The new Honda BR-V gets a new 6-speed manual gearbox for the Indonesian market paired to a 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol motor and could make it to India as well in the future.
While the western markets get the HR-V to compete in the compact SUV segment, Honda has also developed the BR-V compact SUV for markets like South East Asia that could make it to the Indian market next year. For now, the BR-V made its Indonesian debut at the GIIAS last month and Honda has received around 1600 bookings for the model ahead of the official launch expected early next year. The BR-V is based on the Brio platform, but dawns a different front fascia and is a good looking relative in the family.
Honda Indonesia will be launching the new BR-V in three variants namely S, E and Prestige with prices starting from 230 million Indonesian Rupiah going up to 265 million Indonesian Rupiah (approx. Rs. 10.83 lakhs – Rs. 12.48 lakhs). The compact SUV measures 4.4-metres in length making it longer than the Renault Duster and will also rival the Maruti S-Cross, Hyundai Creta and Nissan Terrano in India. The SUV comes with a ground clearance of over 200 mm, which certainly works for our market. For Indonesia, the BR-V is powered by a 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine producing 120 PS and 145 Nm of torque, and is paired to a newly developed 6-speed manual gearbox. There is also a CVT transmission on offer.
In addition, the Honda BR-V comes loaded with features including projector lights, LED DRLs, steering mounted controls, touchscreen infotainment unit, ABS, EBD, VSC, HSA and much more. Pleasantly, the dashboard isn’t shared with other Brio based models either and looks premium. The BR-V makes a lot of sense for India and since the automaker already uses a lot of local content on its Brio models, the same will help keep prices competitive. For the Indian market, Honda will also employ its 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel motor on the SUV that will bring in the volumes. A 2016 Auto Expo showcase seems to be on the cards.
