2019 Honda Brio: Is it priced right?

Honda took its own sweet time to launch the new 2019 Brio. This was a much-needed upgrade that the Brio should have received a while ago. But better late than never, right? Launched in the last month, the 2019 Honda Brio tries to impress everyone with its new looks, some new features, and power. It is available in 3 variants - S MT, V CVT, and RS CVT - and comes at a starting price of Php 585,000. So, does the latest Brio is worth all the hassle and justifies its price tag? Let us find out.

Honda studied the current hatchback segment in the country, took some notes, and understood the requirements. Then it went back to its shed and got to work. The result was the new 2019 Brio which is a much better-looking car than its predecessor, and we think you would agree to this. Gone is the cute boyish styling and the 2019 Honda Brio is now more mature thanks to its revised looks. Its front end features large multi-reflector halogen headlamps and LED parking light guide. The front bumper has been made a bit sportier. And we still have the signature Honda grille with a re-worked design. And it is not just the front, Honda has changed elements on the sides and at the rear as well. The side profile of the new Brio shows off the new alloy wheels whereas the rear end wears the small tail light cluster perfectly along with the sporty roof-mounted spoiler.

The previous model of the Brio looked tiny but it had a good amount of cabin space for a hatchback and this was one of its USPs. Honda wanted to have this feature as one of the selling points of the new Brio as well and that’s why it made it a bit bigger. As a result, the space on the inside has increased marginally. 2019 Brio had matured on the inside as well. Honda has removed the round-shaped elements and added more angular parts. It also added silver or orange linings which varies depending on the variant you pick. There is also a new seven-inch touch screen infotainment system with Bluetooth and USB support.

Honda didn’t want the new Brio to be just a facelift perhaps that’s why it decided to replace the old 1.3-litre engine with a new one. The 2019 Honda Brio specs have a 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol engine that churns out 90 PS of max power at 6,000 rpm and 110 Nm of peak torque at 4,800 rpm. It comes mated to either a manual transmission or Honda’s Earth Dreams technology CVT unit. But the engine remains the same across all the variants.

While we appreciate Honda’s efforts in making the new Brio as good as possible, it’s a bit disappointing to see the same minimal safety features as before. Apart from just dual front airbags and ABS, we were expecting to see much more. There are a handful of alternatives to the 2019 Honda Brio. We have the Toyota Wigo which is priced a bit lower but has a puny 1.0-litre engine. The Mitsubishi Mirage in today’s world and time feels out-dated and is priced much higher than the Brio. Although it has an engine with similar displacement, the mill produces much less power (78 PS) when compared to that of the 2019 Brio. Then we have the Chevrolet Spark which does ignite a spark with its modern and attractive looks and has a 1.4-litre engine that produces 99 PS of power. However, it has a high starting price of Php 694,888.

We are not saying that the aforementioned alternative cars are rubbish. They are good in their own way. Some have better features and others offer better fuel efficiency. It is just that when you look at the bigger picture, the new Honda Brio seems to be an optimal combination of everything. Yes, there is still room for improvement and we hope Honda will make the next iteration even better. But even with its flaws, the 2019 Brio appears to be a better package overall. And you can even make it even better by spending a bit more and getting the range-topping RS variant. Considering all of this, it would be fair to say the 2019 Honda Brio price is just right.