BOLDLY RUNNING ABOUT IN BALER
All-New Honda BR-V:
IT TOOK LESS THAN 500 kilometers for Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. to convince a group of journalists that the new Honda BR-V compact SUV could take all the ups and downs and twists and turns the tough Sierra Madre mountain range could dish out.
That’s how long the driving course was, which the group ran on Jan. 18 and 19. On the first day, the route started from Cauayan in Isabela Province and ended in the surfing town of Baler in Aurora province, nearly 200 kilometers away. Then, it took all of the second day, and 290 kilometers, to traverse the Sierra Madre range anew on the way back to HCPI’s headquarters in Bonifacio Global City.
Georges Ramirez and his crew, who managed the route and convoy of vehicles during the trip (no racing and overtaking allowed), gave each participant the chance to experience driving and riding in the BR-V in various road conditions — city streets, straight and twisty country roads, expressways, coastal routes and mountain trails with unpredictable surfaces, most of which set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Sierra Madre range and the eastern Luzon seaboard.
Every kilometer served a purpose, as HCPI intended the rideanddrive activity to showcase the BR-V’s power, comfort, versatility, spacious interior, drivability, and safety features.
And which is precisely why Mr. Ramirez’ team brought us all the way up to Isabela, down to Baler and back to Manila via one of the more challenging mountain routes in Luzon: To test the power, handling, and fuel efficiency of the BR-V. A big, fat check on all three, as the BR-V took on the tight turns of the mountain passes with no tires screeching, and the entire trip yielded an average of 11kpl fuel consumption result — remarkable considering the challenges of the varying road conditions, plus the evening rush-hour traffic experienced on EDSA during the return trip.
ACES UP ITS SLEEVE
The BR-V enters the crowded Philippine SUV market with a couple of aces up its sleeve. Firstly, it offers seating for seven and a 223-liter cargo space. Secondly, its entry-level price slots below the million-peso mark; the 1.5S CVT variant costs P989,000, and even the top-spec 1.5V Navi CVT Modulo sells for P1.185 million, not quite as dizzying as the relentless zigzags of the Sierra Madre.
And, apparently, these aces have clicked with Filipino buyers. HCPI reports that over 2,000 reservations of the unit have been placed, and 700 have been delivered since the model’s introduction in early December 2016.
Atsushi Arisaka, chief engineer of the BR-V, and who had flown in from Honda’s headquarters in Japan to join the Baler trip, explained the special characteristics of the BR-V as an SUV: “The BR-V has exclusive components, such as revised suspension geometry, enhanced body rigidity, heightened air intake duct position, large tire size, and functional roof rails.” Add to that would be a relatively high ground clearance of 201 millimeters.
Honda was also able to harness a small 1.5-liter gasoline engine and make it sufficiently powerful enough to haul a seven-seat SUV, thanks largely to its Earth Dreams Technology continuously variable transmission.
Of course, it goes without saying that the BR-V’s safety features, such as vehicle and hill-start assist systems, and three-point seatbelts were well appreciated. Driver and front passenger airbags, as well as ISOFIX child seat anchors were on standby, just in case, too.
The drive’s participants, however, couldn’t test the spaciousness of the BR-V with all seven seats occupied, with luggage. We leave that to prospective buyers to test drive the cars for themselves ( bring six companions and give the SUV a spin to see if it fits you, literally and figuratively).
But if you’ll be alone inside the BR-V most of the time during out-of-towners, then lucky you. Because then you bring lots of pasalubong when you get back. Otherwise, what’s all that generous cargo and passenger space for?