100 days of Honda Brio

Author's note: I really appreciate all the advice everyone gave me on which Android smartphone to choose and welcome more opinions on the same. One of the more common replies I got was "Just choose one and go for it. The more you check things out, the more confused you will get." They are right, of course. And if you think choosing a mobile is taking me long, let me assure you... choosing my first car took the better part of eight months and even caused a company to cancel production of a car!

Chapter 1: The Criteria

The DDLJ garden pose!

When the need to get a car for everyday purposes finally overcame my willingness to compromise, there were a few things that were a priority to me when I started making my list.

1. A petrol engine: Irrespective of the sky-high rates petrol is going, the fact is that I would never be doing 40kms a day (or it's monthly equivalent) on a regular basis.

2. Mileage: It does matter.

3. Hatchback.

4. Ease of driving: More on this later.

5. Looks: I know it is subjective for all but then, have you see the new StingRay? Who designs such boxy models anymore?!

6. Not a Maruti: In 2011, if you had asked me, I would have blindly said 'Maruti only', citing the 'gazillion service centers-cheap parts-Indian' trinity. Somewhere down the line, my priorities changed. Exclusivity became a major factor.

7. Price: below 7 lakhs. But I was willing to compromise for quality.

Chapter 2: The Contestants

We are indeed blessed as compared to a decade ago in that we have over a dozen vehicles that actually fit that criteria, ranging from the Tata Nano on one end to the Skoda Fabia at the other end of the spectrum. Again, I realize everyone has their own individual opinions and choices so bear with me even if you disagree. 

• Toyota Liva: Toyota, to me, made a major misstep here. They had the best chance to use their reputation and launch an awesome sauce hatchback in India. What they gave us instead was miles below their usual caliber. The dashboard parts are shoddy (even after re-doing it this year) and the petrol engine was one of the weakest I test-drove, struggling so bad I wanted to prescribe nebulisers and inhalers for it's breathlessness (sorry, that's doc talk). 

• Volkswagon Polo: Loved the build and quality. Oh, these Germans. There was much to adore in the fit and finish. The engine was better than the Liva but not the best. The priority for boot space over rear leg room seemed a bit baffling for me but perhaps makes more sense for a country thinking of a 'two adults in front, two kids in back" concept. Still, it was definitely on my list.

• Ford Figo: Much better than I expected, frankly. As with the previous two, the diesel engine was better than the petrol. Very affordable prices. He was very much, in the running to be chosen.

• Hyundai i10/20: Did not really consider Hyundai because we have an i20 at home. 

• Tata Nano: Well, I was in the showroom and one of the salesmen came over with a couple who wanted a test drive and led them straight to me. It took him a good thirty seconds of turning his key in my... 'let's say' pocket before he realised I just look suspiciously like a Tata Nano because of my belly and was not the test-drive car. Not a big Tata fan... poor after-sales service. Sad that Fiat chose them as their after-sales service partner. Ruled Fiat out instantly. 

• Nissan Micra: I think the new one has improved over the older version I drove but I felt it was just okay, while driving. Nothing great.

• Honda Jazz: This I coveted badly. I remember seeing it when I was a pg in Pune and thinking 'meh' because I was not that much of a car-freak. But once, I went through the sites, read and saw the reviews, it seemed like a total diva for me. The ultimate in luxury hatchbacks, the joy of Honda's unmatched petrol engine and looks that were unique. It would have meant compromising on price (7.52 on road) and mileage (decent, but not great.) And yet, I almost finalized on it. 

Chapter 3: The Twist     

Long-term followers of Godyears know that I and God have a wonderful relationship. 

I choose/decide something and God goes "Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha No." If you were following the recent mobile debate, you would have known that I had been leaning slightly towards the HTC One. Of course, God noted it down in his 'Screw Roshan' register and well, HTC One disappeared from all online stores and even most of your regular mobile showrooms in India presently. Yes, I'm that good. You don't believe me?

Earlier this year, I had all but signed the papers on buying a Honda Jazz when Big G up in heaven noticed my desire. He did his inky-pinky-ponky-thingy and out of the blue, Honda announced to everyone's surprise that they were stopping production and sale of the Jazz altogether in India. The 'official' reason they gave was that they were focusing on the launch of Amaze in the coming months. But we all know it was me, don't we? 

Yes. I confess... I made the Japanese stop selling Honda Jazz and the Taiwanese stop selling HTC Ones in India. 

Chapter 4: The Surprise Winner.

With Jazz out of the reckoning, there was once more the small issue of finding a car to buy after eight months of reading reviews, debating with owners and watching videos. While visiting the Honda showroom in Kannur (big thumbs up to them for being so accommodating, courteous and nice), I did get a glimpse of the Brio as well. Unique design aside, I did like the build quality and dynamics and ended up asking for a test-drive. And that was when I truly fell in love with it. Two days later, I signed the papers for the newly configured top end model Honda Brio VX-MT and a long month later, the Brio came home.

Chapter 5: The Experience

So what was so cool about the Brio that got me enamoured when I had not even considered it the first time around? Well, it's the same factors that I mentioned at at the beginning and still talk about when people ask me even today. 

1. Petrol engine: Honda's 88bhp 1.2L i-VTec remains the best in the business. There is no sensation of struggling over slopes and inclinations. This was the same engine that Jazz had but now mated onto a much lighter body, you can imagine what it does to the overall peppiness of the vehicle. The engine is silent to the point of raising a doubt whether the car is actually running or not. Gear-shifts are buttery smooth too.

2. Mileage: The brochure claims 19.2 kmpl, I believe. 3000kms and a service later, I would say from experience that I get roughly 15-16kmpl in regular traffic and 17-18kmpl on the highway. Honda has an Eco-light feature which lights up when you are driving at your most fuel-efficient best. One morning, when I was in no particular hurry and had no cases for the day, I did take the car out onto the highway for a 50 km ride, aiming explicitly to keep that green light on as much as possible. When I was done, the indicator revealed that using the Eco-light as a guide had given me 21 kmpl. All of this with the A/C on, mind you (...yes, I'm a snob. Get over it.). Something to consider when you are not in a hurry to reach your destination. 

Seriously, does it not look like a toy?

3. Hatchback: On the outside, it looks like a small toy. It's smaller than most of it's rivals. But the difference is Honda knows to scoop out space on the inside. I've taken my family, fellow doctors and their kids along and all have commented on that aspect: the rear seat legroom is a lot more than they anticipated and they can relax and sit inside. The quality of materials used is what you expect from a brand like Honda (Toyota Liva, please note the point!). 

I love the electric blue shade. Stands out in a crowd.

4. Ease of driving: I'm not a regular driver and this is my first car. I want to openly and sincerely thank Honda for making me so much more comfortable and at ease while driving. The car is as good as an automatic, allowing for a leisurely ride with minimal gear-shifts necessary. I had chosen the new top-end model so I got all the required bells-and-whistles and also the rear defogger and driver-seat height adjust, two major complaints from the original version. For those wondering, quick acceleration does take a second more but you can literally feel the moment the engine kicks in and the car zooms ahead. Unlike other cars which seem to struggle or appear breathless, this car races ahead with an almost race-car like roar,which is so unlike it's normal silent demeanour.  Steering too is very responsive and allows for some wonderful maneuverability in tight angles. 

The glass boot is actually quite
sturdy in reality.

5. Exclusivity: Maruti produces and delivers nearly 15-17,000 Maruti Dzires' in one month ALONE. Honda, at their full production capacity of 10,000 cars a month of all their brands, sold 32,000 Brios last year. And while I do see a quite a few Brios in my hometown, driving off to other parts of Kerala reveal surprisingly few Brios along the way. Maruti, Hyundai and Tata truly rule the hatchback roost in our state at least. So if you are driving a Brio and see a blue Brio flashing its blinkers at you, take it for granted... that's me saying 'Hi five, Brio bro/gal/in-between.'

Other points to note:

• Boot space: From experience, I would say two regular luggage bags and a laptop bag. Still, a 60:40 split of the rear seats like they did in the Jazz would have been wonderful.
• Had planned to change the music system with the money I had saved but I now enjoy the one provided. There is no CD player, mind you, but that was never an issue for me. Please note: Unlike most USB ports which are horny men looking to pair up with any willing pen drive, my car's USB port was a demanding female who had a swayamwar of pen drives whom she rejected before finally accepting and singing for the Sandisk Cruze model. (I don't know if it is an anomaly or others with the same Honda music system faced it too. She would read the others but normal bumps on the road would cause her to stop. Can you imagine... she even turned down Batman!! I mean, who the hell turns down Batman???)
  
  

  

  Batman was not
  amused

• Love the steering wheel - not just the audio controls - but the tactile feel itself. There are even contusions at 10 and 2 o clock where your thumbs would be while driving. 
• I added the blue lights below the driver and passenger seats.They light up when the doors are opened. I like the effect it gives.

  

  Too much Blue!?! There's no
  such thing as too much Blue!!

• Perfect car for city travel but was remarkably stable even at much higher speeds. No sense of wobbling or loss of control. Friends who have driven it too concur. 

That's it from my side. From Mangalore to Kochi, the car has already been places in its first hundred days and taken me along with it for the journey too, as a courtesy. It's an absolute pleasure for riding enthusiasts and newbies alike and will likely convert the latter towards the former group, if you give it a chance. 

On our first day out.