4 qualities that make the Honda BR-V good for road trips

The 2022 BR-V is a crossover of various Honda vehicles.

Based upon the Brio mini hatchback platform, it was stretched to fit a third row of seats to make it the previous Mobilio MPV. To turn it into a "seven-seater SUV" as Honda plugs it to be, the 2022 BR-V was grafted with styling tweaks such as roof rails and body cladding.  

All of these ingredients, then, make the present BR-V an acceptable road trip vehicle for the family — either by blood or by consideration. The 2022 BR-V is still an MPV at heart, though — the next BR-V seems to have a more rugged projection — but it can still match the long-haul capabilities of big SUVs in a more compact size and relatively affordable price. 

During a trip around the north of Metro Manila that covered some 400 kilometers, we learn that despite its age, the BR-V is still a decent car for road trips. Here are the four qualities that make it so. 

Spacious cabin

Thanks to the BR-V's MPV roots, it boasts of a tall roofline that translates to enough headroom inside the cabin for even taller folks.

Leg and shoulder room is good, too, particularly in the second row; the three occupants there shouldn't be rubbing elbows and have their legs brushing the front-row seats. Meanwhile, space at the third row should be good for children and adults for longer journeys. 

 

If the BR-V's rearmost seats aren't needed, these can be folded and tumbled to fit more cargo instead. While we wished the seats fold flush to the floor like in the Jazz and City Hatchback, the BR-V was still able to swallow backpacks and eco-bags containing snacks and water. If we had a folding bike along, it could've easily joined the party back there. 

Easy, comfortable drive

Since the 2022 BR-V shares a dashboard with the Brio, it was easy to think we were behind the wheel of a small hatchback rather than an MPV. Add to the mix light steering and supple pedals, then driving the BR-V was effortless as it was comfortable. 

The passengers also had their share of comfort from the BR-V's ride, which was a tad firm but far from punishing. Leather seats for seven — standard on this 2022 BR-V V CVT variant — also prevented sore bums even after those 400kms. 

Elsewhere in the cabin, there's expansive windows all around — another benefit brought by the BR-V's tall-boy stance. With the large windows, over-the-shoulder visibility was excellent and lane changing on the highway was near-effortless. 

And fun

Well, the BR-V's good forward visibility also brought another advantage to some of us who drive with sporting aspirations. It was easy to place the BR-V on twisty mountain roads around Subic, as the driver demonstrated to his road trip companions on how to take the racing lines. 

The BR-V's 1.5-liter engine added some excitement to the experience of driving a family-oriented vehicle. As is the character of Honda's i-VTEC engines, the 120ps and 145Nm of torque kick in at a rather high 6,000 and 4,600rpms, respectively, so pushing the throttle to reach those revs led to the engine singing a rather sporty tune. 

Fuel efficient 

With today's fuel prices, side trips to the fuel pumps are likely to make a dent on one's travel funds. The BR-V netted fine fuel economy numbers as for the most part, we made sure the Eco coaching light on the gauge glowed green — the vehicle's way of telling the pilot to drive efficiently. 

According to the BR-V's trip computer, we achieved 13 to near-15kpl running on the SCTEX and Bataan's Roman Superhighway, with four people onboard and front- and rear ACs set to full blast.

To net those numbers, though, we had resort to downshifting — via the paddle shifters connected to the seven-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT) — to keep the engine's revs in their sweet spots and enable the mill to power us up the inclines of the mentioned highways.  

The current BR-V, on this excursion at least, proved that you don't need an SUV for the long drive. 

Photos from Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. and Dylan Afuang