Honda BR-V 1.5 Elegance (2024) review - Family space, now with added style
The new, second-generation Honda BR-V presents a fresh new look but still retains all the convenience that you've come to love. A hike in materials and tech brings the new BR-V up to date with the times.
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The local 7-seater market is growing at a steady pace. While the upper end of the spectrum sees the likes of the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest competing with the Range Rovers and Cherys, it's the lower end of the segment where you'll see products like the Honda BR-V. First introduced to the local market in 2016, the BR-V has carved a respectable niche for itself as an affordable, reliable means of transporting larger families.
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Late last year, Honda pulled the covers off of the new, 2nd-generation Honda BR-V, revealing a more SUV-inclined offering that they claimed retains the same practicality and versatility that the first generation was known for. We got our hands on the range-topping 1.5 Elegance model to sample for a few days.
Styling
The first BR-V was not ashamed to be labelled an MPV. Subsequent updates retained the MPV approach, and one wasn't mistaking a BR-V for anything else but. This latest incarnation, though, paints a different picture. The rugged styling approach has the BR-V looking more like a crossover SUV that is capable of venturing out into the unknown, with its sharp creases, black cladding and shiny skid plate elements. A prominent front grille lends to that theme.
Flanking the grille is a set of large, swept-back LED headlights with LED daytime running lights for added safety. The chrome garnish that runs along the upper edge of the grille extends into these lights, creating a sporty look. Around the back, the LED taillights carry a familiar Honda design, resting high above yet another silver skid-plate element.
Elegance variants roll around on 17-inch alloy wheels, while the rest of the range has to make do with smaller, 16-inch wheels. You'll find a similar silver treatment in the side skirts, once again illustrating that Honda is looking to shake the road-going impressions of the BR-V and make it appear more rugged. The chrome door handles seem a little out of place, though. Our test unit was finished in a dark grey; a colour Honda calls Modern Steel Metallic. You will be able to choose from several other colours as well, including Opal White, Lunar Silver, and Crystal Black.
Space & Interior
Space and practicality is what the BR-V is about. Three rows of seats offer up seating for 7 adults and, in this configuration, gives you 244-litres of cargo space in the back. Folding the third row forward (50/50 split) adds more space and yields 691-litres. The second row can also be folded forward and up, out of the way to reveal a cavernous 1164 litres of space, still leaving seating for two up front.
One area where Honda paid specific attention was the interior trimmings in this new BR-V. Soft-touch leatherette has been added to more surfaces, paying careful attention to contact points. This helps elevate the overall impression of quality and luxury, and a similar approach is taken in the plastic used. It's welcoming to see vehicles with such a utilitarian purpose still including materials that are enjoyable to interact with - too often, you have to accept the hard, scratchy plastics.
Comfort & Convenience
The soft surfaces extend to the seats as well, and the Elegance model gets synthetic leather upholstery, whereas the other trims make do with a simplified cloth arrangement. Comfort levels, as a whole, are decent, but we found the seats to lack bolstering and lumbar support. This could be worrisome on longer journeys, but for the daily commute, there were no issues. Even with the larger 17-inch wheels, the ride was never jarring or troublesome and a respectable 215/55R17 tyre is fitted, leaving you with enough sidewall to ensure that the secondary ride isn't compromised.
Elegance models also benefit from a healthy dose of tech. A new 7-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system features Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for seamless mirroring of approved, in-car apps, allowing you to make use of your navigation and entertainment as found on your mobile phone. The lane watch feature is initially unsettling but comes in handy, displaying the side of your vehicle on the screen when you activate the indicator. great for parking and navigating tighter spaces. It also improves safety, helping you see pedestrians, cyclists and cars in your potential blind spot.
Performance
The BR-V is never going to win races, but what it will do is hum along in a pleasing way while remaining efficient. Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine that produces 89 kW and 145 Nm torque. This is more than adequate when travelling with a light load but starts to feel the pinch, especially at Reef altitudes, when you load it up. It's mated to a CVT gearbox and sends power to the front wheels.
Performance figures are rather irrelevant, and Honda knows this, so they don't bother publishing these. We don't expect them to be terrible, but they're not something you would be bragging about either. The performance is perfectly suited to a vehicle of this nature, and the emphasis has been placed on quiet, efficient, and reliable running rather than thrills.
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Fuel Economy
Honda claims that on the combined cycle, you should expect to see fuel consumption figures of 6.3 l100km. This, combined with the relatively small fuel tank of only 42-litres, should see you manage a full-tank range of 667 km. This is improved over the 5-speed manual in Trend and Comfort trims and has a claimed consumption of 6.8 l/100km and a range of 618 km.
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Safety
The Elegance model is the one to spring for if safety is your primary concern. Honda has injected the BR-V with a host of driver assistance systems and safety features to help safeguard you and your passengers. Elegance models have no fewer than 6 airbags.
Included in the Elegance trim is Honda SENSING, a suite that includes: Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM), Auto High-Beam (AHB), the aforementioned Lane Watch Camera (LWC), and Forward Collision Warning (FCW). As standard and across the range, you get ABS, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist (HSA), and Emergency Stop Signal (ESS).
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Price
Pricing for the Honda BR-V starts from as little as R399 900, and our test unit, the 1.5 Elegance, comes in at R479 900 and is the range-topping offering.
| Model | Price (incl. VAT) |
| Honda BR-V 1.5 Trend manual | R399 900 |
| Honda BR-V 1.5 Comfort manual | R429 900 |
| Honda BR-V 1.5 Comfort auto | R449 900 |
| Honda BR-V 1.5 Elegance auto | R479 900 |
Competitors
In this market space, you will be tempted to consider the likes of the Renault Triber, which comes in considerably cheaper. Be warned, though, that the features do not quite stack up to the Honda BR-V. The Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Rumion are considerably closer in terms of specifications, while the Suzuki XL6, while lacking one seat, probably offers the nearest competition.
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Verdict
The new Honda BR-V does what it says on the tin and does so with a smile on its face. It's an enjoyable drive backed by Honda's reputation for reliability and cost-effective operation. The new design approach certainly elevates it to a newer, more trendy status, but there's still no shaking that it was designed to be effective first and stimulating second. It's a sensible choice for those who need the additional space and the flexibility that the modular seating arrangement offers.
