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-   -   Honda BR-V : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/176456-honda-br-v-official-review-11.html)

Why are we even comparing the Brio with the B-RV? It might share the same platform but platform sharing has nothing to do with the actual car. VW MQB platform is used from hatchback Polo to luxury car Superb.

The B-RV now gets the same interiors as the City and not the Brio so again whats the relation to the Brio? Infact even the interior quality was on par with the City.

The engines are 1.5L petrol and diesel again not from the Brio but from the City. Infact the B-RV gets a new 6 speed gearbox in the petrol which even the City doesn't have.

Size wise, the B-RV is same as a Scorpio so again not sure where the Brio fits here.

Surprised you are saying so!

Dashboard is same as Amaze refresh except in black. City / Jazz share a similar "looking" dashboard, but there are enough differences in looks and parts quality between the two.

BRV will soon share it's dashboard with the Brio and Mobilio as well, before September as per media sources. These variants are already released internationally, specially Brio facelift which is also exported from India.

Steering wheel again is shared with Brio/ Amaze, except the top end variant.

Their is no visible parts sharing between the two, nor looks. Similarly with i20 and Creta. There is no visible looks/dashboard sharing between these two, except for the smaller parts like buttons.

Interior of the BRV is shared almost fully as mentioned above. Brio in the upcoming facelift. Amaze already.

The differences with the City and B-RV are not much. There's a difference in the passenger side of the dash and that silver moulding on the top of the dash but overall looks similar. If you remember the Jazz review, we found the Jazz interiors slightly better than even the City.

Yes, in detail the City and B-RV interiors are not same but definitely not same as Brio. The Amaze is not updated and now similar to Jazz as well.

I didn't really notice any difference in plastic quality of the B-RV and City. Both are below average imo. The City has a piano black and silver as a differentiator but I actually hate that silver strip in the City and prefer the JAzz/B-RV.

And sharing the dashboard somehow makes BRV less value for money?

Hyundai has invested in a new dashboard for Creta, I agree. But anything else that you can think of? How is Creta *really* different from i20? Can you make a list of atleast 5 points? Remember, you can't say things like "bigger engine etc", because they apply to BRV too.

Honda has NOT invested in a new unique dashboard for the BRV. But their investment has gone into making the BRV a flexible 7 seater package.

BRV has poor features (wrt Creta) too is a weak argument. Because you are not considering things like Roof mounted AC with separate condensor, the actual presence of 3rd row seats, reclining 2nd and 3rd row seats, tumbling 2nd row seats as "features". You know, these things cost money too!

For some reason, everything seems to end at "Amaze dashboard" and "no touchscreen"

http://www.team-bhp.com/news/indones...elift-unveiled

Yes. I'm talking of the Brio facelift which shares the same new dashboard as Amaze, and would be launched by festive season. Currently dashboard is a distinguishing factor with Brio, but not Amaze.

Console meters, headunit for ICE, climate control units are all visible differences between the Jazz/ City line. These in itself make a big difference to the cabin.

Edit-

Ahem... Where did I mention above its not value for money? I'm only replying to Vidyut's comment that dashboard is same as City.

I can very well understand from your posts that you see full value in the seven seater petrol automatic. Yes, that's a unique combination BRV brings to the table. And I agree it does seem the best for your requirements, specifically because Mobilio does not have an automatic option. :)

That said, I don't find the diesel variant to be appealing and the pricing to be on the higher side compared to City, Jazz, Mobilio etc and the competition. As is evident, majority feels that way too. Now you can't make them all understand the value you see, because the way each person approaches the car is different. :D

PS- Regarding platform sharing, I'll pass the question now since I'm browsing from mobile.

Yup, I know the Brio facelift is expected soon with the same interiors as Amaze and B-RV but I don't see what's so bad in that?

Earlier the Amaze and Mobilio were sharing the interiors with the Brio which was really basic interiors and in the Amaze and Mobilio they really looked cheap.

Honda then decided let's give the Amaze and B-RV interiors similar to the premium Jazz and City and later on even the Brio we can update. The Jazz and City dashboard was more contemporary and didn't receive negative feedback.

Now we are complaining that Honda is using the same interiors as Amaze and upcoming Brio?

Barring the Creta which has very nice interiors, let's compare the interiors to similar vehicles like Scorpio, Lodgy and Duster. None of these have great interiors and are priced on par with B-RV so why are we singling out the B-RV?

Personally, I too feel the B-RV is overpriced by 1 lakh but it does have it's USP.

The design may be similar, but the City has better plastics as compared to the BR-V. Overall the City has good fit and finish and feels far more premium than the BR-V, so when Honda decides to price the latter higher, it doesn't look completely justified.

I agree. The BR-V isn't poorly built, in fact it has better quality than the Duster/Lodgy. And let's not even get cars like the Scorpio into the picture lol:

All said and done, while the BR-V is competent, it should've been priced at the same level as the Mobilio. At the current prices, I don't see it selling more than 2.5-3k per month.

All I'm saying is criticism of both the car and manufacturer should be rational and well-thought out.

I agree regarding City quality Vs BRV quality. My non-enthusiast friend and his wife, impressed by BRV's "Out there" television ad had shortlisted BRV. But after checking out the BRV, they jumped into the City and even they found perceptible difference in quality of interiors. They booked the Honda City instead. I have a feeling the presence of Sunroof in the Honda City might have had something to do with the decision though, because they mentioned it an awful lot of times :D

Is the BRV priced above the Honda City? For which variant? The Honda BRV CVT is priced exactly the same as Honda City V CVT in Bangalore.


I thought so too. But after I did my research on taxes (in various forms) that manufacturers have to give the state and central govt for each car (almost 50% of on road price), I have new respect for them. I actually wonder how manufacturers manage to give so much for so less.

Yikes! I read your post again, and it looks like I jumped the gun. Please do accept my apologies!

Caught up with the entire BR-V thread over the weekend. A shout out to the reviewers for coming up with a fantastic write-up.
I think much of the disappointment about the BR-V is on account of the mismatch in expectations. The BR-V will certainly find a fair share of customers, who see value in the seven seats (err, shall I say six!) and a Honda badge, but for somebody like me, who was waiting to see how Honda lightens up the compact SUV segment, the BR-V has been a let down. I knew for certain that it will unlikely be a hit among enthusiasts when I saw the car up and close at the auto expo in February. :Frustrati

In fact, I am bewildered with Honda's attitude towards India. The management refuses to realise that customers are willing to pay a premium for good products in a country where the aspirational class is on the rise. Gone are the days when medicore products at premium pricing will be lapped up by masses.

As a Honda customer, I am all the more disappointed because I love my City (ivtec), but I do not have an option to upgrade within the Honda family. I will be happy if BR-V does not live up to Honda's expectations as far as sales are concerned. It may just force the company to do some soul searching and go back to the drawing board to rethink its India plans. please:

Well the MQB is a modular chassis for a reason.

The other issue is the lack of differentiation. The Brio to the BRV gets the same poor NVH package , trashy suspension . Not to mention the side panels which resemble the Brio. The Amaze Brio and Mobilio share body panels and even the front end design .

I don't think the Polo and the Passat don't share interiors body panels or NVH package. The Superb does have much better insulation than the Polo.

The City interiors themselves are not a benchmark in that segment. The BRV costs more than the City.

The Scorpio,Lodgy and Duster have other USPs as well. The BRV is overpriced for a vehicle with no USP.

It's obvious you don't like the BR-V which is perfectly fine.
But, can you please care to back up your statements with facts?
How do you know the NVH package in Brio is same as the BRV?
In fact, the engines are itself different. So, I am curious to know how you reached the conclusion.

Same applies to the 'trashy' suspension. As per the official review in Team BHP, the ride quality is 'complaint'. Even all other reviews have also mentioned the ride quality of the BR-V as sufficiently good.

And side panels resembling Brio? How ridiculous is that?
Companies follow some design language .. there are similar looking panels used by various companies across cars. What's the big deal about it?

I can understand that you are not happy with the BR-V sharing the dashboard with the new Amaze and the soon-to-be-launched Brio facelift. Even I don't like it. At least, Honda should have provided a better ICE for this price range..may be something similar to the Jazz/City with reverse sensors/camera etc.

Let's not digress stick to the BR-V. There are examples of part sharing and engine sharing across the board. Check out the steering and power window switches of Maruti cars and the 'premium' Nexa cars. And what about sharing the national engine? lol:
At least, Honda offered the 1.5 petrol with a new 6-speed gearbox instead of the 5-speed one in the City.

BR-V is not perfect, far from it. But, bashing it for the sake of bashing can't be encouraged.

For many years initially when Honda came into the Indian market it was bare bone to say the least. The numbers were ticking due to brand value and the refined Honda engine. In later years they realized that due to competition and started improving other aspects of the flagship City. The Indian automobile market has tremendously grown and the consumer is much more aware. The brv though a good product, when such a lot is depending on it IMHO Honda shouldn't have compromised to the extent they did.

I really like the jingle used in the BR-V TV commercial.

And very impressive because it looks an original composition done by the agency Mullen Lintas.

The full version can be found here: Let the hunt begin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5SMzdTXYQc

Btw 2nd row seats do not fold flat in BRV as they do in others in the same category. While some might find it ok but for me its a hinderance. Also I don't see too many BRVs on road yet.

I don't think customer deliveries have started yet, atleast, not in case of my dealer here in Bangalore.

I guess you want something like this - totally flat 2nd and 3rd row seats.



You won't get that in the BRV, but its not the 2nd row that's the problem. It tumbles away leaving a flat floor.



It's the 3rd row issue. If you fold it flat, you don't get a flat floor.



But even this row tumbles forward - so you can get a flat floor in the entire cabin, but with a "partition" in the middle.