[Hvt77]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Trying to figure out how BRV sits 20mm taller than Creta off the ground, while being 36mm taller overall. Never realized this till a member pointed it out yesterday.

The height difference, if any seems negligible. But the length and the low waist line makes the BRV look much shorter than it really is in specs-

Attachment 1510430

I noticed that the original image from the review was slightly tilted, sloping down to the right, so I adjusted it by -0.5 degrees and re-applied the grid-lines, hope this is more accurate:



This shows how the Creta has slightly bigger tires, but the main difference is in the glass area, which starts a lot lower in the BR-V, and goes till the same height as the Creta, thus the bigger glass area, but lower-feeling MPVish stance (apart from the longer length of course)!

[adimicra]

I don't think the look of the BR-V is going to be an issue for the majority of the prospective buyers. The car looks handsome from the front and grabs attention. Yes, it does look like an MPV from certain angles but I don't think it is going to be a deal breaker.

The main issue I see with the BRV is the dashboard and the overall interiors. Fitting the same dash from the Amaze in a car costing double is definitely not acceptable when the Amaze itself struggles in it's own segment when it comes to interior aesthetics. The audio system in particular looks so archaic, almost medieval and the lack of reverse camera/sensors/steering phone controls etc is just not done.
The car does tick most checkboxes when it comes to practicality though. But buyers in this price range are not just looking for practicality ..they are looking for something to wow them, something desirable and BRV clearly fails in that category, particularly from the inside. Honda's cost cutting and greediness to blame here, they are not willing to learn the lessons.

Someone please ask Honda India to get the HRV and the Civic first.
Even if those cars are priced higher than the competition, they will at least help the ever declining image of Honda in India.
Honda India needs to lift their image sooner than later.

[shibujp]

Does it look good as MPV standards, yes. Does it fit the compact SUV bill - not really. The only angle from which it looks remotely SUVish is straight on.

It's been a long time since a Honda design excited. The Civic was the last one that did. Even now they just look ageless. But since then the it's been a design dought.

Honda develops some fabulous engines. But none of them seem to find their way to India. Except perhaps the 1.5 in the Honda City.

Sorry but the BRV to me is just another chapter in Honda's chapter of producing mediocre cars and over pricing them. Great space and decent looks but the current incumbent are either more talented or cheaper.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Mad Max]

Looks like a compelling case for a 7 seater.

But with those interiors, I'd have positioned this for both commercial and private buyers and made the Mobilio private buyer only. Mobilio doesn't hold a candle to it's competitors and hence would be anyways a failure. Making it commercial could potentially give it a slight boost in terms of sales.

Does anyone have a pic of a Mobilio and BR-V standing side to side like the Creta and BR-V pic posted above? I'd be curious to see the results.

Edit: The below link has some pictures comparing the two

http://honda-brv.blogspot.com/

Interesting to see the differences.

[zenx]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

The problem with the BRV however is that it is positioned as a value for money offering (more space, extreme parts sharing, sparse features list, unexciting looks, average diesel option, average fit and finish), but priced against aspirational products. From many of the previous posts, it is obvious that the most aspirational feature of the BRV is the Honda badge.

Hits the nail on the head. I have no gripes about the looks - it's actually a nice looking car and I don't care what the "tag" is, or how similr it is to the Mobilio. I don't care about touchscreens - the sound quality is decent and I'm good with that. The car's efficient and though not "as good as earlier Hondas", should be a long term keep.

But I think I'm going to wait for the inevitable price correction on this one

[bhpindian]

Hi
Firstly I am very thankful to Aditya and Rehan for such a comprehensive review.
The details in this review are very important.
I had test driven Honda BRV diesel a few days back and your review has aided my decision to book one.
Our family family of 5 was looking for a MUV(Not SUV) in market.
Our Hyundai Verna CRDI VGT 2006 has already crossed 2 lakh km, so we decided to go easy on her and book a new MUV(Not SUV) to accommodate additional family members due in future.
We were considering Innova, Lodgy, Ertiga since a few days and waiting for upgraded Crysta.
I saw BRV picturess during Auto Expo 2016 and added it to our prospective buying list ONLY because of 3 row of seats.
3 abreast in compact SUV in any compact SUV and MUV is not comfortable for our family as it doesn't allow any lateral freedom to shoulder which is uncomfortable on long journeys(for our family).
We expected Innova to move up a segment and be expensive than before.
New engines are powerful, feature list also has grown and comfort is supreme as ever.
But prospect of driving it in our cities congested narrow road by my father and wife reduced its use by 2 of 4 drivers in our family.
Top end version going upwards of 20 lakh made us to look at base version which also reduced its chances.
So we decided to check out new MUVish SUV Honda BRV.
4 of us went for test drive separately and finally 5 of us together and were satisfied by the drive.
Riverside Honda in Sangli had only Diesel model for test drive.
ARAI mileage figures of petrol along with linear power delivery of diesel made us finalise diesel.
I do feel they should have offered Reverse camera and touch screen.
So after 5 test test drives we have booked Honda BRV VX diesel.
We plant to add Touchscreen and reverse camera as aftermarket fittment.

[BUXX]

Originally Posted by smartcat

However, light build does not necessary mean "bad build quality". Remember, this is a car that has got 5 star safety (with ESC) rating for adults and 4 star safety rating for children. Getting a 4 star safety rating for children is really a very big deal. It means the BR-V is strong where it really needs to be.

That Child Safety rating came because of the ISOFIX+ESC in the Indonesian variant- the version sold here doesn't have that, so should be 3 Star actually.

Slightly OT:
Just a thought, but currently one does have 3 Automatic MPV's from completely different segments:

• Ertiga AT: 9.5L OTR (Delhi)
• BR-V CVT: 13.5L OTR (Delhi)
• Innova Crysta AT (Diesel, but Petrol AT should should also launch by Diwali) Diesel: 19L OTR , Petrol maybe 16-17L

What you get in the Crysta is a substantially larger, much handsome looking car that will depreciate quite well in comparison to the others.

is it worth the wait ? On the other hand, the Petrol AT (if it comes) is expected to be quite the fuel guzzler and also be too large for daily office drive.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by BUXX

That Child Safety rating came because of the ISOFIX+ESC in the Indonesian variant- the version sold here doesn't have that, so should be 3 Star actually.

Good point there, I agree!

Innova Crysta AT (Diesel, but Petrol AT should should also launch by Diwali) Diesel: 19L OTR , Petrol maybe 16-17L What you get in the Crysta is a substantially larger, much handsome looking car that will depreciate quite well in comparison to the others.

is it worth the wait ? On the other hand, the Petrol AT (if it comes) is expected to be quite the fuel guzzler and also be too large for daily office drive.

I guess the petrol Innova would be approx 1.5 lacs cheaper.

But petrol + AT sounds like a bad idea on a 1.8 tonne vehicle. Expect 6 kmpl in the city and 10 kmpl on the highways, and a massive depreciation when its time to sell.

Other options:

1) Renault Lodgy AMT at a Rs. 60K premium to the manual variant. Supposed to be launched in June/July, but I haven't heard anything else on this front.

2) You will have Tata Hexa AT diesel option in the future too, but I expect it to be priced closer to GX variant of Innova Crysta AT.

3) XUV 500 W6/W8 AT can be as practical as a MUV if you fit a roof box on top.

[BUXX]

Renault is really as good in quality as a Mahindra/Tata. With a Family vehicle , one would need absolute reliability. + the AMT is not something you would want in a big fat MPV..

BR-V does strike a nice balance between want and need.

Ertiga's main chink is that it does not have any luggage space with 3 rows up and 4 Adult+Kids will need some
Also, the fact that the 3rd row folks sitting SO close to the rear bumper gives me jitters.

Crysta has some really good stuff,even in the base variant.Proper 8-Seater compared to Br-V's 6/7 , ISOFIX, 3 point seatbelts, Knee airbag & acres of space over the BR-V. is the 3.5L probable extra justified over the BR-V? Hmmmm

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by BUXX

Renault is really as good in quality as a Mahindra/Tata. With a Family vehicle , one would need absolute reliability. + the AMT is not something you would want in a big fat MPV..

Being a Duster owner, I thought you would like the Lodgy. Whenever I mentioned to aam junta that "I'm considering the automatic Lodgy", I always get that "are you crazy?" looks. But not when I say that same thing to a Duster owner (I know a few!) - they all love their Renault!

BR-V does strike a nice balance between want and need.

In this price range, BR-V CVT is perfect choice. It has no competition right now.

Crysta has some really good stuff,even in the base variant.Proper 8-Seater compared to Br-V's 6/7 , ISOFIX, 3 point seatbelts, Knee airbag & acres of space over the BR-V. is the 3.5L probable extra justified over the BR-V? Hmmmm

If you can afford the on road price, the extra asking price can be easily justified. Check this thread -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/suvs-m...-vs-lodgy.html

[-xplora-]

Originally Posted by BUXX

That Child Safety rating came because of the ISOFIX+ESC in the Indonesian variant- the version sold here doesn't have that, so should be 3 Star actually.

ISOFIX affects the child safety rating part not adult rating part, it will affect overall, but not having ISOFIX and ESC will remove one star not two. BR-V Indian version as per ASEAN NCAP would be 4 star. Again stars is one thing, its individual % rating that is important. Where BR-V will score similar except the hit of the above two items.

Honda has specific child seats for BR-V, three variants. Which might act as a pseudo ISOFIX in terms of stability. Lots of child-seats are seat-belt hooked also, though ISOFIX is a better hook.

Have been reading a lot about ISOFIX vs non-ISOFIX child seats. Both have pros and cons. For frontal impact results are better for belted ones, for side impacts ISOFIX is better. The biggest problem with belted seats is improper installation by the parents, if installation is proper then the difference is not much, infact in some cases its better. Plus lighter weight and can be used in multiple cars without ISOFIX. Having said that, having ISOFIX anchors is better than not having one, simply because you get a choice of the kind of seat you want to use.

Also to note is that less than 4 years child is recommended read facing seat, else front facing.

[aptiwa]

Originally Posted by Hvt77

Attachment 1510945

This shows how the Creta has slightly bigger tires, but the main difference is in the glass area, which starts a lot lower in the BR-V, and goes till the same height as the Creta, thus the bigger glass area, but lower-feeling MPVish stance (apart from the longer length of course)!

I'm wondering if there is anyone who does window-sill cladding. That should take care of the too much glass area and make the shoulder line more appealing like Creta!
Of course, my kids would hate that since their view gets blocked.

Originally Posted by -xplora-


Also to note is that less than 4 years child is recommended read facing seat, else front facing.

It's actually 18 months and not 4 years. (Technically height and weight is the determinant but age is used as a proxy)
I had rear facing seats till my kids reached 18 months post which their legs used to be constricted by the actual seat. I then bought a forward facing one and they're still OK in it even though they just turned 4. I'm now looking to buy the simpler backless booster seats and fix them using the regular belts.

[BUXX]

@Smartcat: Have sold off my Duster . It was a lovely vehicle and my first love. All good there.

Lodgy Stepway is nice looking but still funny at the rear and the AMT is not here yet. and the car is not doing well (unpredictable future)

@-xplora- : Child safety is already at 4-Star for the Indonesian version with ISOFIX+ESC. Indian version, without the same, will take out one star= 3 Star

[Horizon85]

Thanks for the awesome review!!

Somehow I am getting a feeling that Honda BR-V will fill up the void created by Toyota Innova. Innova Crysta may not be an affordable option for everyone and BR-V hits that spot on.

Remember, earlier Chevrolet has benefited from Toyota discontinuing the iconic Qualis. Chevrolet Tavera started selling a lot during that time. Same may happen when Toyota discontinues the current generation Innova.

[Hvt77]

Originally Posted by BUXX

Lodgy Stepway is nice looking but still funny at the rear and the AMT is not here yet. and the car is not doing well (unpredictable future)

Breaking news about the Lodgy, posted an hour back: renault to focus Lodgy for commercial fleet sales, not sure if its good news for retail buyers!

AMT variant still mentioned as "coming soon" with no timelines.

Lodgy to get new lease of life in commercial fleet segment

PS: The report also says Crysta has got 18k booking in 2 weeks since launch!! Compare this to 4k bookings for BRV in 3 weeks, no marks for guessing who still rules the MPV category despite all "greediness" with price increases etc! :-)