New Honda Brio SMT - Ownership Review

naveenkumarverma · Jun 6, 2012

Hi Sudeep,

From where you got this step garnish? How much it cost?

sudeep.roy · Jun 6, 2012

Hi Naveen,

The step garnish was brought from the dealership itself.
I think it was around 1.4k.

Will save a few scratches I guess. [:)]

Shanksta© · Jun 8, 2012

I would like to congratulate you on choosing a totally different color than what people normally choose(urban titanium,silver ,white,etc.,). [:)]

Also nice choice mate, the Brio is a powerful and practical car. IMHO I wish they had not provided a full glass hatch.

sudeep.roy · Jun 8, 2012

Shanksta© said:

Thanks buddy,

I felt Blue looks stunning.

Also as far as glass hatch is considered, trust me this is the new thing in. Just that our eyes are not used to the design. As more models come in with similar designs, it will become a style statement. To me. it already is.

Don't believe me?

Google VolksWagen UP, Toyota Aygo . They are gonna hit our roads soon.

Cheers.

Shanksta© · Jun 8, 2012

sudeep.roy said:

True ! True! i saw the UP it also has a hatch similar to the Brio. But yeah as you put it, when you look at the Brio's face you go WOW!! and then you look at the rear tail lamps and the hatch man it looks like a wrinkle(IMHO no offence) on such a beautiful car. [surprise]

visran · Jun 8, 2012

sudeep.roy said:

Don't you think 1.4k is on the higher side? did you enquire for the same in the market?before heading to the dealer

sudeep.roy · Jun 8, 2012

visran said:

1.4K is OK I think. 700.00 per piece. And Honda genuine spares & accessories will be always a bit costly.

patnaik7 · Jun 10, 2012

sudeep.roy said:

Sudeep, a question for you. I have test driven the Brio and yes, it has to be driven to be believed, a very refined mill. A lot has been said about the absence of a rear defogger, and I've read some incidents where people found it pretty difficult to drive during a downpour.

Now considering other cars, that have smaller glass hatches, it might be ok, but in Brio where a majority if the back portion is glass I am a little concerned about driving in monsoons. Absence of rear wiper and defogger is something that keeps picking my mind. Other than that, Brio is a blast to drive; I don't remember the last time when I drove so easily in traffic. and good choice of color! Congrats on your new wheels : )

point_city96 said:

Chevy being known for build quality? You got to be kidding me. No american car manufacturer comes even close, if it were really the case, Ford would make the cut. No offence to any one but american manufacturers have a long way to go before they catch up with the japs. And the government had to bail Chevy out of the financial mess. Ford was the only one who did not need any assistance. I am not saying Beat is not a good car. It is a good value for money car. If I were buying a pre-owned car, I would rather put my money on a Honda or Toyota as opposed to Chevy or Ford.

sudeep.roy · Jun 10, 2012

patnaik7 said:

Thanks a lot buddy.
Even I thought a lot about the rear wiper option, then when I wen to the parking lot of my office, I saw N numbers of swift, ritz etc vxi/vdis without a rear wiper. Non of the sedans now a days have rear wiper, so I thought what the heck, it cant be so bad right ??

Now the bigger glass portion as you say, will add the the visibility factor in the monsoon IMHO rather than being an inconvenience. Lets wait till monsoon arrives...

Also while doing R&D before buying the car, I had read in some forum about a possibility of an aftermarket defogger. It was a very cost effective solution as well. I will further dig into it soon.

Totally true about driving in the traffic, I am enjoying every bit of it, every day.

patnaik7 said:

Cant agree more with you Patnaik,

But some members get real grumpy about unbiased opinions.

sudeep.roy · Jun 13, 2012

Added a Chrome Exhaust Finisher

So went to Honda service center yesterday to get my new number plate fixed. Also, fixed an exhaust finisher. Here are a couple of pics.
Cost: 1071.00
A bit costlier than aftermarket options, but decided to pay for the perfect fit.

santoclauz · Jun 13, 2012

The arm rest is a wonderful new addition to your car [:)]

Makes the car look grand. Congrats.

I must say you are pretty quick when it comes to tastefully accessorizing the car [:D]

sudeep.roy · Jun 14, 2012

santoclauz said:

Thanks Santosh. [:D]

anupamkamal · Jun 20, 2012

sudeep.roy said:

Thanks Santosh for lots of information :) .

I was following you since mid of may . Finally, booked Honda BRIO SMT (Energetic Blue) at Crystal Honda,Bavdhan,Pune. and will get the delivery this Friday .

It's my first car so almost 0 experience .

So, I just wanted to know what are the "must have" that needs to be fitted.

Dealer is giving me :-

1)UV coating(is it different from teflon coating)
2)Matting
3)Side and back glass filming

What else are required ?
I made a very long list as mentioned below :-

1)Car Cover
2)Seat Cover
3)Matting
4)Mudguards
5)Foglight
6)anti scratch side and back
7)anti rust
7)UV Coating
8)Arm Rest
9)rear panel lining/rear cargo protector
10)side door protector
11)front and rear corner protector

But dont know what are the must have accessories :( .
Kindly help me out with the accessory and pricing (as I dont have any idea).
I have to give all these details to dealer as I would be getting the car on Friday .

Thanks to all of you in advance.

Regards
Anupam [:)]

sudeep.roy · Jun 21, 2012

anupamkamal said:

Awsome, I guess you were following this post.
Congrats on your booking Anupam, and nice to have another Blue Brio on TAI.

anupamkamal said:

UV coating and Teflon Coating are Same. The Teflon Coat helps protect your car paint from the strong UV sun rays. They will do three coats totally. The first coat will be before delivery and you can get the subsequent coats done after 2nd and 3rd service.

Floor mats are definitely required, as you wouldn't wanna dirty the carpet.

I suggest you not to go for the filming, as any kind of additional films have been banned by Supreme Court of India.
You can bargain with the dealer for something else instead of this. In fact I am surprised that the dealer is even offering this.
Please go through this thread for more details.

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...order-no-sunfilms-allowed-4th-may-2012-a.html

anupamkamal said:

1)Car Cover : Its good to have. You can easily get it from outside.
Typically we don't put cover to the car every day even though its the best practice, but I guess I may be lazy. I have it for my Zen, but hardly use it so haven't got one for Brio yet.

2)Seat Cover:

You can use the cover the car comes with for a while if you want to. It is not must, but good to have additional seat covers. Depending on your budget, you can go for fabric(2-3k) / art leather(5-6k) / genuine leather(minimum 17-18 k & upwards, depending on the leather type)
Faric seat covers stay cooler in summers, but gets affected if there is a liquid spillage. Art leather gets real hot in summers, but gives you good feel and is not too heavy on the budget. Try Autoform, they are decent and have a good varity. It should be available with most accessory walas.
Autoformindia

If budget isn't a constraint, then there is nothing like genuine leather seats. You can check for Stanley or Gsport etc.

3)Matting:

I am assuming the dealer is giving you the fabric mats. Get a set of rubber mats from aftermarket on top of it. Its easier to wash and maintain (800-1000 bucks)

4)Mudguards:

Must, especially in rainy season.

5)Fog light:
Not a must, but good to have if it gets real foggy where you stay during winters. The dealership quoted me 11k + for that, so I decided against it.

6)Anti scratch side and back:
As the name suggests, it can be helpful is preventing some nasty scratches on the door, so I went for it.

7)Anti rust:

Go for it as rainy season is approaching. It protects your car under body from rusting. Honda also gives 5 yr warranty, so its worth it.

8)UV Coating:

Already answered.

9)Arm Rest:

Just a fancy accessory. I got it for the market for 1k. You can install it any time later if you feel like. So not required for you immediately.

10)Rear panel lining/rear cargo protector:

Helps protect the boot paint, while taking the luggage in and out. Again not a must, but hardly costs 500 bucks, so I got this one.

11)Side door protector:

same as 6. I got it done to avoid scratches on door, helps in tight parking spots against other car doors. I paid 5.2k along with paint job. you can get it for 2.8 k i think for the black ones.

12)Front and rear corner protector:

I feel the Brio's front bumper is a bit edgy, so its good to have to protect the bumpers from getting hurt. I feel the rear ones aren't that necessary. You can go through my pics and see what I mean.

I have posted a list of accessory pricing in the second page of this thread, which should give you a fair idea of the genuine Honda accessories.

I hope I was able to answer everything. [:)]

santoclauz · Jun 21, 2012

Hey Anupam,

U've made the right choice. Congrats!! Brio looks awesome in blue color. A mighty feel of exclusivity [:D]

It's always advisable to get the UV coating done and good that the dealer is doing the same for your car.
Anti-rust coating, definitely yes. With the advent of monsoon, you wont wanna take any chances with your new car.

Sudeep has answered all your questions .. as effectively as he always does [:)]

As with you, this is my first experience of buying/using a car. And trust me, the Brio will make you feel as if you are a pro at driving. It's that comfortable.

I'll definitely advise you to get two sets of floor mats, as you dont wanna mess the carpet in this season.

Just a suggestion, do get parallel quotes for the list of accessories from a local dealer (whom your friends would suggest). Compare the rates with those quoted by the Honda dealer ..and go with the economical one. There's no difference in quality, whatsoever.

Fog Lamps, Reverse Sensors, etc. can be added later as you get used to your car or maybe as you save up cash for those accessories.

Sudeep is on the way to turn his car into a sedan, going by his new list of accessories (Read Arm-rest). But trust me, the Brio deserves all the pampering [glasses]

New Honda Brio SMT - Ownership Review

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