The Nissan March has met its first match, the Honda Brio. Which one's better?
Nissan played the cards quite nicely when it rolled out the country's first Ecocar, knowing that Honda would have been the second player to follow suit with an eco-friendly car.
Now that B-segment hatchbacks ranging from the Honda Jazz to the Ford Fiesta are busy attracting buyers with some 600,000-700,000 baht in their pockets, it's only wise to move below that price bracket with A-segment alternatives.
But Nissan didn't exactly do that. Rather, it took the March (generally labelled as a B-segment car in world markets), took advantage of Ecocar promotional privileges and priced the five-door hatchback in the 400,000-500,000 baht sector.
Before the birth of the March, the smallest car Nissan had in its Thai lineup was the Tiida, which Nissan considers more of a contender, if not exactly, for the C-segment.
Honda obviously couldn't take Nissan's route because the Jazz is already the B-segment hatch. What it had to do instead was to go for an A-segment alternative in the guise of the Brio, an ultra-compact hatch designed for emerging markets like Asean and India.
What has happened as a result is a fortunate advantage for Nissan when it comes to showroom appeal. Glance at the dimensions of the March and Brio in the accompanying graph and you'll note the Nissan's richer amount of metal.
This obviously means that the March has more interior and cargo space than the Brio. If you merely look at front space, both are equally the same in being able to pamper the passenger and driver with airy seating positions.
Clearly, Honda thinks that most buyers of such cars will normally drive alone or, at most, with another person on a daily basis to work; the rear seats and boot are only used occasionally.
Both have easy-to-use fascias, but the Brio has more comfy seat.
The March, in contrast, is like a hatchback for the family with more rear and cargo space. True, adults can sit in the Brio's rear in decent comfort, but it's simply better in the March. In terms of practicality, the March wins hands down.
Any suggestion that the March will backfire with a more cumbersome body to deal with in city-driving could be dismissed. The Nissan still feels as agile as the Brio, confirming the identical turning radii of 4.5m.
But what makes the Brio an easier car to handle around town is driving visibility, thanks to lower window lines and a boot lid made from glass.
Jump to the power statistics and the Brio holds a clear upper hand over the March. With higher power and torque outputs _ albeit roughly the same dry body weight _ the Brio sounds the better performer.
And yes, you can feel this on the move. Although both cars drive away from standstill with ease, the Brio has a smoother power delivery and more urgent response in the mid-ranges, say, at speeds between 60-100kph.
The Brio has high loading lip and limited boot space. Cargo bed is uneven when seats fold down.
That's not to say that the March is a sluggish car, but performance in the Brio simply feels livelier. But don't get too carried away, yet. In more demanding driving conditions, like when going up steep gradients, the Brio will eventually lose breath, whereas the March continues the crescendo.
Asserting its more rounded driving abilities outside of the concrete jungle is the March's grippier chassis. But two things that make the Brio an easier car to live with on the move are a quieter ride and more effortless steering.
Fuel consumption is highly likely to be an important issue for buyers in this price segment and it's quite safe to say that the Brio is slightly more frugal, despite the fact that it doesn't feature the March's automatic stop/go system.
Both Honda and Nissan are making scant claims for their baby hatchbacks, claiming an identical 20kpl as required by Ecocar rules. During the test, Life easily achieved 15kpl in town-driving with light traffic and 20kpl outside the city in the Brio. In the March, you need to make an effort to achieve those levels.
The March has more usable cargo area than the in Brio, although seats don’t go down flat, too.
However, the Brio doesn't win all-out in financial terms. You need at least 500,000 baht for the top-line version that offers dual airbags and an automatic transmission. In the March, you can get that spec for roughly the same amount while also netting more creature comfort features.
The top-line March, as tested here at 537,000 baht, gets even more frivolous items like automatic airconditioning that can't even be found in most B-segment cars. In terms of equipment and price balance, the March holds the edge.
This also means there is a higher level of perceived quality in the March, since cost-cutting isn't as excessive on the eyes as in the Brio. But for how cheaper the Brio may feel, the interior is still utterly easy to use and the (cost-effectively designed) seats are cushier than in the March.
As a pure transport tool for urban use, the Brio makes more sense than the March. The Honda is easier to steer, has a livelier (and more frugal) engine and offers slightly higher levels of cabin comfort for two.
The Brio has lesser room in the rear. Like up front, seats are cushier than March’s.
The March, on the other hand, appeals with a bigger and more spacious package that doesn't necessarily backfire on driving agility. And even if it isn't better to drive that the Brio, the March is more than 75% as capable.
Which, in the end, makes the March a better all-rounder than the Brio, despite the latter's city concept that can make up as a second car in your garage.
But for most Thais who still aren't on wheels yet, the March's extended abilities make it the more appealing choice with better value-for-money factors. The March wins, mainly on logical terms.
The March has a more ideal balance between pricing and specification.
The Brio’s four-pot engine is more powerful and frugal than the March’s.
The March has more grip at high speeds than the Brio, although the ride is cruder.
What makes the Brio an easier car to handle around town is driving visibility.
Credit: Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment