It has been a long time since Honda has entered Indian market space. The company that once said that the need of diesel engine is not needed in India succumbed to the drowning sales of products and finally developed the Earth Dreams diesel engine. Now Honda uses the same engine to power all their diesel products in India. Starting from Amaze, Jazz, Mobilio, City to newly launched BR-V. The recently launched seven-seat car has been long due from Honda. This also becomes the first diesel SUV by Honda in India. Let’s find out if the newest launch of Honda has enough flair create an impact in the market.
Looks
Even though Honda is tagging the BR-V as an SUV, the car is genuinely a crossover. It is not aggressive enough in terms of looks, but carries signature Honda elements in the design. The headlamps and the front single bar chrome grille are designed in sync and surely increase the good looks of the vehicle. Right down below, there is skid plate painted in silver making the car look more rugged.
On the rear, the BR-V looks very interesting. The connected tail-lamps look unique and add a lot of character to the BR-V. The silver skid plate is also placed in the rear of the car and there is a chrome bar above the number plate.
It is from the side that the BR-V disappoints the most. The door panels look straight from the Mobilio and kills the SUV appearance of the car. Also, Honda fits standard 16-inch wheels, an inch more could have played a vital role in the looks department.
The looks of the BR-V are subjective; you may like it but it definitely does not lives up to the SUV name.
Interiors
The BR-V gets dual tone black-grey interiors. In top variant, the seats, armrests, and steering wheel is wrapped in leather. The dashboard looks unmistakeably similar to the Honda Amaze. The black and white infotainment system can play through USB, AUX-in, Bluetooth and radio waves. There is a separate screen on the dashboard for the AC unit.
The steering wheel gets buttons for phone answer and controlling the media system. BR-V also gets a start/stop button.
The seats on the BR-V are not comfortable too. They are thinner than the usual seats to make up for space and yet, does not give any advantage on space front. In order to fit 7 seats in the car, Honda cramped the leg room, knee room and shoulder space. Even the under thigh support is not up to the mark. The last row seats are good for children, if an adult try to fit there, the journey would not be comfortable. There are roof mounted AC vents to keep the second and third row temperature under control though.
Engine
Two engine options are 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol and 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. The petrol one produces a maximum of 117 PS at 6,600 rpm and comes mated with 5-speed manual gearbox or automatic CVT with paddle shifters with 15.4 km/l efficiency for the manual. The diesel unit produces a maximum of 99 PS at 3,600 rpm with fuel efficiency of 21.9 km/l.
Should you buy one?
Now the starting price is from Rs. 8.75 lakh. This price puts the car in the league of Renault Duster, Tata Safari Storme, and the likes. Even though Honda is selling the car as an SUV, it surely does not possess any SUV capability. If you really want an SUV, then this is not the car for you. If you are looking for a stylish looking MPV with 7 seats and good driving dynamics, BR-V can be on top of your list.
