The Honda BR-V is coming to India in February this year. It was recently unveiled at Indonesia and some of our folks have travelled to Japan to get a preview of the vehicle.
So what exactly is the BR-V? Before we get into the details of the vehicle here is a teaser sketch:
Looks hot right? But don't get your hopes up just yet. The BR-V is a Brio-based SUV, the fourth on the same monocoque platform after the Brio (hatchback), Amaze (compact sedan) and Mobilio (MPV) and is likely to be priced between Rs. 12 lakh and Rs. 15 lakh. The similarities are pretty obvious when you view the vehicle from the side.
Here's what the production version of the Honda BR-V looks like. These pictures come straight from our team in Japan:
Here’s what you will like about the Honda BR-V:
Key specifications of the Honda BR-V:
At a glance:
Length: 4456 mm
Width: 1735 mm
Height: 1666 mm
Wheelbase: 2660 mm
Ground clearance: 201 mm
Engine choices:
Petrol: 1496 cc, 4 cylinder (Power: 119PS @ 6,600 rpm, Torque: 145 Nm @ 4,600 rpm)
Gearbox: Six-speed manual or CVT
Diesel: (Likely for India only) 1.5 litre iDtec, 4 cylinder (100PS / 200 Nm)
Gearbox: Six-speed manual
The Honda BR-V is a smaller brother to the CR-V but a bigger sibling to the Mobilio. Here are more details and pictures of the BR-V:
When viewed from the front the Honda BR-V fortunately does not look like its younger three siblings, the Mobilio, Amaze and Brio. Honda has worked on the front end to kind of make it look like the CR-V and City in a sense. It comes with twin beam headlamps with projectors for the low beam. The bumper is sculpted and features a prominent air dam. Don't miss the shoulder line as well etched into its side. The giveaway is the rear door though with that downward kink being similar to the Mobilio's.
The added height of the BR-V over the Honda Mobilio is quite obvious. The alloy wheels are similar to the Honda Mobilio RS variant. The snout of the BR-V though is quite like the Honda CR-V, but the overall stance is more MPV than SUV. It looks like a crossover of sorts between MPV and SUV in this case.
That MPV look on the Honda BR-V is more pronounced at the rear. The red plastic strip connecting the tail-lamps is a neat touch reminiscent of the Honda Odyssey and probably the Acura. The placement of the number plate low down on the boot hatch adds to the bulk (similar to the Hyundai Creta).
The 16-inch alloys stand out on the BR-V. It comes shod with the widest tyres on this platform, running 195/60 R16 Bridgestone low-rolling resistance tyres. Honda is definitely looking at magic fuel efficiency numbers with the BR-V as well.
Some more exterior pictures before we take you through the interiors in the next post:
Love it or hate it! Honda has gone overboard with the chrome on the grille. Frankly, I think it looks too garish. But well, tastes differ.
Notice the parts sharing with the rest of the family. The fog lamps look familiar. Don't miss the faux skid plate as well, that's part of the front bumper. The lower matt-finish area will do well to prevent chips from stones and kerbs.
Looks hot right? But don't get your hopes up just yet. The BR-V is a Brio-based SUV, the fourth on the same monocoque platform after the Brio (hatchback), Amaze (compact sedan) and Mobilio (MPV) and is likely to be priced between Rs. 12 lakh and Rs. 15 lakh. The similarities are pretty obvious when you view the vehicle from the side.
Here's what the production version of the Honda BR-V looks like. These pictures come straight from our team in Japan:
Here’s what you will like about the Honda BR-V:
- Space – it’s probably one of the most spacious SUVs. Definitely with the best boot space with all rows up.
- Seven seats – Proper seven seater, with decent leg room in the last row
- Decent Power and fuel efficiency – 100PS diesel and 118PS petrol (same engines as the Honda City and Mobilio)
- Features – It will come with what’s expected of the segment such as power mirrors, windows, touchscreen-infotainment with navigation etc. But this pre-production version does not have auto climate control.
- Tyres – Finally, the widest tyres this Honda platform! The BR-V has 195/60 R16 tyres as standard.
- MPV-like styling at the rear
- It’s more crossover than SUV
- No all-wheel drive option
- No AC vents for last row (only roof mounted blower)
- Light build
- Mahindra XUV500
- Hyundai Creta
- Renault Duster
- Nissan Terrano
Key specifications of the Honda BR-V:
At a glance:
Length: 4456 mm
Width: 1735 mm
Height: 1666 mm
Wheelbase: 2660 mm
Ground clearance: 201 mm
Engine choices:
Petrol: 1496 cc, 4 cylinder (Power: 119PS @ 6,600 rpm, Torque: 145 Nm @ 4,600 rpm)
Gearbox: Six-speed manual or CVT
Diesel: (Likely for India only) 1.5 litre iDtec, 4 cylinder (100PS / 200 Nm)
Gearbox: Six-speed manual
The Honda BR-V is a smaller brother to the CR-V but a bigger sibling to the Mobilio. Here are more details and pictures of the BR-V:
When viewed from the front the Honda BR-V fortunately does not look like its younger three siblings, the Mobilio, Amaze and Brio. Honda has worked on the front end to kind of make it look like the CR-V and City in a sense. It comes with twin beam headlamps with projectors for the low beam. The bumper is sculpted and features a prominent air dam. Don't miss the shoulder line as well etched into its side. The giveaway is the rear door though with that downward kink being similar to the Mobilio's.
The added height of the BR-V over the Honda Mobilio is quite obvious. The alloy wheels are similar to the Honda Mobilio RS variant. The snout of the BR-V though is quite like the Honda CR-V, but the overall stance is more MPV than SUV. It looks like a crossover of sorts between MPV and SUV in this case.
That MPV look on the Honda BR-V is more pronounced at the rear. The red plastic strip connecting the tail-lamps is a neat touch reminiscent of the Honda Odyssey and probably the Acura. The placement of the number plate low down on the boot hatch adds to the bulk (similar to the Hyundai Creta).
The 16-inch alloys stand out on the BR-V. It comes shod with the widest tyres on this platform, running 195/60 R16 Bridgestone low-rolling resistance tyres. Honda is definitely looking at magic fuel efficiency numbers with the BR-V as well.
Some more exterior pictures before we take you through the interiors in the next post:
Love it or hate it! Honda has gone overboard with the chrome on the grille. Frankly, I think it looks too garish. But well, tastes differ.
Notice the parts sharing with the rest of the family. The fog lamps look familiar. Don't miss the faux skid plate as well, that's part of the front bumper. The lower matt-finish area will do well to prevent chips from stones and kerbs.
Honda has always managed to pull off the best space vs size designs. The
company's man maximum, machine minimum philosophy shows in the design
of the Honda BR-V as well. The cabin is pretty spacious, probably the
most spacious among all SUVs and crossovers in its likely price band. It
has more space than the Creta, S-Cross, Duster, Terrano and even the
XUV500 with all rows of seats in place.
The front seats of the Honda BR-V are spacious and supportive. The vehicle features plenty of storage spaces with deep door pockets, twin cupholders, another bin in the centre console and an handly slot on the dash for knick knacks. While there's a slot for push-button ignition, this test vehicle did not feature it. Honda may add that on the actual production versions.
The Honda BR-V has 60:40 split folding rear seats. We like the fact that the interiors are black and not beige, but that may change when the vehicle does make it to the Indian market. There are no rear AC vents though, and that may be a downer for some buyers. The rear doors too have pretty small door pockets, while the door itself is quite similar to that of the Mobilio.
Access to the last row is by tumble folding either of the middle row seats. Note the rather large plastic protective scuff plate on the floor, which will help prevent ungainly scratches.
The third row in the Honda BR-V is among the most spacious among all crossovers, SUVs and MPVs in its price segment. The last row of the Honda BR-V is pretty spacious. Legroom is not only decent, but you also get fairly decent under thigh support as the seats are not as low down as they are in some other MPVs and SUVs. In addition, you get cupholders in the last row.
The BR-V also has a fairly large boot, even with all three rows of seats in place. The last row is 50:50 split folding, allowing for versatility with luggage and increasing the loading area dramatically, without compromising on passenger space. Note the blower vents in the middle row.
Fully folding the last row results in a very spacious boot - much more than most SUVs in its price band offer. The last row is secured in place by means of that hanging strap you see, hooking on to the headrest of the seat in front. The spare wheel is mounted under the vehicle and can be accessed by lowering it using a wheel spanner from the boot. That little rubber stopper you see near the boot lip is the cover to access the nut that secures the spare wheel.
Folding even the middle row will allow you to move your entire house! You can park a few bikes in there. This picture though is only with the last row folded down.
The dashboard of the Honda BR-V looks very similar to the Honda City and Honda Jazz, with its driver-oriented instrumentation. The thick A-pillars may be a hinderance for some.
Honda hasn't used the touch-screen climate control panel here, but has reverted to more tactile buttons instead. However, notice there is no "Auto" button on the AC panel, and it has manual recirculation for the HVAC. And glaringly absent is a windshield demister option, unless we are missing something here. Probably an oversight on the pre-production version (we hope).
The infotainment system is a touchscreen affair that Honda will likely equip the top-end variant of the BR-V with. It includes a CD player, HDMI and Aux connectivity.
The Honda BR-V comes with power-folding rearview mirrors, auto-down for the driver's side window and electronic door locks. Don't miss the traction control button placed on the dash. Safety includes ABS, dual airbags and traction control on this variant at least.
This version of the Honda BR-V is powered by a 1.5 litre, four-cylinder iVtec petrol engine that puts out 88Kw (119PS) of power and 145 Nm of torque mated to a CVT automatic transmission. The CVT has a sport mode and a low-gear mode (which will help with hill climbs). The Indian version is also likely to be offered with Honda's 1.5 litre iDtec diesel engine putting out 100PS of power and 200 Nm of torque. The manual variant will likely get a six-speed gearbox.
The sculpted looks of the Honda BR-V stand out in light colours.
The front seats of the Honda BR-V are spacious and supportive. The vehicle features plenty of storage spaces with deep door pockets, twin cupholders, another bin in the centre console and an handly slot on the dash for knick knacks. While there's a slot for push-button ignition, this test vehicle did not feature it. Honda may add that on the actual production versions.
The Honda BR-V has 60:40 split folding rear seats. We like the fact that the interiors are black and not beige, but that may change when the vehicle does make it to the Indian market. There are no rear AC vents though, and that may be a downer for some buyers. The rear doors too have pretty small door pockets, while the door itself is quite similar to that of the Mobilio.
Access to the last row is by tumble folding either of the middle row seats. Note the rather large plastic protective scuff plate on the floor, which will help prevent ungainly scratches.
The third row in the Honda BR-V is among the most spacious among all crossovers, SUVs and MPVs in its price segment. The last row of the Honda BR-V is pretty spacious. Legroom is not only decent, but you also get fairly decent under thigh support as the seats are not as low down as they are in some other MPVs and SUVs. In addition, you get cupholders in the last row.
The BR-V also has a fairly large boot, even with all three rows of seats in place. The last row is 50:50 split folding, allowing for versatility with luggage and increasing the loading area dramatically, without compromising on passenger space. Note the blower vents in the middle row.
Fully folding the last row results in a very spacious boot - much more than most SUVs in its price band offer. The last row is secured in place by means of that hanging strap you see, hooking on to the headrest of the seat in front. The spare wheel is mounted under the vehicle and can be accessed by lowering it using a wheel spanner from the boot. That little rubber stopper you see near the boot lip is the cover to access the nut that secures the spare wheel.
Folding even the middle row will allow you to move your entire house! You can park a few bikes in there. This picture though is only with the last row folded down.
The dashboard of the Honda BR-V looks very similar to the Honda City and Honda Jazz, with its driver-oriented instrumentation. The thick A-pillars may be a hinderance for some.
Honda hasn't used the touch-screen climate control panel here, but has reverted to more tactile buttons instead. However, notice there is no "Auto" button on the AC panel, and it has manual recirculation for the HVAC. And glaringly absent is a windshield demister option, unless we are missing something here. Probably an oversight on the pre-production version (we hope).
The infotainment system is a touchscreen affair that Honda will likely equip the top-end variant of the BR-V with. It includes a CD player, HDMI and Aux connectivity.
The Honda BR-V comes with power-folding rearview mirrors, auto-down for the driver's side window and electronic door locks. Don't miss the traction control button placed on the dash. Safety includes ABS, dual airbags and traction control on this variant at least.
This version of the Honda BR-V is powered by a 1.5 litre, four-cylinder iVtec petrol engine that puts out 88Kw (119PS) of power and 145 Nm of torque mated to a CVT automatic transmission. The CVT has a sport mode and a low-gear mode (which will help with hill climbs). The Indian version is also likely to be offered with Honda's 1.5 litre iDtec diesel engine putting out 100PS of power and 200 Nm of torque. The manual variant will likely get a six-speed gearbox.
The sculpted looks of the Honda BR-V stand out in light colours.
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