The Honda Brio is the only hatchback in the Honda scheme of things for India. The petite hatch gained popularity after its launch in 2011 for its peppy engine and decent driving dynamics and of course the Honda badge. Moving on, with Honda focussing on newer cars like the Amaze and the City, the Brio moved to the backburner. With the latest update in 2016, Honda has moved its focus back to the small cars.
The Honda Brio competes against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Swift and Ritz, the Hyundai Grand i10, the Ford Figo and the Tata Bolt amongst the hatchbacks. It still misses out on a diesel engine option, but with the market focus back on petrol cars, the Brio is expected to do well.
Further to this, read Honda Brio Road Test details by our expert.
Exterior
The front fascia is new with the aggressive three-part bumper design from the Amaze. The thick horizontal slat on the grille is blacked out with a chrome underline. The headlamps though remain untouched. The side profile is exactly the same but comes with new alloys. There were speculations about safety owing to the large glass tailgate but the design has been continued with no reports of any related incidences. The rear bumper does get a nip and a tuck for a fresher look.
Interior
On the inside, the dashboard is entirely new and has been sourced from the Amaze. It gets the Honda City-like layout with rectangular vents and a centre console with the infotainment system and air conditioning controls. While the dashboard is black across the trims, the E and S trims get beige interiors while the top-spec VX gets black interior. It still misses out on a touch-screen option for the entertainment system but gets automatic climate control and height adjustable driver seat.
In terms of safety, dual airbags with ABS and EBD is offered only on the VX trim while driver seatbelt reminder warning is offered on all trims.
Engine and Gearbox
The peppy 1.2-litre i-Vtec petrol engine continues to power the Honda Brio and develops 89bhp of power and 109Nm of torque. Mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, the engine claims 19.4kmpl ARAI efficiency. The five-speed automatic option is offered only on the top-spec VX trim. While we expected the Brio to get the CVT like the Amaze, the torque converter works quite well.
Mileage
The 1198 cc Petrol - powered variant delivers a fuel economy of 16 kmpl in city and 18 kmpl on highways.
