more stuff to worry about for them - like avoiding bumps, crawling over speed breakers at an angle, etc. but none of this is applicable to the Corolla or even the Etios 1.5.

In fact, I am not suggesting popular cars like the Honda City 3rd Gen, Civic, etc. because of the ground clearance and visibility : for newer drivers, it becomes more things to watch out for and be mindful about - and that distracts from the basics of driving safely.

Here's what BHPian condor had to say about the matter:

I will rule out the Xing. Most cars today are much better. Brio is great for the city, but outstation trips? Luggage space on the lower side.

Do check other options beyond these. Corolla can be a long-termer. Ask both not to be over-awed by the size of this compared to the Brio/Xing. Doesn't take long to get used to.

Here's what BHPian Latheesh had to say about the matter:

Go for the Corolla if the condition is very good. Honda Jazz is another good option. You should be able to get one if you increase the budget a little.

Jazz advantages:

• Spacious
• Boot capacity
• Reliable
• Don't need to think of upgrading next few years
• Occasional in-laws visit or long journey is not a problem

Here's what BHPian AJ56 had to say about the matter:

If you’re willing to spend 5L on a 2012 Corolla, spend that 5 on an Accord instead, you’ll get a nicer vehicle with a higher quality interior that’s built solid unlike the tin can Brio (I have an Amaze which is essentially the same car) so can speak first hand comparing both, there’s simply no comparison in build and safety (and power + space).

Accord is also much more stable at highway speeds and isn’t affected by crosswinds like the Amaze is, I learnt to drive on it and it’s fairly easy even for beginners, it only takes a few mins to get used to when switching from a smaller vehicle. Corolla feels fairly underpowered in comparison.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Our Brio had done 75,000 km & was on its deathbed. Hence, we picked up the Kushaq, although deciding between this & the Volkswagen Taigun was difficult.

BHPian Aaroah recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Picked up the car two days back. My dealership experience was very smooth (from booking to delivery) and my SA happily obliged our request for a late-night delivery. Have taken up the extended warranty and the service pack also for peace of mind.

TBH deciding between this and the Taigun was very, very difficult. My LKO VW dealership denied having any allocation for the T-ROC else that would have further increased the confusion.

Personally, for us, the Kushaq scored in the exterior looks departments whereas the Taigun had a slightly better interior due to the digital instrument cluster (even if it wasn't the full-fledged virtual cockpit). VW straight away gave me a 2-month waiting period for the Reflex Silver color and 4 months for the Carbon Steel color.

Our Brio (which this car replaces) had done 75k kms in 9 years and was on its deathbed due to its rough use. So we wanted a car ASAP and couldn't wait for the Taigun, hence, decided to proceed with Kushaq. Since it will be used for doing daily chores and bumper-to-bumper duties, we didn't feel the absolute need for 6 airbags in the Taigun either.

The dealer had two colors in the style variant - White and Honey Orange. My family felt that they would get quickly bored of the white color so we went for the Honey Orange color. After using the car for two days I now feel that this was the right decision and the car indeed looks very graceful in this color.

The dealer also gave me a very fair price for my Brio, considering the condition the car was in, plus gave me 15k in exchange bonus. Taking into consideration the exchange bonus + loyalty benefits + Diwali discounts, I managed to get 50k of the quoted price. So the landed price came about 17.9L.

Will try to do a detailed write-up after I spend some more time with it. One thing is for sure though that it doesn't feel like a proper Skoda from the inside. It has a lot of rough edges and Creta / Seltos offer much better interior quality than this. But the heart wants what it wants.

Here's what BHPian CircleOfLife had to say about the matter:

Hearty congratulations and wishing you many miles on a fantastic car with that eye-catching signature orange color. The more time you spend with this car, the more it grows on you. I had the privilege (pun intended) to spend a couple of days in a Skoda showroom from dusk to dawn for a different reason altogether. The more I saw Kushaq, the better it looked. Before this, had test-driven Kushaq multiple times but never had that first love impression.

TROC vs Kushaq vs Taigun is a classic confusion for many who can extend budgets. Where local siblings score over their imported cousin is the back space and overall cost of ownership. Imported sibling is way more fun to drive though, even with the same 1.5 engine.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Historically, I have been getting around 15-16 kmpl in city drive and on highways, it used to be around 18+ kmpl. However, since the past few months, I have seen that the mileage has dropped significantly to <10 kmpl (tankful to tankful) for no apparent reason.

BHPian palsaumik recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I own a Honda Brio i-Vtech Petrol EX MT manual variant (2014 model) and has been running flawlessly all these years. Currently, it has clocked around 58,000-odd kms on the odo.

Historically, I have been getting around 15-16 kmpl in city drive and on highways, it used to be around 18+ kmpl. However, since the past few months, I have seen that the mileage has dropped significantly to <10 kmpl (tankful to tankful) for no apparent reason. Last weekend, I dropped off my car to Whitefield Honda in Bengaluru highlighting this issue and asked them to specifically:

1. Check and clean the fuel injectors and throttle body
2. Replace all the spark plugs
3. Replace existing synthetic engine oil with new synthetic oil (part of usual service schedule though)
4. Check clutch plates (if it needs replacement)
5. Clean fuel tank of any debris / deposits
6. Check fuel pump
7. Do wheel rotation and alignment
8. Check for anything / anywhere else that could be a potential problem area leading to low mileage

The car came out totally clean - there were no injector clogs, throttle body was quite clean, clutch plates are still good to run with for many more kms, etc. They also checked the ECU / ECM for any error logs but couldnt find any. Basically, they declared that the car is healthy and were baffled by the low mileage. Net-net, they couldnt pinpoint any other area which could lead to this issue.

I then went for another tankful-to-tankful test and I got 8.33 kmpl - indicating a further drop in mileage .

As a last resort, I reached out to a local mechanic and they also couldnt effectively pinpoint to any specific issue once I told them the above items have already been checked.

Just for everyone's information:

• There are no engine knocks - in cold or hot engine conditions
• There is no black smoke on hard acceleration / revving
• However, there is a considerable lag in acceleration in 2nd and 3rd gears since this issue came to my notice

Can the more experienced forum members here help in terms of where else I should look at for potential problem area(s)? Any advice to resolve this issue will be of great help.

Here's what BHPian vishy76 had to say on the matter:

You seem to have crossed everything out on the fuel and spark front. But have you checked the MAF sensor and the O2 sensor?

A bad MAF sensor can cause the ECM to think there isn't enough air and dump fuel into the combustion chamber. A bad O2 sensor giving off erratic readings can also do the same. These two are very common reasons for bad fuel economy.

Take the car to a mechanic, hook up a scanner and access something called live data. As the name suggests, this will give you an option to monitor hundreds of engine parameters live including the MAF and O2 sensor readings and even the fuel trim data, indicating how the ECM is controlling the air fuel ratio. You can diagnose what exactly is causing extra fuel to make its way into the combustion chamber based on this data.

Here's what BHPian Indian2003 had to say on the matter:

It could be a dirty air filter or binding brakes. It is not up to you to tell them what to do. The shop should look for the fault and fix it for you. There is also a temperature sensor in you intake manifold that regulates the amount of fuel for cold starts.

Just a few months ago I noticed my car drinking diesel and loosing power after about 20-30 kilometers of driving. Everything was fine when I started the car but after a few kilometers, the car would loose power and brake by itself at traffic lights. The car would not even roll down a hill.

The fault was with the front right caliper that got stuck when the brakes got hot. The brake rotor was blue on the outer edge.. I replaced both calipers and the problem was gone.

Here's what BHPian longhorn had to say on the matter:

Check if there is a leak in the fuel lines. Being petrol, it evaporates very quickly. Check for cuts or fraying on the hoses. It could be on the engine side or the tank side. Have both the ends checked.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Grab your meal, because this is going to be a long story of a Donut.

BHPian vtecblast recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Grab your meal, because this is going to be a long story of a Donut.

Meet, Donut.

Oh! Sorry to make your sweet tooth disappointed:

Ingredients:

• Engine: 1.2l L12B
• How hard you'll hit the wall: 88 BHP@6000rpm
• How far will you take the wall: 109NM@4800
• Drinking habits: An Addict. 12.3-14.1km/l in City and 19-24km/l on highways.
• Current ODO: 34,940 km

Summary:

Positives:

A. Car is a revv-happy machine that will go all the way up to 6,800rpm.

B. Good power-to-weight ratio.

C. Suspension being a stiff setup, the car handles corners pretty well.

D. The plastic quality all around is top notch.

E. The facelift Brio had a totally upmarket dashboard derived from Amaze.

F. The front Seats are comfortable.

G. Air Conditioning is a pretty chiller that will lower down the temperature of the cabin in few minutes.

H. Rear defogger is the fastest one that I have ever witnessed.

I. Addictive maneuverability.

J. Electric steering adaption to speed is good. Easy during city limits and confident on highways.

Negatives:

A. Mid-end torque is lacking. There would be a lag while you try to overtake on highways if you're on 3000-4000rpms, wait till 4500rpm.

This might clarify:

B. Rear seat comfort is poor.

C. Not an ideal car after a leg-day. The car is rev-happy but there will be a significant drop in mileage once you start driving it aggressively. On some of my days, I have even got close to 8km/l mileage.

D. Jerky downshift from 2nd to 1st. Even if your speed is 0-3kmph. I understand this a mainstream thing with all the manual cars, the reason I have mentioned it especially because sometimes I prefer double-clutching, it's this jerky. The clutch has been checked and the transmission oil has also been changed. For cross-checking I even test drove a few more Brios and Amaze. The problem remains the same.

E. The output of headlamps is best in the city limits only. For any highway trip, you might feel the headlamps lack proper coverage of the road which doesn't give you proper confidence.

F. Lack of adjustable headrests even in the front.

G. Lack of a rear wiper. Things can pretty ugly to look out in the heavy rains as its rear is all glass and looking from IRVM is a difficult task.

H. No illumination in steering controls as well as window controls. This is something I miss a lot while driving at night especially on the highways. Honda had put an illuminating headlamp level adjuster but not on steering controls. The dots only help you judge button positioning.

I. Poor brakes at high speed (after 100km/h). More like breaks than brakes.

J. Rear seat space. Being an average height person who drives at a comfortable position (neither too lean nor too attentive), there's hardly any space for another average height person at the rear to sit comfortably.

K. Ground clearance needs some understanding. Once understood you won't scrape the bumper but sometimes requires a lot of attention while handling the bad roads.

L. Piano-black insert around head-unit is a scratch magnet.

M. Loud radiator fan noise. Kills the whole silent vibe of the car as soon as it's turned on.

N. Lack of engine protection plate. This is something I feel Honda should provide in all of their cars as they are low on ground clearance. Or at least provide as an official accessory.

O. Poorest damping at the back. There are tons of road noises and won't be a quiet place even on highways.

P. Basic speedometer.

Now, let's take you to the kitchen and learn how this donut landed up in our garage

It wasn't as easy as visiting SuperDonuts or DunkinDonuts and getting it.

I was assigned a superb handling vehicle, which was basic and powerful enough (Wait, I'm lying, I was planning an engine swap in it). Introducing, Zen.

Quick introduction

• Model: Zen LX (ignore the LXi badging)
• Purchase year: 1998
• Engine: 1.0L G10B
• Odo reading at the time of selling: 2.18 lakh

Our family's first car clocked 2.18 lakh km easily without any major repair (only the clutch was changed twice) and took every sort of abuse an average middle-class family puts their vehicle through. Probably, more than that because we belonged the hills and the car rarely hit the highways.

Why the upgrade?

• The car was aging pretty bad. We weren't even able to use AC because of the unavailability of AC gas refills in our city.
• Had served us well but was unreliable for long runs.
• Lack of safety features.
• The car was close to its registration's end.

With these factors in mind, In 2017 September, the search started with a budget of close to 7 lakhs.

Requirements

• A hatchback, because the car had to be city-driven and we had Scorpio for our outstation duties and honestly at that time we didn't travel much.
• A Petrol engine; because there should be one in every garage.
• Unsacrificingly comfortable because my daily driving was (pre-covid times) mostly in city covering close to 80kms daily.
• Space wasn't any primary factor for our consideration as the vehicle was meant to be bought only for my use, and I generally have only one co-passenger in my car (I regret this part a bit now).
• Should be at the top of safety features.
• Top variant. This was just because I'm a firm believer of factory-fit's quality. I didn't want to add anything to the car that's aftermarket (might become an ironical statement afterwards).
• Should obviously be more powerful.
• Should have good lower-end torque, and stiff suspension. These all because they make the hill drives easy and fun.
• Shouldn't be a Maruti Suzuki. This was there because we had plenty of them and we were bored with them.

Vehicles considered

Etios Liva V

Pros:

• Torquey engine
• Toyota's reliability

Cons:

• Dated dashboard
• Placing of the speedometer
• Flimsy quality of the door panels.

I liked it but rejected it because I can't stand the middle-placed speedometer because I find them distracting.

Ford Figo Titanium

Pros:

• Best driveability of all the hatchbacks (until Brio was test-driven).
• Feature loaded.
• Everything felt so tightly packed made me feel safe in it

Cons:

• Hard seats
• Engine at higher RPMs felt lazy

Since the cons weren't something I couldn't literally work with, I went ahead and booked this vehicle in white color since it was year-end and the dealer had one parked in his stockyard. So we got it around our budget. With only carpet mats as a free accessory.

Volkswagen Polo

This was struck off from the list as the top variant was out of our budget. So, didn't even bother to take a test drive.

Continue reading the ownership experience and vtecblast's thoughts on his Honda Brio. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Honda has recalled the Brio, Amaze, City, Jazz, WR-V, BR-V and CR-V over a faulty fuel pump.

A total of 65,651 cars manufactured in 2018 are said to be affected by this recall. According to Honda, the fuel pumps have defective impellers which could result in the engine stopping or not starting.

The total number of cars recalled include 32,498 units of the Amaze, 16,434 units of the City, 7,500 units of the Jazz, 7,057 units of the WR-V, 1,622 units of the BR-V, 360 units of the Brio and 180 units of the CR-V.

The faulty fuel pumps will be replaced free of cost at Honda dealerships across India in a phased manner starting from June 20, 2020.

Honda will be notifying owners of the affected cars. Owners can also check if their car is among those recalled by entering the 17 character alpha-numeric Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on this website.

According to a media report, Honda has discontinued the Brio hatchback in India. The company has said that the production of the Brio has been stopped and currently, there are no plans to launch the next generation Brio in India.

According to a statement by Rajesh Goel, Senior VP and Director (sales and Marketing), Honda will no longer make the hatchback and Amaze will be the new entry-level car from the Japanese carmaker in India. It is also reported that customer preference is shifting towards bigger cars.

The Honda Brio made its debut in the Indian market in 2011. In 2016, Honda introduced the Brio facelift, which came with an updated exterior and an all-black dashboard replete with a 2-DIN audio system. However, despite the update, sales have been on the decline. According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Honda sold just 64 units of the Brio in September 2018. Since launch, the company has sold 97,000 units of the small car in India.

In India, the Brio was offered with a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that produced 87 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 109 Nm of peak torque @ 4,500 rpm. The engine was mated to a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed automatic transmission. 

Source: The Hindu

The production of the Honda Brio hatchback has reportedly been stopped. While, the second generation Brio has been launched in the international market, reports suggest that Honda currently has no plans to launch it in India.

According to data provided by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Brio production had slowed down in the last couple of months. In August, Honda produced 120 units, while in September only 102 units rolled off the factory. Sales have also been on the decline as the carmaker sold 183, 157 and 64 units in the months of July, August and September respectively.

The Honda Brio made its debut in 2011. In India, the hatchback is offered with a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 87 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 109 Nm of torque @ 4,500 rpm. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual and 5-speed automatic.

Source: Economic Times

The second generation Honda Brio has been unveiled at the 2018 Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS). It is based on the Honda Small RS Concept which was shown earlier this year.

The new Brio gets a revised front end featuring a gloss black grille flanked by sweptback headlamps with L-shaped LED DRLs. The new front bumper has a wide airdam with circular fog lamps on either side. Like the current Brio, the new model has sharp feature lines on its sides. It has blacked-out B-pillars and ORVMs with integrated turn signals. Moving to the rear, the car has new tail lamps and a more conventional rear tail gate with a roof spoiler. It also has a dual-tone rear bumper and 15-inch alloy wheels. Lower variants of the car get a chrome grille and single-tone 14-inch rims.

On the interior, the car gets a redesigned dashboard with silver accents and a gloss black center console with a 6.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It has a 3-spoke, multi-function steering wheel and a 3-pod instrument cluster. Beige colour seats get integrated headrests at the front and adjustable ones for all 3 occupants at the back. 

An RS variant gets all-black interiors with orange highlights, blackened front grille and retuned suspension. 

In Indonesia, the new Brio is offered with a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 89 BHP @ 6,000 rpm and 110 Nm of torque @ 4,800 rpm. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual and CVT.

Last week, Honda unveiled the Small RS Concept at the 2018 Indonesia International Motor Show. It is likely to form the basis for the next-gen Brio.

The Honda Small RS Concept has an upright front grille with a chrome bar flanked by large sweptback headlamps. The front bumper has a black splitter, a large air dam and LED strips on either side. It even has a hood vent. Moving to the side, the Small RS Concept features black 5-spoke alloy wheels shod with low profile tyres. It has black trim behind the front wheel arches and black side skirts. The B-pillar is finished in black and so are the ORVMs and door handles. In the rear, the car features a large roof spoiler, wraparound tail lamps and a sporty rear bumper with an integrated diffuser and dual exhausts.

Honda didn't disclose any details about the engine that's powering this concept. However, the current-gen Brio RS sold in the Indonesian market boasts a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 88 BHP and a peak torque of 109 Nm. It is offered with either a CVT or a 5-speed manual gearbox.

While it is rumoured that the next-gen Brio might be based on the Small RS Concept, reports suggest that Honda might not offer it in India.

Source: Autocar India