Honda BR-V Long Term Review – First Report

Honda BR-V Long Term Review

The Honda BR-V is in the territory of compact SUVs having an advantage of 7 seat practicality

So I had the Honda Mobilio a couple of years back in our long term fleet and I had no issues driving it. The only thing that I had in my mind was the weird image of me driving around a 7-seater MPV alone with the other 6 seats empty most of the time. Now, after all this while when the BR-V was scheduled to come my way, I wasn’t much excited about it as those thoughts came back to my mind because the BR-V is essentially an improved version of the Mobilio.

Honda sent us a range topping white BR-V and when it arrived at our place, the first glance made me say “not bad”. The BR-V actually doesn’t look that MPVish in the white colour and additionally, those shiny alloys and some sharp design elements up front makes it look quite upright unlike the Mobilio. Yes, if you look at it from the dead side profile, it might end up giving some MPV cues and that’s because of the longish wheelbase. Otherwise the Honda BR-V is a much more pleasant looking 7-seater than the Mobilio and I really don’t feel that embarrassed driving a 7-seater alone around town.

The interiors of the BR-V are also more presentable and look youthful unlike the Brio borrowed dashboard in the other siblings. You now get an all-black theme with good quality leatherette seats. The dashboard gets black and grey tones with silver accents in between. The steering is borrowed from the Civic, which looks really cool and feels great to hold. So the overall aesthetics are up to the mark and I have no complaints on the styling front but what about practicality and day to day usage?

Lack of crucial features in the BR-V is a letdown for me, specially while parking because this rather long 7-seater doesn’t get a rear parking camera, not even parking sensors. Sometimes it gets quite risky to park in tight spots even if there is enough space. Also, the infotainment system is very basic lacking a touchscreen and navigation system in 2017, which even the Mobilio had! Some of the dealers offer these features as accessories and it’s high time that Honda comes up with such necessary features as standard on the top-of-the line variants at least.

Having said that, Honda has still provided some convenience features such as keyless entry with push button start/stop system, rear AC and a very practical third row of seats. I find the driving position quite confidence inspiring and the seat height adjust has a good range of flexibility. Even the ingress/egress is fantastic, you just have to walk in, which is convenient for the elderly. Third row is easily accessible with a flick of the middle seat and it has decent space since you can slide the middle row forward. Even with the third row up you have enough space for a suitcase and a few more bags.

The i-DTEC provides good acceleration and fantastic efficiency for a 7-seater

We have the diesel powered test car and I’m quite satisfied with the way it drives and the running cost is quite low too. The engine is quite noisy at cold starts and generally also you will keep noticing the diesel clatter because the NVH isn’t up to the mark. However, the motor is quite free to rev and it pulls the car strongly in the mid-range, which helps in negotiating the traffic well. The lag is barely noticeable and you can really get it going with quick shifts with the slick 6-speed gearbox and light clutch.

The ride feels a bit stiff at slow speeds but it gets pliant when you gain speed. The steering is quite responsive to your inputs too and it doesn’t feel vague at corners. I’ve been driving the BR-V in city all this while and I’m getting a fantastic average fuel economy of 17.5 km/l. I will be taking it out for long drives soon so stay tuned for the next report meanwhile I explore some other aspects of the BR-V. Let us know if you want to ask anything specific about the BR-V.

Further Reading –

Honda BR-V Video Review
Honda BR-V Review
Honda BR-V Travelogue