New Honda Brio SMT - Ownership Review

[sudeep.roy]

Hello Every one,

So after long hours of research in many forums including TAI, reading zillions of reviews, scanning through hundreds of blogs and a few test drives, I finally zeroed down on Honda BRIO.

I got it delivered on Monday - 30th April (One week after booking. They had the car ready by the third day, but my outstation cheque clearance took few extra days)

Disclaimer: This is my first thread in TAI. I just intend to share my experience regarding the vehicle and the buying process. Hoping that I can answer some queries. I don't intend to put down any one or vehicles of any other make. My statements are based on my personal experience only.

First up, a few clicks.

The first three pics were taken in the Showroom (Ring Road Honda - Gurgaon) during PDI.

And the rest in my parking after delivery.

Before finalizing the BRIO, I had almost zeroed on Chevy BEAT. They were offering me a fully loaded car (apart from ABS & airbags) at 4.5L on the road.
I had already experienced Sfiwt, Ritz & Figo.
And then the BRIO happened, I instant fell for the steering, handling.. it just felt right.
Family and friends had polarized opinion regarding Brio. Even I initially could not digest the full glass hatch easily, and was swinging between BEAT and BRIO. I then happened to read about the issues of Beat and found tons of customers online, unsatisfied about many things in Beat including the paint job, pickup, FE, congested back seat, ASS etc.... Compared to which Honda had only delivery issues (which is understandable, due to natures fury) During the process I test drove Figo, my friends Ritz, Swift etc.. as the time passed by and I started seeing my neighbors BRIO everyday and a few on the roads here and there, I made up my mind and went ahead with the booking.

Things that I like :

Amazing engine for City drive.

Best in class power.

Silk smooth Steering

Steering mounted Audio controls (I just wanted it)

Integrated music system (I was amazed at the quality of the speakers, as I have experienced a few OEM systems in my friend circle, I thought I would change the speakers of the car soon, but now I intend to keep them untouched at-least for a while, untill and if I decide to add an Amp, I hardly use CDs, so USB was enough for me)

Slick Gearshift

High Quality interiors. The interiors including the plastic quality, rubber beading etc felt way superior to Beat & Figo.

Very small turning radius (I upgraded from a Zen LXI, and the difference is huge)

Killer front looks with the 'H' badge.

Dislikes

E-ORVM ( I wanted this, but I had to upgrade to S(O)MT for this, since this car was for city drive, i didnt wanna invest in ABS & Airbags, and the price difference was not VFM for me) I hope some aftermarket fix comes for this soon.
Please let me know if this is even possible. I tried online with some Pune based company, engineertech or some thing, but haven't been able to reach their phone # yet.

Boot Space (Quite small, but same as BEAT ( 175 L), so Beat wasn't a winner either) They have done a good job in the leg room for the rear folks and cut short the boot in the process, which is ok with me as at max I would use it for a weekend getaway trip with two people.


Accessories I opted for

I decided to pay extra for the side door protectors (they help when cars parked close to each other open their doors, its bound to touch and this takes a hit)
The dealership painted in for me to match the body colour.

Gear Lock & Floor Mats (Must for me)

Front and rear corner protectors( not very expensive and might help)

Rear cargo protector (less than 500 bucks )

Mudflaps & Chrome door handle protector ( The dealership was out of stock and promised to provide ASAP.


Ex Showroom : 4.4L
On Road : 4.9L (Includes RSA, extended warranty, anti rust and Teflon coating)

With Accessories 5.05L


So, stared driving it yesterday morning... ODO reads 82 KMS (about 42 was clocked before delivery, that gives me 40 kms in past 24 hrs), FE is gradually creeping towards 10, I haven't been able to throw in 5th gear yet for more than 5 mins due to congested city traffic.

I had a fantastic experience till now.. and will keep you posted as I clock miles...

Cheers,
Sudeep Roy

 

[jayesh]

Congratulations for the new ride Wish u many happy trouble free miles ahead

safely

 

[freakdude]

Many congrats for owning such a great hatch buddy. The 'H' badge sure instills trouble-free ownership. Nice and crisp review with great pics. Try a rear 3 quarter pic, Brio really appears nice in that.

freakdude.

 

[sudeep.roy]

Many congrats for owning such a great hatch buddy. The 'H' badge sure instills trouble-free ownership. Nice and crisp review with great pics. Try a rear 3 quarter pic, Brio really appears nice in that.

freakdude.

Thanks Mate.. rear quat pic coming up soon ..

 

[Iron Rock]

E-ORVM ( I wanted this, but I had to upgrade to S(O)MT for this, since this car was for city drive, i didnt wanna invest in ABS & Airbags, and the price difference was not VFM for me) I hope some aftermarket fix comes for this soon.

Hi Sudeep Welcome to TAI and good choice!
Nice little write up with pictures.

However I have to fully disagree with you on the above statement of 'investment in ABS and airbag'
The mistake being you are comparing two versions of Brio with/without airbags and looking for the VFM factor - but what you missed to add here is the value of your own and your near and dear ones lives who ride with you - i am sure that is priceless. Leaving these as aftermarket is not the best route, you can rather have anything else aftermarket like ICE/lights etc.

Anyways congratulations for the brio, enjoy the i-vtec!

 

[sudeep.roy]

Hi Sudeep Welcome to TAI and good choice!
Nice little write up with pictures.

However I have to fully disagree with you on the above statement of 'investment in ABS and airbag'
The mistake being you are comparing two versions of Brio with/without airbags and looking for the VFM factor - but what you missed to add here is the value of your own and your near and dear ones lives who ride with you - i am sure that is priceless. Leaving these as aftermarket is not the best route, you can rather have anything else aftermarket like ICE/lights etc.

Anyways congratulations for the brio, enjoy the i-vtec!

Hi Iron rock,

As mentioned the aftermarket need is just for E-ORVM and not for ABS & Airbags. I totally get your point on safety, however I made this conscious decision as I will seldom take this baby on the highway (I have another ride in my family for that) , its for my every day bumper to bumper city traffic mostly to and fro office & gym.

 

[Iron Rock]

Hi Iron rock,

As mentioned the aftermarket need is just for E-ORVM and not for ABS & Airbags. I totally get your point on safety, however I made this conscious decision as I will seldom take this baby on the highway (I have another ride in my family for that) , its for my every day bumper to bumper city traffic mostly to and fro office & gym.

Its a myth that airbags are not needed in the city - its an absolute life saver on any road and at any speed. Hopefully you will consider this as a default in your next acquisition. You can control your own speeds, but not the idiot who comes and rams in to you - and i am afraid we have plenty of such idiots on our roads.

 

[point_city96]

Congratulation on our car.

Please don't simply bash beat simply because you bought the Brio over Chevrolet Beat.

Chevrolet Beat is a wonderful car.

I then happened to read about the issues of Beat and found tons of customers online, unsatisfied about many things in Beat including the paint job, pickup, FE, congested back seat, ASS etc....

In our case fuel efficency is pretty good.

I have seen owner reporting 17-18 kmpl.

Paint qualty is simply "B R I L L I A N T"

Chevrolet Beat has standard 3 year warranty with unlimited mileage.On top that you also opt for the cashless 3 year ownership service which we have.

We also have Maruti Suzuki Swift DDiS and the Chevrolet ASS is very nice and we enjoy peace of mind.

Who told back seat is congested.Its that claustrophobic feel at the back seat that some are complaining and not the space in terms of legroom.

Chevrolet is offering ECU remap to improve the pick up mind you.

BTW,Chevrolet Beat Petrol is known for its VFM pricing.

Why didn't consider the Chevrolet Beat diesel.

Chevrolet Beat is known for its build quality,good quality plastics and rubber and for the excellent fit and finish.

 

[sudeep.roy]

Congratulation on our car.

Please don't simply bash beat simply because you bought the Brio over Chevrolet Beat.

Chevrolet Beat is a wonderful car.

In our case fuel efficency is pretty good.

I have seen owner reporting 17-18 kmpl.

Paint qualty is simply "B R I L L I A N T"

.....

Chevrolet Beat is known for its build quality,good quality plastics and rubber and for the excellent fit and finish.

Woo.. I guess, you missed my disclaimer..

As mentioned, my statements weren't meant to put your beat down. I am glad that yo haven't faced any issues. However my comments were based on reviews posted by Beat owners themselves.

Please go through the links below.. Luckily they include some pics as well of the faded paint job.

Chevrolet beat - Page 15

CONSUMER ALERT! - GM Chevrolet Beat average on consumer satisfaction level in its consumer report - Consumerdaddy.com

You will find a lot of other threads where people are crying about the FE, pickup and ASS... again these are owner's reviews.

eg:
Product is good..... But the After Sales Service is tooooooooo Bad............ 3008 | CarDekho.com

I test drove a Beat diesel, and disliked it the moment I cranked it up. Very noisy / vibrations / unsettled ride and a 3 pot diesel engine isn't for me.

No hard feelings..
Drive Safe.

 

[saby]

Congrats for the super car!
Saw the same colour yesterday, looks awesome in real.

 

[sudeep.roy]

@ saby..
I knw.. I initially thought of white.. But then decided on Energetic Blue.

And, Thanks Mate.

 

[Raja]

Sudeep congrats on your brio the car which will love you back simply a cute little ,fast and nimble car.
Regarding the beat it is not 3 cylinder but 4 the diesel is 3 pot . To each his own I love both the cars . The beat may not be as nimble as the brio and the gear shifts not as smooth as brio but neverthe less it's a vfm product .
What is imp you bought the car which you value the most and love and it should be that way .
Pls update us with your experience with the brio regularly .
And btw loved the side door strips and great that you got them body coloured vety very smart move indeed it enhances the look a looooooot.

 

[sudeep.roy]

Sudeep congrats on your brio the car which will love you back simply a cute little ,fast and nimble car.
Regarding the beat it is not 3 cylinder but 4 the diesel is 3 pot . To each his own I love both the cars . The beat may not be as nimble as the brio and the gear shifts not as smooth as brio but neverthe less it's a vfm product .
What is imp you bought the car which you value the most and love and it should be that way .
Pls update us with your experience with the brio regularly .
And btw loved the side door strips and great that you got them body coloured vety very smart move indeed it enhances the look a looooooot.

Thanks Raja.
And I totally agree with the VFM factor of Beat. Also my reference for 3 pot engine was specific to the diesel version.

 

[naveenkumarverma]

Hey Sudeep, Congrats & Brio in blue is really good looking.

I too own a Brio.

I was thinking of getting "side door protector" but don't you feel body color will reduce its usability. I mean we are getting this to protect from scratch but what if they themselves are get scratch.

Can you tell me how much side door protector, corner protector, rear cargo protector, mudflaps will be costing?

 

[sudeep.roy]

Hey Sudeep, Congrats & Brio in blue is really good looking.

I too own a Brio.

I was thinking of getting "side door protector" but don't you feel body color will reduce its usability. I mean we are getting this to protect from scratch but what if they themselves are get scratch.

Can you tell me how much side door protector, corner protector, rear cargo protector, mudflaps will be costing?

Hi Naveen,

I did go through your entire thread before picking up mine..

Yes, you are right about the body coloured side protectors getting scratched.. But since they are removable, if there is a noticeable scratch, you can get it touched up, it should not look odd. And I think you should get one, as its better than getting a scratch on the door of a new car.

Next, I am attaching the price list of BRIO Accessories published by one dealer. The prices are more or less same in all dealerships.
EG : The rear Cargo protector is mentioned as rear panel lining. I remember paying 496.00 for it.

I hope this helps.