Honda BR-V India review, test drive

At long last, Honda is ready with its small SUV, the new BR-V. Can it take the fight to the established competition?

Published on Apr 28, 2016 02:30:00 PM

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Make : Honda

Model : BR-V

What is it?

The BR-V is Honda’s new small SUV for India. It’s an all-new model but comes built on the same platform as the Honda Brio, Amaze and Mobilio models. In case you are wondering, BR-V expands to 'Bold Runabout Vehicle' and Honda has no pretensions in admitting this is a car meant for an urban clientele. Those looking for something with mud-plugging ability had better look elsewhere. Not to say the BR-V is an exception. Rather, it fits right into a market segment where off-road prowess is rarely ever a consideration for buyers. You are probably already familiar with the Hyundai Creta, Maruti S-cross, Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano that the BR-V will take on, so let’s get straight to it and see where and how the Honda hopes to differentiate itself.

The first thing of note is its length. With a length of 4,456mm, the BR-V is the longest of the small SUVs and by quite a margin. For perspective, a Hyundai Creta measures 4,270mm from end-to-end. Second, the BR-V is not immediately identifiable as a Brio, Amaze and Mobilio platform mate, at least when viewed from the front, and that’s a good thing. The BR-V’s squared-out bonnet, angular headlamps and chrome-rich two-part grille has given it a bespoke face and it looks all the better for it. However, see it in profile and you could mistake it for a Mobilio; the upward shoulder line and distinctive kinked window line are shared with the MPV.

Third, the BR-V doesn’t have a classic SUV stance. The roof isn’t all that high, the body looks narrow for all its length and the long rear overhang is, again, more MPV than SUV. That the cabin area past the rear wheels has been used to hold a third row of seats, making the Honda the only seven-seater in its segment, is something we’ll get to in a bit.

There’s the usual dosage of roof rails, scuff plates at the bumpers and cladding on the wheel arches and doors. The 16-inch wheels also standout, as much for their attractive design as for how they look a size small for the BR-V’s large body. As for styling at the tail, it's attractive if a touch on the flamboyant side. There’s a solid chrome shroud for the number plate mount and a reflector that runs the width of the tail to link the smart-looking tail-lamps. Actually, the tail scores for practical reasons rather than for pure aesthetics; the large rear windscreen offers good visibility and the tailgate extends low down which makes loading and unloading luggage easy. What’s also nice is that even with all seven seats up, there’s a decent amount of luggage room in the BR-V. The rearmost seat can also be folded forward and flipped to free up as much as 691 litres of boot space.