The Honda Brio was launched back in the year 2011 with a price tag of just under 5 lacs. With Maruti Swift ruling this segment, the Brio did not make huge sales numbers. But, yes, it did manage to create a fan following.
Even now, after a decade, people who owned the Honda Brio swear by its drive quality, reliability and overall peace of mind ownership experience.
It was not a popular car back then, but the used car market shows that it has become one now. With an asking price of just around (or under) 3.5 lacs, one can imagine that the car is sought after. And many people are convinced that this car is worth the asking price.
Before you think of making a move, let me point on some of the common problems you might have to deal with if you buy a used Honda Brio (2011-2019).
Fuel bunk guys overfilling the tires
On most fuel bunks, the tire pressure is set to a universal 30 PSI and left there unless someone makes a special request.
To our dismay, not a lot of people know that the Honda Brio runs on tire pressure lower than 30 PSI. Specifically, Honda recommends filling 29 PSI at the front and 26 PSI at the back.
Now, if the owner of the car has not been informed about this situation, they could have experienced even stiffer ride quality. Some might even have experienced hydroplaning. Running higher than what’s recommended can increase the tire wear (at the centre) and cause the wearing of suspension components.
So, if you are dealing with such an owner, make sure to check the tire wear and suspension noises.
Honda Brio did not have the best quality
Honda Brio did not have the build quality of the Jazz from the same era. It was still better than its immediate competitor Maruti Swift, though.
Over time, the Brio would develop rattles in the dashboard and window area. The hard plastics all over do contribute to this, along with the stiff suspension setup.
Even the windows upfront have a two-centimeter play. If you keep the windows slightly rolled down, the vibrations become evident.
Similar to the situation found on the Civic, the roof can develop a leak. Just like the Civic, under the roof rail channel, the metal would rust and cause leaks over time. You can check the roof liner for any reminiscence.
It reminds you that Honda made it affordable by making it cheap!
No tilt and reach adjustment for steering wheel
For all the variants except the top one, the Honda Brio did not have the basic option of steering adjust-ability. It might seem a huge deal now, back then, it was not a common feature in hatchbacks in India.
With the absence of steering wheel adjust-ability, tall drivers might find their knees bumping while egress. Also, finding a good driving position might seem a challenge for some as the steering is positioned lower.
This creates a new problem. Tall people (say 5’10 and above) might not be able to see the speed of the vehicle as the steering wheel comes in the line of sight. So, the speedometer hides behind the upper crest of the steering.
Imagine handing over a speeding ticket just because you could not see the speed of your Honda Brio.
This was partially corrected by Honda in 2016 when it launched Brio’s facelift. The car was offered with a tilt adjustment steering across all the variants. Still no reach adjust-ability. Come on Honda!
Low ground clearance and low approach angle
If your city or town has good roads, you won’t feel that the Go-kart like Honda Brio has a low ground clearance. However, if you live in India, the 165 mm might seem a little less when you scrap the under-body over the gigantic out of proportion speed bump.
Haha, I wrote that jokingly, but it is true. The already low ground clearance gets lower when you load more passengers. And it feels more evident.
The front overhang also aids in scrapping the bumper when the car climbs the ramp. If you are not mindful of this, you might hear the scrapping often. And so, you inspect the lower part of the front bumper while doing a general inspection of a used Honda Brio.
Smallest boot in a hatchback
The Honda Brio does not do well on the highway. It is light (weighs about 950 kg), has a short wheelbase and runs on skinny tires. So, using it in the city makes more sense.
With only 4.5m of turning radius and a light steering wheel, it is a joy to drive this small car in the city. It can fit in tight parking spaces and can fit five people.
Now, that I have brainwashed you with suited-for-city driving, the Honda Brio has the smallest boot space in the segment. You can’t even fit the luggage of four adults in the puny 175 Litre of the boot.
It becomes even more impractical if you wish to fit a CNG kit. It will take 80% of the boot and you’ll have to carry the groceries in the back seat of the car.
The manual variant may not be the best for stop-and-go traffic
Since we, us, Indians are good with manual transmissions, car manufacturers never offer us any automatic variants. Only top of the line variants came with an automatic tranny.
Now, with every other person having a car, traffic has increased in our country. And the need for automatic transmission equipped cars have increased. You may see cheaper options like AMT in entry-level hatchbacks available, today. But Honda Brio came with a conventional automatic (one with torque convertor). The only catch is that it was only available in the top variant.
The car only sold about 97,000 units in its whole life and most of them were manual. So, finding a Brio with an automatic gearbox may be a difficult task.
And you should really shoot for the automatic variant as the manual shifter, though smooth, is notchy in the first gear. And first gear is what you’ll be using in the stop-and-go traffic. Trust me, you want the 5-speed automatic variant Honda Brio if you live in Bengaluru, Mumbai or Delhi.
Suspension wear faster than a traditional Honda
Stiffer springs and good city ride dynamics make the Honda Brio a susceptible pony for an early replacement of suspension parts. City roads are generally filled with potholes, manholes, speed-bumps and go knows what. And all of the said situations are never good for the brakes, steering and suspension components.
On my 2009 Corolla, the suspension gave in at around 1.2 lac kilometer mark. I have seen Brio’s giving in at as early as 75k kilometers.
If the owners have ignored some funny noise from the suspension side, you might even have to spend more on replacing more parts due to damage propagation.
Since the car is pocket friendly to run, the suspension overhaul should not cost a bomb. You can expect about 30k for the front and 22k for the rear suspension overhaul job. The price includes the parts, labour and tax at any Honda authorized service center.
It gets noisy at highway speed
The test drive was a fun experience before I went on the highway. The 1.2L 88 bhp petrol engine is a typical Honda unit. It revs happily and you’d find yourself flooring the gas pedal often. In the city, the car might feel fast where all the other non-Honda drivers are driving sanely. As you get on the highway, every other car would pass you. It is not the engine that keeps you from enjoying the high speed, it is the poor sound insulation.
Honda made this care affordable. And so it has to cut corners somewhere. It could not be in the mechanicals, so it landed in the NVH department.
At 100 km/h the car’s cabin became loud. It was past 84 decibels on the decibel (aka Sound Pressure Meter) meter. Man, that experience became quite tiring as I kept the speed at that level.
The best speed to cruise in the Brio is around 80 km/h due to its poor noise insulation. The engine wants you to push on, but the loud cabin says otherwise.