Sedans join popular Brio hatches

The four-door sedan retains the Brio’s cheeky design language.

The three model sedan range is pushed along by the same frugal 1,2-litre i-VTEC four-cylinder engine already doing duty in the hatchback. Although not exactly a powerhouse, the compact, lightweight engine is chirpy enough to whirr out 65kW and 109Nm which is transplanted to the front wheels via a five-speed manual or automatic transmission.

A baby with lots to offer

The manual version is available in both Trend and Comfort specification levels while the automatic, which is the most expensive of the three, is only available in Comfort guise.

The sedan looks fairly compact from outside but the cabin is actually surprisingly spacious.

At the local media introduction I drove the manual option and was really impressed with what the baby four-door had to offer.

It trots along smoothly and relatively quietly, even when being pushed along. Roadholding is good, the steering is light and easy, the brakes are excellent, and the cabin is well insulated against outside noises. On our drive the Cape winter was in full swing and in spite of heavy downpours and strong winds, the Brio never felt jittery or skittish.

Manual labour is quick and slick

The manual transmission, as one has come to expect from Honda, is quick and smooth although the auto version might prove to be the more popular, particularly with regular commuters and the more mature buyers who are expected to make up a substantial slice of the sedan's customer base.

The lay-out of the dials and gauges is fairly intuitive but it's a pity about the orange-on-black presentation.

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Honda says the sedan will do the zero to 100km/h run in about 12 seconds with fuel usage down to about 6.1 litres/100km (in the manual versions). Out on the road it feels chirpy enough to cope even in the energy-sapping thin air on the Reef.

The sedan looks fairly compact from outside but the cabin is actually surprisingly spacious, with ample leg and shoulder room, plus the bonus of a fairly generous boot. The lay-out of the dials and gauges is fairly intuitive but they do get a personal thumbs-down because of the difficulty in reading orange-on-black presentation.

Cheeky approach will give it broader appeal

The seats in the sedan are comfortable and feel as though they will be kind to bums and backs, even on long stretches. Finding a comfortable driving position is easy, as is access to the cabin, thanks to wide-opening doors. All-round vision is good and the sedan version is as easy to park as the hatch which makes it ideal for congested city parking lot squeezes.

The living quarters, front and rear, are a pleasant surprise for a relatively compact vehicle.

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The four-door sedan retains the Brio's cheeky design language, frugality and peppy performance and with the added practicality of more interior space and a large luggage compartment it will appeal to a wider audience, particularly young families and the more mature segment of the market.

Honda is on a high at present, having recovered from the setbacks of lack of stock from Japan and its local graph is already heading north with a 69% increase in sales during the first six months of this year. During this time only Toyota, Ford, and VW performed better on the local sales front.

The new Brio sedans are competitively priced and backed by the brand's reputation for quality, reliability and environmental friendliness they are destined to add impetus to the impact the Brio hatches have made since their local launch.

The sedan models and prices (which include a two-year/30,000km service plan and a three-year/100,000km warranty, are:
1.2 i-VTEC Trend Manual - R128,900
1.2 i-VTEC Comfort Manual - R136,900
1.2 i-VTEC Comfort Automatic - R146,900

Specifications

Honda Brio Sedan

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