Honda BR-V doesn’t exactly offer heaven for all seven

An admission – this writer smokes. Yep, cigarettes, every day. Before you judge, hear me out. I do it for patriotic reasons.

You see, I know Mama Zuma absolutely despises the fact that I consume tobacco. And I figure anything that is bad for a member of the ANC NEC, must be good for South Africa.

I also smoke in the healthiest possible manner. Reputable scientific studies have determined that secondary smoke is actually more dangerous than initial smoke. So, I am making the healthy choice by inhaling the fumes first. It is also about reading labels.

Some cigarette packets warn about cancer, death, dangers to children, heart disease and lung disfunction. Those, I do not smoke.

Other packets say you should not smoke while pregnant or breastfeeding. Those, I smoke. My chances of getting pregnant are the same as that of meeting an honourable South African politician.

Honda BR-V labelling issues

Which leads us – tenuously, I admit, to the Honda BR-V 1.5 Comfort CVT. When The Citizen Motoring tested one recently, I could not help but think they have labelled it wrongly.

Honda calls the vehicle a five-door, seven-seater, cross-over passenger car. It looks pretty much like any other SUV out there, with just its nomenclature identifying it as a Honda. But ugly it is not and Honda enthusiasts will probably find it handsome.

Although it is a reasonably specced, mid-sized people carrier, I can vouch that a seven-seater it is not. We put up the rear seat backs and found that, in seven-seater guise, the vehicle will seat five adults at a squeeze, plus two children with short legs.

Then, there is the matter of performance. The Honda BR-V 1.5 Comfort is powered by a 1 498 cc, normally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 89 kW of power at 6 600 rpm and 145 Nm of torque at 4 300 rpm sent to the front wheels via CVT.

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Running out of puff

With these engine outputs, the Honda BR-V really struggles lugging its kerb weight of 1 271 kg around. You have to rev the engine without mercy to get things moving, and then some more to keep it moving.

With the maximum torque figure only arriving at over 4 000 rpm, the vehicle does not like to cruise at the legal limit, since it will lose momentum at the slightest hint of an upward gradient.

Add a CVT that changes its mind about the ideal cog whenever it feels like it, and the Honda is almost impossible to drive in a smooth manner.

If you did, with extreme determination, manage to squeeze seven adults into it, it will certainly lose drag races with Putco buses.

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We averaged a fuel consumption figure of 7.7 L/100 km over the week of the vehicle’s tenure. Not bad, considering we made no attempt to drive it frugally.

Other positives include a turning circle of 10.6 metres which made it easy to manoeuvre around town and park in tight spots, with the added help of the park distance control stuff.

Lots of spec

Inside the Honda BR-V Comfort boasts cloth upholstery, air conditioning, a multi-function steering wheel, a controls interface screen, Bluetooth connectivity, two front USB ports, 12V power sockets front and middle, central locking and electric windows all round.

The vehicle boasts active safety gear like ABS brakes, hill start assist, stability control, LED daytime running lights, plus park distance control with a rear camera.

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Passive safety is taken care of by driver and front passenger airbags, plus four curtain airbags for rear passengers.

The whole package sits on alloy wheel rims in 215/60 R16 rubber, with a full-sized spare wheel.

The BR-V 1.5 Comfort auto will set you back R434 900 which we think is too much, but it includes a five-year/200 000 km warranty plus a four-year 60 000 km service plan.