LONG-TERM TESTS

It’s time to bid this practical vehicle adieu and we look back on our time with it

Honda BR-V and Mahindra Thar go away

TTIME FLIES THEY SAY. I disagree. I think time rockets by at a pace that most of us can’t even comprehend. Otherwise how does one explain that my time with the BR-V is up already? Strange as it may seem, my calendar tells me that such is indeed the case. I even had the chance to drive one at Kari during our awards and was pleasantly surprised with its dynamics. If only those tyres were better. So having lived with Honda’s last product (before the recently launched WR-V) for over a quarter of a year, here’s a summary what I liked living with and a couple of things that I wouldn’t miss at all.

THE ECONOMY – What we have with us is the diesel BR-V with Honda’s 1.5-litre i-DTEC engine. The vehicle has consistently returned an overall average fuel economy of 19kmpl. The lowest we have seen thus far is 16.4 while the highest has been an incredible 25.1!

THE SPACE – Like the Mobilio before it, the BR-V is blessed with an amazing amount of space. Every row of seating offers ample leg and knee room. There’s decent headroom too. So on long drives or when stuck in traffic there’s no feeling of being cramped.

THE SEATS – They are wide and well cushioned. Not overtly soft and saggy. Sure, they lack a little bit of support but the width allows a bit of movement.

THE SOUND DAMPING – Thanks to low levels of sound damping material being employed, the BR-V is rather noisy. From the engine noise to the noise of tyres rolling over the road to all other ambient noise, everything filters through to the cabin, making conversation or listening to music difficult.

THE MUSIC SYSTEM – In this age of touchscreen infotainment systems, the old world system is completely outdated. The fact that the system isn’t the easiest to use doesn’t help the Honda’s cause either. ⌧