Introduction

Underappreciate.

verb

Fail to value sufficiently highly.

That's the dictionary meaning of the word. But, in the car world, the HondaBR-V is a standing example of it.

It comes with the option of both a petrol and a diesel engine. There's also a manual and an automatic gearbox to choose from. It can seat seven. And, it is an SUV. Now, in a country that can't have enough of SUVs, the BR-V with these attributes, should have been a runaway success in India.

But, here it is struggling to do even 1000 units a month. So, does it have an inherent shortcoming? Or is it just not good to drive on a daily basis? Maybe it isn't fuel efficient in the long run? Or is it just a case of Honda getting the pricing wrong?

To answer these questions, we have included a nearly 30,000km run BR-V diesel with a 6-speed manual gearbox in our long term fleet. The thought is, if something has to go wrong, it should happen now with so many kilometres on the clock. If not, at least reliability is proven.

Next, we will look at the SUV's efficiency, its driving dynamics, its luggage hauling ability, and overall levels of comfort and ease of driving. This is to see if, not considering it as your next purchase, is in fact, a mistake.

What we have here is the top of the line VX version. It comes with ABS and front two airbags; there's a multifunctional steering wheel; a single zone climate control system; rear aircon vents; split and fold for the second and third row of seats; keyless entry and start; electric adjust and fold for the ORVMs; projector headlamps; and many storage options with as many cups and bottle holders. There's also a central rear armrest.

What it lacks though - and these are things one expects from a car at this price point - are auto headlamp and wipers; lane change indication; and some soft grain plastic. Yes, the list isn't long. But, crucially, we want to find out if the lack of these features takes away significantly from the 'living-with-it' experience.

More on this and the BR-V next month. So, do come back.

Vehicle log

Odo - 28847km.

Km this month - 575km

Fuel - 30.1lts

Fuel Efficiency - 19.1kmpl

Pictures by Kapil Angane and Kaustubh Gandhi