Honda BR-V

We welcome Honda’s compact SUV into our garage

IT’S SPACIOUS, IT’S practical, and it’s a Honda. So, the BR-V does have a few things going for it. For starters, real space and the perception of it is absolutely brilliant. Not to mention the super economical 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel that it shares with the Amaze and the Mobilio. Yet, there are a few counts on which this Honda falls short of the competition. You don’t need a long term review to figure this bit out. Our review in evo India Issue #33 (June 2016) of this newest kid from Honda’s block will have told you what we think of this Bold

IRecreational Vehicle, which is also the extension for BR-V. What we couldn’t have told you at the time is what it’s like to live with the BR-V over an extended period of time – essentially the ownership experience. But now that Honda has provided us with a top-of-theline diesel BR-V to put through the paces, we look forward to telling you what life is like with this new SUV.

To begin with, it’s delightful to drive a big car (remember, despite its classification as a compact SUV, the BR-V is actually 4.5 metres long and is longer than the Creta) that is also economical to drive. Over the past couple of weeks since we’ve had the car, I’ve been seeing the average fuel economy figure on the digital trip computer consistently hover around 16-18kmpl. Considering that this is what we got while mostly driving through peak Pune traffic, I’d be willing to predict that over the course of the long term test our pockets will certainly not be overly lightened in our current cash strapped scenario. The other thing we love about this car is the amount of space it has to offer (both, perceived as well as real). There’s acres of knee room in the middle row and even the last row of seating, which is the car’s trump card over most of its rivals, is not really cramped. Besides, the huge glass area all around means that the perception of