Although Honda showcased the updated Brio in Indonesia a few months ago, the Indian market will receive the hatch on October 4, 2016. However, the updated hatchback had been spotted earlier at a dealership in India, and it has been spotted yet again, this time at a different dealership. The spotted Brio is of VX variant with a manual transmission.
The updates to the car are similar to the ones seen on the Amaze and Mobilio. The new bold front grille and the aggressive front bumper are identical to the ones seen on the facelift Amaze. Inside too, the Brio has borrowed its cabin from the Amaze and the BR-V. It has an all-black theme with a matte silver line on the dashboard. The audio unit is the same as the BR-V with AUX, Bluetooth, phone and USB connectivity. Below the audio unit is the screen and the controls for the air conditioning. The VX variant has automatic AC but the lower variants are expected to get the manual AC controls.
Mechanically, the Brio facelift will remain unchanged with a 1.2-litre petrol mill mated to a five-speed manual transmission. But the automatic transmission in the top variants is expected to be replaced with a CVT transmission, as seen in the Amaze. This 1.2-litre engine produces 88PS at 6000rpm, along with 109Nm of torque at 4500rpm. This is one of the most powerful motors in the segment and gives the little hatchback plenty of zip to tackle city traffic.
The sales of the Brio have taken a dip in recent times. The facelift gives it better looks and features, which should propel it in the market. The facelifted Brio will continue to compete with cars such as the Hyundai Grand i10, Maruti Celerio and the Maruti Swift, and will be priced slightly higher than the current model.
Source: CarDekho.com
