The Interior:
The interior is where the BR-V looks entirely different from the Mobilio. The Mobilio (at 10+ lakhs) shared its interior design with a 4 lakh hatchback. This was a major turn-off for a lot of buyers. The BR-V fixes this by borrowing parts from the more premium City / Jazz:
The two cars had very different steering wheels and only one of them had mounted controls. Furthermore, the feature set appears to be a work in progress. I saw a driver airbag on both cars, but no front passenger airbag, side or curtain airbags. However, a traction control system appeared to come as standard. One of the cars had a start / stop button. The other one without the button still had the ungainly plastic cap seen on the
Jazz. Thankfully, it is not as visible as in the Jazz:
Unlike the City, the engine start button here sits on the right side of the steering wheel:
Chrome ring around the button adds a premium touch:
The front view of one of the steering wheels - looks very rich. This appears to be from the earlier City:
A closer look at the smart key:
Dials are borrowed from the City. Looks neat, except for that god awful long stalk to toggle through the MID menus:
A real-time FE bar, distance-to-empty counter, clock, outside temperature and independent average FE readings for each of the two trip-meters:
Doorpads are unchanged vs the Mobilio. All black looks better than the sea of beige we get in the Mobilio:
Standard door controls are identical to the Mobilio's. The mirrors didn't auto-fold when the ignition was switched off:
AT footwell is spacious, with a wide footrest for the left leg:
One can control the amount of airflow from the side vents like in the City (and unlike the Mobilio):
Simple 2-DIN head-unit. We will probably be getting the same AVN HU found in the Jazz:
Here's how it looks without a stereo head. The Jazz and City get a unique touchscreen climate control system. The BR-V (at least this prototype) gets a regular button type air-con. However, look carefully and you will find that this isn't a climate control system. There's no "AUTO" mode. There was another car with a proper climate control system, but even that had a manual recirculating slider which looks terribly out of place today:
CVT gearbox with an 'S' mode. How does it perform?
Click here to read our impressions of this tranny in the Honda City:
Noticed two different trims in connectivity options too, one with HDMI and USB ports:
Classy matt silver surround:
The glovebox is medium sized:
The IRVM is rather small, and there is just a basic cabin light above it (no individual map reading lights):
In a 7-seater SUV / MPV, the seat configurations need to be flexible. The BR-V is pretty similar to the Mobilio, except for the missing armrest in the center row (which may be added to the Indian version).
The front seats now have adjustable headrests and not the cheap integrated ones from the Brio / Amaze:
The middle row leg space is enough, no complaints:
Roof mounted AC vents:
Flexible seats, like the Mobilio:
2nd & 3rd row - both - get a 60:40 seat split:
With the last row folded down:
Yes, just like the Mobilio, even last row occupants get bottle holders. Speakers next to them: