Honda Brio Review & Specifications

Honda Brio

The Japanese auto manufacturer unveiled a prototype of the five-door subcompact hatchback in 2010 Thailand International Motor Show and tagged it as Honda Brio. In Italian, Brio means cheerful and energetic. With overwhelming response to this prototype, Honda started its manufacturing in Ayutthaya, Thailand and assembled it in Greater Noida, India. Honda Brio was introduced in India in September 2011. Though it was the second hatchback from Honda (as Honda Jazz had already established its place in the competitive Indian market), Honda Brio was well received by the Indian population. It has been designed according to the needs of an average Indian, incorporating all the necessary features with higher fuel efficiency and interior space, yet being one of the cheapest hatchbacks. Honda Brio ranges from 4.15 – 6 lakhs.

Exterior

Honda Brio is one of the coolest and the funkiest hatchbacks in India. Such are the exteriors that the car is tagged cute and sporty at the same time. With its attractive exteriors, this car is definitely a head turner. From the front, wide bonnet with V-shaped ridge, captivating black hexagonal-meshed front grille endorsing the huge aggressive chrome plated Honda logo, crystal clear cat eye shaped blackened out headlamp cluster with integrated turn indicators, smooth and curvy blend from upper to lower front grille and wide smiley shaped lower front grille posing a large air dam and integrated oval shaped fog lights on either sides, all impart Honda Brio an aesthetic look.

Honda Brio

From the side, Honda Brio exhibits aerodynamic forward inclined position (similar to Honda Jazz), electrically adjustable body colored outside rear view mirrors (ORVMs), segmented shaped windows, sporty light weight alloy wheels, distinctive character lines in the form of elegant ridges, grooves and low stance. The hatchback has been designed on the “Double Triangle” design concept. From the rear, the most distinctive feature is the blackened out lower portion of the rear window, which is made up of composite glass to reduce the weight. Other features include the unconventionally placed tail lamp cluster on either corner of the glass sporting large stop lamps, wide bumper, chrome plated Honda emblem on the blackened glass and the rear number plate beautifully engraved on the rear bumper. Honda Brio measures 3610mm in length, 1680mm in width and 1500mm in height with a ground clearance of 165mm.

Interior

When it comes to interiors, Honda Brio is one of those cheap hatchbacks with almost all the sophisticated features necessary inside a car. The dashboard is adorned with single tone beige color in base variants and dual tone beige color in the V MT variant. Primary features include sporty electronically powered tilt-adjustable three-spoke steering wheel; 4 chrome garnished rounded AC vents on the dashboard; horizontally fitted amber colored illuminated music player (AM/FM integrated with USB and AUX-in facility); three analog 3D meters integrated inside the instrument cluster; spacious and comfortable interior seating space for 5 passengers; added headroom and legroom; electrically adjustable ORVMs; manual controls for air conditioner and audio; trendy adjustable driver seat; stylish and ergonomic seats; front and rear cup-holders; comfortable head rest; front and rear power windows; projector halogen “headlamps off/on reminder” feature; “ignition key off reminder” feature and the “fuel consumption display” feature. To cut down the costs of the car, the Japanese have left out the rear defogger and have a small boot space.

Honda Brio interior

Engine & Performance

As of now this beautiful hatchback from Honda is available only in petrol version, however we can soon expect the diesel version too running on the Indian streets. Therefore the current Honda Brio available in the country is powered by a 4 cylinder, 16 valve, SOHC, i-VTEC 1.2 litres petrol engine. This engine produces a maximum power of 88PS @ 6000 rpm and a maximum torque of 109 Nm @ 4500 rpm. The engine is mated to a five speed manual transmission, however there’s also an option for automatic transmission. Due to the high torque produced at low rpm, vehicle is sure to perform well in the city, also delivering high performance and better fuel efficiency.

TypeDisplacement(cc)Max Power (BHP/rpm)Max Torque (Nm/rpm)
Diesel119875/6000109/4500
Safety

Honda boasts its hi-tech multi-directional crash test facility in Japan, where Honda Brio goes through the most stringent crash tests. Undoubtedly, Honda is one of the safest auto manufacturers in the market. The all new G-Force Control Technology (G-CON) not only reduces impact energy during a collision but also enhances handling. ABS (Anti lock Brake System) stabilizes the vehicle while braking in order to have better control and avoid obstacles ahead whereas the EBD distributes the work force among all four wheels based on the load on each wheel. Other safety features include the pretensioner seat belt with load limiter, driver and front passenger dual airbags including driver’s side Intelligent SRS (i-SRS), ventilated front disc brakes, rear drum brakes, Torsion Beam type suspension at the rear and McPherson strut suspension type at the front to make the ride comfortable on uneven Indian terrain.

Specifications
FeaturesBase Petrol Variant (E MT)Top Petrol Variant (VMT)*
Engine1198cc, 4 Cylinder, 16 Valve1198cc, 4 Cylinder, 16 Valve
TransmissionManualManual
Fuel Tank Capacity35 L35 L
Power86 bhp @ 6000rpm86 bhp @ 6000rpm
Mileage (City/Highway)15.2/18.4 km15.2/18.4 km

*The only difference between the top and base variant is that the top variant has many features like rear power windows, multi-function steering, adjustable steering column, front fog lights, alloy wheels, CD player, radio, front and rear speakers.

Price
VersionEx-Showroom Price
Honda Brio E MTRs. 4,14,811
Honda Brio S MTRs. 4,52,978
Honda Brio S Option MTRs. 5,10,128
Honda Brio V MTRs. 5,37,346
Honda Brio DieselRs. 6,00,000
An Aerospace engineer by profession, Bob has a deep passion for automobiles. He started blogging on automotive stuffs since 2010 and still has the same drive for the automobiles. Feel free to contact him using the "Contact Us" form.Add Bob on FB