Honda BR-V (2020)

Synopsis

Honda's long awaited answer to the compact SUV's of India has arrived to the scene. Named as the BR-V, the newcomer from Honda carries a new face which is said to be inspired from the new generation Honda cars. The BR-V is an exception from all the other compact termed products in India as it carries the 2 extra third row seats for the ease of carrying a full mid sized family of India.

Exterior

The BR-V resembles a tough SUV from its first front look while it's rear feels modernized with a long reflector running across it's width, connecting the two taillights at the rear. The side profile is a bit mild and resembles that of the Honda Mobilio, feeling more like an overstretched car with moderate width and more length than required. The same long length makes it the longest in it's class and also hosts the 7 seat arrangement on the BR-V. For the looks, Honda has used the City inspired thick chrome slat at the front while the headlights have been made with the bigger dimensions. Yet again, the thick front end makes the lights feel perfect whereas the silver skid plate improves the overall imposing face of the car.

The air-dam sizes are moderate while the chrome around the oval fog lamps is the best available and decent setup for the car of its class. Roof rails add more muscle to the overall package while their silver finish makes than feel a bit urban at every angle. The front, rear and side glass windows are large, making the car feel airy and less SUV-ish than ever. While the people inside won't get bored with this but the feel of a people carrier would not be justified by this step. BR-V could have felt much much better if it would have been kept 5 seater with lesser length and a bit of more width. The alloy wheel design is very sporty and comes as a rescue to the negative impacts of the first look errors on the car.

Dimensions & Weight

Honda BR-V comes with exciting length of 4453 mm, width of 1735 mm and 1666 mm of height. The wheelbase stands at 2662 mm while the ground clearance is a good 210 mm for urban adventures. The car rides on 16-inch wheels and the fuel tank on the car measures 42 liters.

Interior

The inside of the BR-V resembles that of the recently launched 2016 Amaze. The Beige goes missing on the BR-V, raising its sports character with an all Black layout. The next change is noticed with a different steering wheel, which has been carried over from the international Jazz variant. The silver decoration on the wheel matches to that of the air vent corners and the line running cleanly into the dashboard. Even the door handles have been given a silver treatment for a better overall match. Honda BR-V misses on an integral part of the new generation cars, a touchscreen infotainment system. Rather, they use the Honda Amaze sourced player for the purpose.

The seats offer a good black view while also provides a comfortable ride with their adequate length and width. Second row comes with excellent legroom and also provides a perfectly placed arm rest in the center seat. The availability of adjustable headrests in the third row makes it an interesting deal whereas legroom is restricted, offering a good seat position for person up to the height of 5 feet 6 inches only. Thigh support goes mysteriously missing as space becomes limited while being in the third row. You still have a decent amount of boot space after all the 7 seats in their actual place.

Instrument Console

The new BR-V uses the same instrument console as the new Honda Amaze. The three pod instrument console gets a speedometer in the center pod while the one's on the left and right are smaller in size. The left one carries an analogue tachometer while the one on the left is a circular screen with everything else like fuel gauge, temperature, odometer and trip-meter.

Engine & Gearbox

The Honda BR-V is being offered with an option of a powerful petrol as well as a fuel efficient diesel engine. This makes the car good for both fuel preferences and also caters a wide audience. The petrol motor on the car is a 1497 cc, 4-cylinder motor producing 119 PS and 145 Nm of torque. The car comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, a first time option in Honda petrol cars of India. The CVT is also available on the new BR-V petrol version. The best part of the CVT comes when you shift with paddle shifter as they are flawless and feels good to operate within it's seven ratios.

The diesel motor on the car is the same 1498 cc, 4-cylinder engine producing 100 PS and 200 Nm of torque. It comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox and returns a company claimed mileage of 21.90 kmpl.

Brakes& Suspension

The car comes with front ventilated disc brakes while the rear brakes are drum units on the new BR-V. It is being offered with ABS as standard on the diesel variant while only on top variants on the petrol engine. The car comes with McPherson Strut with coil springs as the front suspension while the rear uses torsion beam with coils springs for the suspension duties.

Comfort & Safety

When it comes to big cars, the worst part can be experienced with it's loading and unloading part, whether it be people or the luggage in every case. The restricted height of the car makes ingress and egress as comfortable as possible while the lower back door lip facilitates easy movement of luggage inside and outside the vehicle. The infotainment system provides Bluetooth telephony and wireless music playback.

Push start button, rear air conditioning vents, automatic climate control and steering mounted controls make the car fully expressive when it comes to comfort and relaxed riding. The car comes wrapped in leather on its topmost trim. The safety is handled by the availability of dual front airbags from the base variant itself. ABS helps in avoiding mishaps on non ideal roads while the strong presence of the car with it's excellent chassis makes it safe in case of sudden collisions.

Shades & Variants

The car comes in 6 shades namely Carnelian Red Pearl, Orchid White Pearl, Urban Titanium Metallic, Taffeta White, Golden Brown Metallic and Alabaster Silver Metallic while the variants available on the same are E, S, V and VX.

Ex-showroom Price

The all new Honda BR-V has been priced at INR 8,75,000 for the base petrol variant while it's topmost diesel variant costs INR 12,90,000. It mixes the comfort of a sedan with the practicality of an urban SUV.

Infographic

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