Honda Brio tested by CarWale

Review of Honda Brio looks good.  With Honda quality, competition in 1.2 L petrol hatchbacks will heat up and its very good for buyers.  If price is RIGHT, Hyundai i10 - watch out!

Jazz failed.. hope Honda dont make the same mistake again..

As for the looks.. IMO the boot somehow doesnt gel with the rest of the car.

Brio needs to have a defogger atleast in its mid-version and top version. for it to succeed it needs to have a price tag lower than polo, better if mid-version is launched at 4.25lacs

I was very excited on hearing the launch of Brio, as it would mean me owing my First Honda. I even thought of canceling my BEAT booking. However, the entire rear glass door for the bootspace access was a big DOWNER for me.  Further the classic HONDa logo at the back was also on the glass, very disappointed. How safe is it to have complete glass at the rear end? I don't make my kids sit in the front.  The salesmen do say that's its toughened glass etc, however, I doubt. 

Honda definitely did a good job otherwise targeting small car market, and all good features are already given out here.  Interiors, promising fuel effciency, Honda's tag for a very reasonable price ( for a middle end 5.27Lakhs on road is too good), optimal space, excellent engine etc. Also, the test drive vehicle is still not available in Bangalore. The wait time they say is 2 months minimum.

Someone, pls advice me, how safe is the rear glass door??

Tow months wait time is for the delivery of the car I meant.

How good is the  all round visibilty from the driver seat  .I understand they do not have seat height adjust for driver and dashboard is high set?

Jazz failed since they initially overpriced it. Who will buy if a hatchback is priced like a sedan, even if the quality is worldclass? By the time they brought the price down, petrol prices went up and most people (except those who run very less) started buying diesel cars and Honda got hit again. We can now get Honda City for the price of hatchbacks! Honda has to do their homework well before introducing products to the dynamic & sensitive Indian market.

Tomy

Tomy.Now that you have an idea Brio.Can you suggest : for a first time car buyer which one to go for : WagonR or Brio for a family of four people.

Raju,

I am familiar with Jazz. But I have not seen Brio; and I have not checked the exact prices; hence I will not be able to comment on that. I have not heard any complaints about any Honda products so far - their quality was always excellent.  The problem with Jazz was its price (quality was never an issue). It is OK to go ahead with Brio if

- The price is reasonable for the size of the car

- Your requirement is for petrol car

- You have easy access to Honda service centre (for Maruti this is never an issue).

From the track record of Honda, I dont think we need to worry about the quality of the car, except that you may need to check if the ground clearance is sufficient for the road where you will be using the car.

Tomy