The Honda Brio received its mid-cycle refresh not too long ago. On that note, the compact hatchback is looking to offer Filipino car buyers a fiercer look, an updated interior, and a familiar drive.
But are new exterior and interior appointments enough for car buyers to go with the new Honda Brio? Let’s find out by checking its pros and cons.
While the new Honda Brio got more than an updated front end, the most notable change to its exterior can be found at the fore.
The hot hatch from Honda now wears a bolder grille that dropped its honeycomb design in exchange for a more updated mesh-type pattern. The said grille is also noticeably larger than the outgoing model, which gives the compact car a rather angry demeanor.
In addition, the Honda Brio also now has a new front bumper design that comes with an updated housing for the front fog lamps.
Other changes found outside the Honda Brio include new side mirrors, a new rear diffuser, a rearranged badges.
The cabin of the new Honda Brio obviously had gone through a few changes as reflected by its sleeker dashboard with colored accents.
It also has an analog instrument cluster, a seven-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus Android smartphone mirroring by way of a dedicated USB port.
The range-topping variant also gets six speakers.
While there are definitely plenty of plastic appointments inside the Honda Brio, we were particularly captivated by the seats that come in either black with gray accent or black with red accent that undoubtedly give off that iconic 90’s vibe.
Powering the Honda Brio is the same 1.2-liter powerplant used in the pre-facelift model. It can either be mated to a five-speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable transmission.
Familiar power figures can be seen and felt as the said setup makes around 88 horses with 110 Newton-meters of torque.
On that note, upgrading car buyers — especially those coming from the old in-line, four-cylinder, iVTEC Honda Brio — will enjoy a familiar drive when sitting behind the wheel of this hatchback’s latest iteration.
The Honda Brio does pack decent safety features but does not come with the famed Honda Sensing like the now-updated Honda City.
Nevertheless, the Honda Brio does offer owners safety technologies like airbags and seatbelts, an anti-lock braking system, rear parking sensors, an immobilizer, as well as the brand’s GCON body structure.
The Honda Brio is priced affordably, so probably packing it with more safety features might only make it more expensive.
The Honda Brio, though packaged with striking looks, could use a little love from the brand’s official accessories department — Modulo.
Instead of Honda Brio owners buying cheap third-party aftermarket parts, it would be good to have the option to get bodykits and other accessories for the hatchback straight from the factory.
That means owners will not have to cut and sand the Honda Brio’s components just to make the accessories they purchased online fit.
The new Honda Brio does offer advantages that outweigh its disadvantages.
Honda stuck by not fixing what’s not broken and kept the reliable 1.2-liter gasoline mill under the hood of the new Brio. The exterior and interior updates also make it a more modern-looking hatchback that’s sure to match the energy of many of today’s car buyers.
The Honda Brio is offered in four variants (S MT, V CVT, RS CVT, and RS Black Top CVT) and is priced from P735,000 to P863,000.
Photos from Ruben Manahan IV and Juan Paulo Papa
Also read:
Spotting the differences: Old vs. new Honda Brio
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