The compact SUV market has gotten quite competitive especially now that most new car buyers are factoring in ride height and wading depth in their decisions. It’s the rainy season again and though thankfully we haven’t had biblical floods this year so far, there are some who wished they had taller vehicles during those heavy downpours of late.
The market’s pretty much dominated by the Ford EcoSport though viable contenders include the Nissan Juke and the Hyundai i20. Mazda is set to release the CX3 and Honda, in a surprise have decided to bring the BR-V to the country and was launched at this year’s Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS).
Powering the Honda BR-V is the 1.5L iTEC gasoline engine paired with either a six-speed manual or CVT transmission. Power figures stand at 120 hp and 145 Nm of torque. It’s key selling point would most likely be the ground clearance of 200mm – matching that of the EcoSport and even larger SUVs and that it seats 7, that is, if very small people sit at the rear seats.
This CUV comes in two variants – the S (at PhP 1M) and the V (PhP 1.15M). Price-wise, one may really consider getting this 7-seater as it is only a tad pricier than the Toyota Innova MPV and the EcoSport and Juke both of which top out at nearly Php 1M
What’s interesting is how Honda’s lineup now stacks up. The Mobilio, HR-V, and BR-V seems to be clumped together price-wise.