Seven-seater vehicle SUVs and MPVs are normally seen as a necessity purchase. Once the family grows in number and can’t be accommodated by regular sedans (or crossovers for that matter), Daddy has to immediately consider getting something that seats seven. Once or twice though, a carmaker comes out with an offering that manages to address all the requirements of a typical family car without sacrificing the bits that made Daddy love driving in the first place. The Honda BR-V is one such example.

All thing considered, there shouldn’t be any reason to get too excited over the BR-V; after all, it’s just a jacked up Mobilio. That said, Honda has come up with a winner by combining two surefire ingredients for success in the local automotive market: high ground clearance and seven seats. Add to that a clever pricing strategy and the reason becomes clear why this has become such a sought after vehicle.




The BR-V is also high on refinement with good levels of NVH isolation. Perhaps the only exception is the obtrusive tire noise from the Bridgestone Ecopias which can actually drown out a hands-free phone call. And despite the weight (and perhaps aerodynamic) handicap, 8.5 km/L at an average speed of 12 km/h is pretty darn close to the Mobilio’s 8.7 km/L.



Having said that, the BR-V’s combination of a small displacement engine and CVT does mean that its performance can be hampered when fully loaded with people. Though it can climb up a steep incline (Kennon Road, Tagaytay Highlands, or Bitukang Manok all included), it needs to wring every single of its 120 horses to get there. The tachometer will remain stuck at 3,800 rpm while the engine buzzes for its dear life. Every passenger will worry and think if they’ll need to go down and push the BR-V up. Thankfully, they don’t. Trust the BR-V, not the passengers.

While it’ll take some time to believe in the BR-V’s uphill climbing prowess, in terms of suspension and chassis tuning, it largely sticks true to Honda’s reputation for delivering a driver-centric experience. The steering is nicely weighted and surprisingly responsive. And though the 5.6-meter turning radius is larger compared to the Mobilio (5.2) and even the City and Civic (5.3), it never once felt unwieldy because of its short overhangs and excellent visibility. When cornering, it feels stable and responsive, though left-right-left transitions lets out lots of understeer. Specifically tuned for the BR-V, the suspension gives a well-mannered ride. It’s slightly on the firm side, but it can soak up any pothole or road crack with poise and composure. An added bonus is that it remains composed even when going over ribbed surfaces—a common weakness of cars with non-independent rear suspension.


As great as the BR-V is with its on-road manners, how does it do aesthetically? Owing a lot to the Mobilio, the BR-V does have the same large greenhouse and “lightning kink” on the rear doors. Still, Honda has managed to visually differentiate the BR-V by grafting new ends. Undoubtedly, the front clip works well the most. The squared off face, horizontal elements, and large maw all do well to butch up the otherwise cutesy styling of its Mobilio base. The black body trims and chunky two-tone alloy wheels also fit the character to a tee. Honestly, it’s actually the rear portion that’s out of sync. Not only doesn’t it look like any other current Honda vehicle, but the bod-length reflector doesn’t seem to visually widen the backend as effectively. Still, a small price to pay for what’s otherwise a practical and no-nonsense design.

That practicality makes itself known time and time again when using the BR-V. It starts when the doors are opened and the driver slips inside. The ingress is easy thanks to the perfect step-in height and seat hip points. The dashboard itself may look busy with the geometric theme going on, but get to the controls and they all fall right into hand. The buttons and switches are all well-marked and chunky, great for operating them based on feel alone. And though the driver’s seat can only move 4 ways and the steering adjusts only for reach, the driving position is ergonomically sound and comfy enough even for spending the whole day in. Perhaps the only problem is the touchscreen audio system. Though its graphics are clear and crisp, the lack of large or physical buttons means having to fumble around to simply switch function or turn it on and off. The standard steering wheel controls do help though.



And then, there’s the packaging where the BR-V really shines. Riding on a footprint no bigger than a compact sedan reveals comfortable seating across three rows. Squeezing in 7 is still a tough challenge unless they’re all runway models, but fitting in 6 adults is more than possible. While it’s a given that those in front will enjoy good amounts of space, those in the second and third rows do too. When the third row isn’t used, occupants in the second row are treated with enough room to cross their legs comfortably. When more people need to squeeze in, the second row bench actually slides and reclines in a 60/40 split. This eliminates any attempts to cross legs, but it equally divides the available knee room between the second and third rows. Speaking of the third row, though it’s slightly knees up back there, there’s more knee room here than an economy seat in a budget airline.

The Honda BR-V may not be love at first sight, but it manages to blend and merge different vehicle genres into one convincing package. Though there are parts of it which are clearly designed on a budget (the hard, scratchy plastics on the dashboard and the old-fashioned hook latch on the third row to name two), it does well to cater to the needs and wants of buyers in this part of the world. It takes the buyer’s penchant for preferring tall riding vehicles and combines it with a suitably practical package that still adheres to Honda’s principles of making a well-balanced machine. Of course, one may argue that it’s better value to go for a Mobilio given the similarly equipped 1.5 V is actually P 106,000 cheaper than the 1.5 S tested (and frankly that’s quite true). Still, there will be those who’ll be willing to pay a premium for a more macho looking, higher riding vehicle.