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</p><p>BRV shares its engines with Mobilio and has both Petrol and diesel mill on offer. The petrol also gets one automatic variant. 1.5 liter 4-cylinder Petrol motor develops 116 BHP@6600 RPM and 145 Nm@4600 RPM, while the 4-cylinder diesel, also displacing 1.5 liter is good for 98 BHP@3600 RPM and 200 Nm@1750 RPM. The diesel engine is the first one for Honda in India and is an all-aluminum unit. This makes the diesel noisier than segment standards, but the NVH levels have improved over previous applications in City, Amaze and Mobilio. Power is transmitted via 6 speed manual gearbox for both petrol and diesel. The petrol automatic gets a CVT unit. The diesel engine, though a bit noisier especially when compared with very well refined Hyundai offerings, offers well all round performance. Almost lag-free nature of diesel almost makes it feel as if it’s naturally aspirated and not turbocharged. Kudos to Honda for tuning the engine so well in rev range where it's likely to spend most of its operational life. This nature translates into very few gear-shifts and dropping down to 1st gear on speed-breakers is not required, and added benefit is improved urban efficiency. Even on open roads the performance is more than adequate with a worthy mid range ensuring most of overtakes do not need any downshifting at highway speeds. It's only when you need really quick jump in velocity that a downshift is a must. Revving the diesel towards its top end results into lot of noise and it's best to ride the wave of accessible torque the engine offers. Petrol is diametric opposite of diesel with a very smooth, refined nature. Bottom end torque is not its forte, but this gem of an engine feels most comfortable in mid and high rpm. Midrange is where the action begins and the top end is very strong, in correct gear this can reward with pretty brisk progress. On highways, though downshifting is required for overtaking, the engine’s grunt always brings smile on driver’s face when the top end is reached where power is concentrated. Both, the diesel and petrol can cruise all day long at triple digit speeds even when fully loaded, but the latter’s refinement stands out. Clearly, Honda is a master of small gasoline engines and it shows. Diesel engine has improved, but there is some distance to go before it's in league of contemporaries. Despite the obvious tall stance, handling is quite satisfactory, and may we add, a bit entertaining too. Honda has mastered the ride and handling balance pretty well and this was evident with Amaze and City. Suspension is standard fare as it’s based on Mobilio, with front end suspended by McPherson strut with coil spring and Torsion Beam with coil spring doing the duty at rear. But the suspension is well tuned keeping in mind the Indian operating conditions. Years of experience in India has paid off for Honda. BRV has good high speed stability even over broken roads with predictable, safe handling. Not as agile as City, BRV is still offers nice drive quality and changes direction quite well for a car of its size. Braking is standard Honda fare with well calibrated brakes, though we would have appreciated if there were discs all round. The 6th gear ensures that highway efficiency is of tall order due to relaxed cruising. Petrol motor’s clutch has a typical light and progressive feel to it, and the diesel’s slightly heavier, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. Petrol variant’s gearbox feels marginally better than diesel’s but that isn’t uncomfortable. ARAI fuel efficiency is rated at 15.4 KMPL for petrol manual, 16 KMPL for petrol CVT and 21.9 KMPL for diesel manual.</p><p></p>