With an average age of 55.5 years old, Honda owners are a loyal bunch that value quality and reliability, values that Honda is renowned for. As a result, the brand is known as ‘commonsensical’ rather than ‘cool’ and, until now, Honda hasn’t had an answer for younger buyers looking for a dash of excitement. Enter the Brio, a sub-compact city car that, if our first impressions are anything to go by, establishes Honda as a serious contender in the A0-segment.
The Honda Brio is all-new from the ground up and while it borrows some elements from the larger Jazz, it’s unique enough for Honda to use it as the platform from which to spawn other models; possibly even a sub-compact SUV to take-on the Ford EcoSport and Chevrolet Trax.
The chassis is essentially a shortened version of that of the Jazz, with the wheelbase being 155 mm shorter and the overall length being 290 mm shorter. The roof line is also 40 mm lower than the Jazz, but the new Brio remains almost as wide at 1 680 mm, ensuring enough shoulder room between front and rear passengers. Sharing a similar width as the Jazz, the Brio has wide stance on it’s humble wheelbase, giving it a solid and sure-footed appearance compared to some of it’s taller and narrower competitors.
The exterior design follows a ‘double triangle’ design according to Honda, but you’ll be hard pressed to identify these shapes, if at all, by studying the character lines on the sides of the car. The Brio is certainly memorable and easily identifiable among the small car crowd. Large, swept back headlights flank a chrome grille and a deep air intake has been designed to emphasise the car’s width. The theme is continued at the rear, with tail-light units that extend to the very edge of the body, while a frame-less glass tailgate is something of a novelty in the segment and is a nod to the similarly, black bordered, hatches of the CR-Z and Civic.
Interior space is more than expected, both in terms of leg and headroom in both the front and rear. Unsurprisingly, the boot is limited, but here too, it’s deeper one might expect and if packed strategically, Honda claim you’d be able to squeeze in 161-litres with the rear seats in place, or a useful 519-litres when folded flat. The instrumentation is logical in its layout and has all the basic covered, namely, a prominent speedometer, supplemented by a tachometer and warning light cluster. A trip computer and electronic fuel gauge are also included.
The seats are comfortable, offer enough support and the front items look good too with their integrated head restraints. The only possible drawback to the interior is its beige colour scheme, which won’t look pristine for very long if the car is used for transporting tiny-tots or students post-tot. The Brio is fitted as standard with a radio/CD/MP3-player, steering wheel mounted audio controls, USB and Auxiliary inputs, as well as offering 3 cup holders in centre console and a bottle holder in either front door pocket.
Taking into account the latter, safety is taken care of with an inherently sturdy body shell that incorporates Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) and G-Force Control Technology (G-Con). These engineering methods are designed to dissipate energy upon impact to the benefit of both passengers and pedestrians. Honda have combined these passive safety measures with Anti-lock Brakes (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), dual front airbags and speed sensitive Electric Power Steering (EPS).
The Brio is powered by a suitably small and efficient 1.2-litre petrol engine, which uses all 4-cylinders and every cubic centimetre of its 1 198-litre displacement to muster up 65 kW at 6 000 r/min and 109 Nm of torque at 4 500 r/min. The torque figure may sound rather low, but it’s on-par with that of competitors, such as the Chevrolet Spark with 60 kW and 108 Nm, and Honda have tuned the engine to spread its torque across as wide a rev range as possible.
That being said, you do need to work the 5-speed manual transmission in order to maintain momentum, but the manual ‘box provides an accurate enough and hassle-free shift. A 5-speed automatic transmission is also available, but no examples were available for us to sample on the launch. The 1.2-litre engine requires an average of 5.6 L/100km, or 6.3 L/100km when paired with the automatic transmission. An ‘Eco’ indicator is also present on the driver’s instrumentation to promote economical driving.
The Brio feels substantial on the move and not like you might need to brace yourself from shock-waves of wind left in the wake of passing trucks. The suspension is comfortable and deals with the usual urban obstacles, such as manhole covers and joins in the road, without fuss. The cabin proved adequately insulated from wind and road noise on our mix of central business district and extra-urban driving around Cape Town.
The new Honda Brio is a welcome addition to the sub-compact class and offers light-hearted motoring for a maturing audience. It’s unique styling means it genuinely stands out from the crowd and Honda also offer a number of accessories for those looking to personalise the Brio to their own taste.
| Pricing (Incl. VAT and CO2 Tax) | |
| Honda Brio 1.2 Comfort M/T | R119 800 |
| Honda Brio 1.2 Comfort A/T | R129 800 |
All models feature a 3-year/100 000 km warranty and 2-year/30 000 km service plan.
