[vtecblast]

Grab your meal, because this is going to be a long story of a Donut.
Meet, Donut.

Oh! Sorry to make your sweet tooth disappointed.


Ingredients:

• Engine: 1.2l L12B
• How hard you'll hit the wall: 88 BHP@6000rpm
• How far will you take the wall: 109NM@4800
• Drinking habits: An Addict. 12.3-14.1km/l in City and 19-24km/l on highways.
• Current ODO: 34,940 km

Summary:
Positives
A. Car is a revv-happy machine that will go all the way up to 6,800rpm.
B. Good power-to-weight ratio.
C. Suspension being a stiff setup the car handles corners pretty well.
D. The plastic quality all around is top notch.
E. The facelift Brio had a totally upmarket dashboard derived from Amaze.
F. The front Seats are comfortable.
G. AirConditioning is a pretty chiller that will lower down the temperature of the cabin in few minutes.
H. Rear defogger is the fastest one that I have ever witnessed.
I. Addictive maneuverability.
J. Electric steering adaption to speed is good. Easy during city limits and confident on highways.
Negatives
A. Mid-end torque is lacking. There would be a lag while you try to overtake on highways if you're on 3000-4000rpms, wait till 4500rpm.

This might clarify.
B. Rear seat comfort is poor.
C. Not an ideal car after a leg-day. The car is rev-happy but there will be a significant drop in mileage once you start driving it aggresively. On some of my days, I have even got close to 8km/l mileage.
D. Jerky downshift from 2nd to 1st. Even if your speed is 0-3kmph. I understand this a mainstream thing with all the manual cars, the reason I have mentioned it especially because sometimes I prefer double-clutching it's this jerky. The clutch has been checked and the transmission oil has also been changed. For cross-checking I even test drove a few more Brios and Amaze the problem remains the same.
E. The output of headlamps is best during the city limits only. For any highway trip, you might feel the headlamps lack proper coverage of the road which doesn't give you proper confidence.
F. Lack of adjustable headrests even in the front.
G. Lack of a rear wiper. Things can pretty ugly to look out in the heavy rains as its rear is all glass and looking from IRVM is a difficult task.
H. No illumination in steering controls as well as window controls. This is something I miss a lot while driving at night especially on the highways. Honda had put an illuminating headlamp level adjuster but not on steering controls. The dots only help you judge button positioning.


I. Poor brakes at high speed (after 100km/h). More like breaks than brakes.
J. Rear seat space. I being an average height person who drives at a comfortable position (neither too lean nor too attentive) there's hardly any space for another average height person at the rear to sit comfortably.
K. Ground clearance needs some understanding. Once understood you won't scrape the bumper but sometimes requires a lot of attention while handling the bad roads.

L. Piano-black insert around head-unit is a scratch magnet.

M. Loud radiator fan noise. Kills the whole silent vibe of the car as soon as it's turned on.
N. Lack of engine protection plate. This is something I feel Honda should provide in all of their cars being low on ground clearance. Or at least provide as an official accessory.
O. Poorest damping at the back. There are tons of road noises and won't be a quiet place even on highways.
P. Basic speedometer.

[vtecblast]

Now, let's take you to the kitchen and learn how did this donut land up in our garage.

It wasn't as easy as visiting SuperDonuts or DunkinDonuts and getting it.

I was assigned a superb handling vehicle, which was basic and powerful enough. (Wait, I'm lying, I was planning an engine swap in it). Introducing, Zen.

Quick introduction:
Model: Zen LX (ignore the LXi badging)
Purchase year: 1998
Engine: 1.0L G10B
Odo reading at the time of selling: 2.18 lakh

Our family's first car, clocked 2.18lakh km easily without any major repair (only the clutch was changed twice) and took every sort of abuse an average middle-class family puts their vehicle through. Probably, more than that because we belonged the hills and the car rarely hit the highways.
Why the upgrade?
1. The car aging pretty bad. We weren't even able to use AC because of the unavailability of AC gas refills in our city.
2. Had served us well but was unreliable for long runs.
3. Lack of safety features.
4. The car was close to its registration's end.
With these factors in mind, In 2017, September, the search started. With a budget of close to 7 lakhs.
Requirements:
A. A hatchback, because the car had to be city-driven and we had Scorpio for our outstation duties and honestly at that time we didn't travel much.
B. A Petrol engine; because there should be one in every garage.
C. Unsacrificingly comfortable because my daily driving included (pre-covid times) mostly in city drive covering close to 80kms daily.
D. Space wasn't any primary factor for our consideration as the vehicle was meant to be bought only for my use, and I generally have only one co-passenger in my car. (I regret this part a bit now)
E. Should be at the top of safety features.
F. Top variant This was just because I'm a firm believer of factory-fit's quality. I didn't want to add anything to the car that's aftermarket. (Might become an ironical statement afterward.)
G. Should obviously be more powerful.

H. Should have good lower-end torque, and stiff suspension. These all because they make the hill drives easy and fun.
I. Shouldn't be a Maruti Suzuki, this was there because we had plenty of them and we were bored with them.

Vehicles considered:
1. Etios Liva V
Pros:
A. Torquey engine
B. Toyota's reliability
Cons:
A. Dated dashboard
B. Placing of the speedometer
C. Flimsy quality of the door panels.
I liked it but rejected it because I can't stand the middle-placed speedometer. Because I find them distracting.
2. Ford Figo Titanium
Pros:
A. Best driveability of all the hatchbacks (until Brio was test-driven).
B. Feature loaded.
C. Everything felt so tightly packed made me feel safe in it
Cons:
A. Hard seats
B. Engine at higher RPMs felt lazy

Since the cons weren't something I couldn't literally work with, I went ahead and booked this vehicle in white color since it was year-end and the dealer had one parked in his stockyard. So we got it around our budget. With only carpet mats as a free accessory.
3. Volkswagen Polo, this was struck off from the list as the top variant was out of our budget. So, didn't even bother to take a test drive.

[vtecblast]

"Wait, Brio brooo!" moment

After booking Figo, my mother picked a date on which the delivery of the vehicle was to be taken. With this, we started with finance management. A day after this with my friend, I saw a brand new Honda Brio on the road while coming from a place. I asked him about the review of the vehicle since he already had one in his family, and he suggested me try it because petrolhead in me would be pleased by it, he knew it. Taking his suggestion.
The next day, I went to Admire Honda, checked the car. Mr. Anmol, the salesperson, introduced me to everything in the car, he was quite of a connoisseur of Honda vehicles and answered all the queries I had even the technical ones.
Initial reviews of the car: (before testdrive)
Pros:
A. Confident styling
B. Rear all-glass looks cool to me. Quality was also passed as Mr. Anmol literally slammed the boot as hard as he can and it didn't budge. Honestly, with the amount of pressure he applied, I was afraid that it would break, and I took few steps back in order to prevent myself from the glass.
C. Interior feels upmarket.
D. Steering was appropriately sized.
E. Seats had good support at the front
Cons:
A. Boot-space!
B. Speedometer looks pretty basic.
C. Lack of the proper security system and vehicle locator (Doesn't have an alarm)
D. Lack of automatic climate control.
E. Rear seat space.

Test drive experience:
Now it was time for enough talking, let the car speak for itself too. The salesperson warmed up the car (for the first time I witnessed it generally showroom guys don't seem to care about it), he took the vehicle out from the showroom's gate, pulled a burnout, and bam vtec-kicked in yo! I was amazed by how this silent kid of the class turned out to be the most aggressive one. When the vtec moment arrived, I was able to feel it making me stick to my seat. After a kilometer or two, he then handed me the car. I was behind the wheel for the first time in just approx 300ms, that car felt like home. It handled exactly like I wanted it to be, precise. Powerful enough to bring a smile to my face. Comfortable enough, for my daily drives. Handled the corners pretty well. Was silent enough to give me peace. This was one thing I wanted because I have been near loud diesel engines since my birth, they are amazing but I can't bear the sound of the diesel engines as my daily driven vehicle. Either it has to be a dead silent diesel engine or it should be petrol.
I liked the vehicle and keeping the cons of the product, I was in the middle of my heart and brain. I had two choices, either a totally practical package that has everything in it, Figo, or perfect driveability one, Brio. And you know what I chose.

So without wasting much time, got on getting the deal from the dealer, year-end offers from Honda had insurance of the car for Rs.1, that's it. The dealer added mats, mud flaps, a divinity idol, car air freshener, 3M paint protection for 1 year, and leatherette seat covers. They also offered an exchange bonus for Rs.5,000/- the package seemed pretty good to us and the Deal was locked at Rs. 6,08,000/- for Rallye Red color and VX MT variant. On the very next day, I went to Ford and canceled the booking. The advisor there to my surprise was very understanding. He gently asked me only once the reason for the cancellation, me being a straightforward person told him about booking the Brio. He appreciated the vehicle and wished me happy miles the car (didn't seem sarcastic at least by expressions).

On Dec 12, we took the delivery of our Donut.



The image is from the inspection day (sepia filter to get you the feels). As I don't have any pictures of the delivery because I switched so many phones since then it got lost in the data transfer process.

Hurdles faced during the delivery:
The deal was locked on Dec 3, 2017, with a full payment transferred to the bank account. The dealer assured us that the Rallye Red color will be made available to us by Dec 12, but since the manufacturing stops by November end and continues in February and there wasn't any red color in the company's stockyard. The dealer insisted that we go for pearl white color and offered us more discounts on that, but something was there in Red color that didn't make me agree to settle on white. I asked him that, we'll wait till February for our car to arrive. After a day, he called us and informed us that there's an October manufactured vehicle available. If we agree he can get us that vehicle, to which I put up a condition that before anything I'll inspect it, then only I can decide. The car arrived on Dec 11 evening, I inspected and it passed and was delivered to us on Dec 12 evening.

[vtecblast]

Maintainence and aging of Donut
1. The first service was scheduled at 1000kms which was clocked in 3 weeks because I enjoyed it and hit the highways right after it got its license plate. It was more like a general check-up, I still went ahead and got its oil filter changed because I felt the initial stage of the engine bites a lot of the metal and I over-maintain or spoil (as per everyone who knows me) my cars. The cabin filter was also fitted by this time because Honda thought of saving money there as well.
2. The Second service was done at 5,000kms just because I have to take the car on a lot of hill station trips. I had the option of taking other cars but, you might understand the excitement of taking the car to test its capabilities.


The picture is right after I returned to my home and all the hill station trips were ended. The car had gone through a lot of torture and now it was pampering time.
Services done:
a. Engine oil (0w-20, Idemitsu fully synthetic)
b. Oil filter and air filter change
c. General check-up
d. Underbody was inspected for any potential damage, just to be on the safer side. There was a 3M underbody protection that was also applied for rust prevention.
e. 3M Paint Protection's 1st coat was also done.
The car was good to go.


Intervals were then every 10,000 kilometers or 6 months. I generally get the service done by 9,000kilometers and get the oil filter changed at 4k or 4.5k km.

3. At 15,000 km
a. General above-mentioned checks and filter changes.
b. There was a rear left suspension leak that was found and replaced under warranty.

4. At 21,000 km the factory fit Goodyears lost my confidence in them and I swapped them with Michelin Energy XM2 185/65 one for a wide stance and as Michelins are my all-time favorite. The 175 looked thinner according to the wider appearance of the Donut's rear.


5. Close to 24,000 km I started upgrading the oils according to my preferences. So, shifted from Idemitsu 0w-20 to Mobil 1 Ultimate All round performance 0w-40 and changed the transmission oil to Redline 75w-90. The car had a demonic possession performance. Changed the oil filters and 'upgraded' to K&N panel air filter (more on this later).

6. At 31,000 km Donut's performance was decreased to a certain extent. The demonic spirit got to leave the car and not even the stock performance was retrieved now. Trust me, I didn't even contact Ed and Lorraine Warren for this (The Conjuring reference). I took the car to A.S.S, they opened the throttle body and it was having a lot of dust which was to be cleaned immediately.


The culprit was open particulate filters in the air filter, which turned out to be a faulty piece. I immediately sent the picture to the dealer from which it was bought, after a few minute conversation he accepted to refund me the amount was received within a day. Moving ahead, I got the whole service done as the particles might have entered the engine and could develop sludge. Since it was 30,000kms, the spark plugs were changed and timing belts were inspected. For the engine oil, I picked Amsoil XL 5w-30 Fully Synthetic engine oil. The change in the grades, offered me better mileage as compared to earlier 0w-40. A stock air filter was installed, and the oil filter was replaced.
7. 32,000 km and I ordered a BMC panel air filter, which turned out to be a good investment. It has a very low yet distinctive intake sound which is heard on aggressive pulls.

Now 35,940km on the odo

The car has been trouble-free totally till date (puts kaala-teeka on her). The demonic possession is still there and I've started to like it. Amsoil and BMC combination is working perfectly as of now. With the last K&N case, I inspect the throttle body after every 1,000 km. BMC has been cleaned recently close to 35,800 km. The lockdown and recent spike in the Covid-19 cases have made the Donut parked for good. We hope to unlock more adventures as soon as things get better.

[vtecblast]

Modifications:
1. Honda badge removal: I found out in Indonesian spec Brios there wasn't any ugly Honda name badge.
Representation image:

Credits: Google Image
So, I went ahead and did it. Got a much cleaner look.


2. Stock speakers were good but lacked clarity. So, speakers were upgraded to DD Redline components for front and Focal Performance 2 way-Co-axials for rear paired with the stock head unit. Cost (3800/- + 4300/- = Rs. 8100/-) A damping treatment at the doors was also done to enhance the audio experience. Cost close to 9,000/- for CTK gold damping.


3. Since, the vehicle had a lot of highway runs an armrest was becoming essential in the car. I went through the accessories brochure and found a close-to-stock-looking armrest that was tightly held. I ordered it and got it for 2,700/- it's a bit extravagant cost but it's the best available.

Armrest's mounting image:

The rear bottle holder was sacrificed here but that's the cost I'm willing to live with taking the higher advantage of the product.

Has decent storage too. A Donut and Nutella match made in heaven.
Fun Fact: I always carry Nutella in my Donut just in case if I want to add on anything I could easily do it.
4. As mentioned the overall headlamp throw of the car is good but typically designed to perform best within city limits only. Any time trip to outstation will make you realize the small throw of the headlamps. The expense of retro-fitting projector headlamps seemed to be a bit messy task. After researching a bit, I went ahead with upgrading the fog lamp's halogen bulb to Osram HID.

The beam was set at a higher level by me as often I switch on Fog lamps on highways or hill drives only. The reason being I avoid using high beams in most cases.
Headlamp low beam and Fog lamp combined




5. The dealer-fitted seat cover got at an end of its life by 2020, January. So, I contacted a local seat cover manufacturer (MSI Car Seat cover Factory) and told her my preferences. The lady is knowledgeable of the works she carries. Heard all my preferences and got the job done. I'm a fan of red stitching on black seats and got the same done. Time consumed 6 hours and costed 9k including the seat cushion modification, Under thigh support was to be enhanced as the stock seats lack it.

6. Door edge guards by Honda, does the job and looks pretty good.

[vtecblast]

Accidents:
Only one till now **touches wood**
1. The lady in the front (Tata Nano) was learning how to drive and suddenly a snake-spirited Activa rider made a quick entrance in the lane and the lady panicked and she slammed the brakes hard, the gap was pretty less for my reflexes to work good and Donut kissed the rear of Nano. The speed was under 30km/h, so not much loss here. The bumper mounts got bent which was fixed by denter.

[vtecblast]

Experiences worth sharing:
1. My friends' Forester and Thar. While Forester being the best of both worlds.

2. For few weeks, the dash and steering were favorite places of Scotch (my pet) to rest (when parked). He still tries to get there until he realizes that he's a grown potato that cannot fit there.


Now, his favorite place in Donut is the rear parcel tray

3. A trip to Chopta was also undertaken by me in the Donut. Was an impromptu plan with nothing planned at all. As a result, it wasn't a very successful one. Still, for good memories, things shouldn't always be perfect.


4. Numerous highway trips are undertaken by me in Donut being my sort of home on wheels car, the longest I covered is a 700kms highway trip in 2019 (to Alwar, Rajasthan) which has all got me happy and she didn't cause me any sort of issues.
5. Scotch on his way to vacation to Bhimtal in Donut. It was his second vacation and we decided to take Donut only. I have never missed adjustable headrests that insanely ever as much as on this trip. Because for the leash and harness to be tightened, we got no space for it. Anyway, another lesson learnt.


Some Images :

1. The badge of perfect driveablity:



2. My home on wheels (trying Fasbeam angle)


3. Our home's two laals (favorite kid in-home) These are the only two vehicles that get covered parking in our home while Scorpio and WagonR stay parked in open.


Future plans and upgrades:
1. Honestly, my requirements for a car are increasing but so is my love for Donut. Donut sometimes struggles to fulfill them, but currently, since that can be fulfilled with other cars at home I don't think towards that side.
2. I might get a remap whenever this Virus (Covid-19) decides to loosen its grip from our necks. Had a word with Wolf Moto, the guy was pretty knowledgeable and patient. He explained the whole process thoroughly and all the queries were answered by him in as many details as possible.
3. A compulsory rotors upgrade is due. I Will do it after my research would be complete. (stay tuned!)
With this Donut bids adieu. And wishes you all a lot of happy driving miles ahead.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[GTO]

Great review of one of the most fun-to-drive hatchbacks sold in India . Thanks for sharing. Your car is going to the top of our homepage today. That small footprint, rev-happy engine & low stance made the Brio feel like a go-kart to me. I vividly remember pushing it on some curvy roads in Vizag.

You should now start souping it up. Better rims, tyres, blackened grille + roof, free-flow exhaust, intake, remap...the works. These Hondas are very welcoming of such enhancements.

[mohitchalla]

Fantastic review! The Brio was one of Honda India's best offerings. They should have not discontinued it. If it was updated periodically, it would make for an awesome hatchback.

[DriverNo.420]

Man the Donut sure looks imposing in front of the bigger Donut(compass). I love seeing Honda Brio owners adoring their car here. I'm a not fan of Honda for for no reason. Cars like this are the reason I love honda.
I remember back in the day, the first car I ever redlined was a Honda Brio. I was underage and the car belonged to my friend's father. Such responsible chaps we were. I actually got scared because of the aggressive manner it leapt forward after 4000 rpm(I was a driving noob that can also be the reason though). I could feel the blood pumping through my brain as the car went screaming at 70km/h. That's the reason to love the Brio. It makes you feel like you're going way faster than you actually are. It became my dream car and I never actually got around buying one.

PS. Love the beagle <3

[uc_drives]

Hello @vtecblast. Amazing review of your Honda Brio. One off the best hatches available in India. Being an owner of a 2012 Honda Brio V MT, in rallye red, I can very well relate how much of a delight it is to drive. Also, I have seen your car couple of times parked at UPES, Dehradun. I am also from Dehradun and pursuing my bachelors from UPES. Very happy to see a Dehradun registered car in the forum i.e very rare . Would love to join up for a drive. You can PM me if you wanna catchup. Good luck & Stay safe mate!!

[vtecblast]

Originally Posted by GTO

Great review of one of the most fun-to-drive hatchbacks sold in India . Thanks for sharing. Your car is going to the top of our homepage today. That small footprint, rev-happy engine & low stance made the Brio feel like a go-kart to me. I vividly remember pushing it on some curvy roads in Vizag.

You should now start souping it up. Better rims, tyres, blackened grille + roof, free-flow exhaust, intake, remap...the works. These Hondas are very welcoming of such enhancements.

Glad you liked it. I still remember reading your review and getting excited while waiting after booking it An exhaust and a remap is in the list. Let's hope it's done this year.

Originally Posted by mohitchalla

Fantastic review! The Brio was one of Honda India's best offerings. They should have not discontinued it. If it was updated periodically, it would make for an awesome hatchback.

Certainly. I hope they launch the new generation here in India as well. This might boost up Honda's presence in the Indian market.

Originally Posted by DriverNo.420

Man the Donut sure looks imposing in front of the bigger Donut(compass). I love seeing Honda Brio owners adoring their car here. I'm a not fan of Honda for for no reason. Cars like this are the reason I love honda.
I remember back in the day, the first car I ever redlined was a Honda Brio. I was underage and the car belonged to my friend's father. Such responsible chaps we were. I actually got scared because of the aggressive manner it leapt forward after 4000 rpm(I was a driving noob that can also be the reason though). I could feel the blood pumping through my brain as the car went screaming at 70km/h. That's the reason to love the Brio. It makes you feel like you're going way faster than you actually are. It became my dream car and I never actually got around buying one.

PS. Love the beagle <3

I hope she's not jealous. The bigger donut is Red because the smaller one was Red. It definitely started the red addiction in our family. Seriously, that scream gets you addicted. Sometimes, I do let it go to all the way to 6800rpm on 2nd gear. She hits 89kmph by then. But sure with all this fun the mileage takes a huge toll.
Also, Scotch says "thanks!"

[SenPai_GTi]

Quite a unique review, had a lot of fun reading it. When we were looking for a small city car, I had always wanted to go for a second hand Brio, but since we already had a Honda in our stable and with the base model Brio's being out of our reach, decided to settle with a Tata Nano. But I secretly still want to upgrade to the good old Brio.

Originally Posted by vtecblast

C. Not an ideal car after a leg-day. The car is rev-happy but there will be a significant drop in mileage once you start driving it aggressively. On some of my days, I have even got close to 8km/l mileage.

I completely understand your plight. Even after a 50km test drive, my SA has been unable to understand the reason as to why my City only delivers 12kmpl on the highway (don't even want to start on it's city mileage).

[eyeman]

Fantastic review. I can see that a lot of heart has gone into it. I have always liked the Brio, though I have never owned one. Good looks, and of course it is a Honda. Enjoy many more years with your Donut.