2023 Honda Brio and City first drive: We take these Hondas to the racetrack | Top Gear Philippines - video Dailymotion

Top Gear Philippines

We didn’t exactly race there, though. Instead, we did basic handling exercises as well tests to showcase Honda’s safety features. We do get some first impressions, too. Click play on the video above to watch the 2024 Honda Brio and City in action.  Dig cars? Read more about cars and motoring here: http://www.topgear.com.ph Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TopGearPH Tweet us: http://www.twitter.com/TopGearPH Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/TopGearPH Join us on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@topgearph  #topgearph #honda

Transcript

00:00 [whoosh]

00:01 So just a month ago, Honda Cars Philippines launched the updated City and the facelifted Brio.

00:06 And today, we are driving from BGC all the way to Batangas to try out these new cars.

00:11 First off, we're going to try out the Brio all the way to the Batangas Racing Circuit,

00:14 and after then, we're going to drive the new City.

00:16 So we're going to try out these new cars in various road conditions.

00:19 We're going to try the new City on the highway and see what these new cars are all about.

00:23 So we'll get back to you later once we hit the road.

00:26 [music]

00:37 Just a quick update, we are now here at Caltex, Mamplasan.

00:40 Probably took us about half an hour to get here from BGC.

00:44 And the trip meter shows 31.6 kilometers, and we were doing 18.3 kilometers per liter.

00:51 That's actually pretty decent considering there were three people on board with a lot of cargo

00:56 and with a folding bike in the trunk.

00:58 So driving the Brio from BGC on S-Tex with moderate traffic, it still feels as solid as ever.

01:04 Mechanically, it hasn't changed.

01:05 It's still that fun hatchback that's easy to weave through traffic or on the highway.

01:10 But from here, I'm not sure how far Batangas Racing Circuit is,

01:14 but probably it's going to take us about an hour and a half or an hour or so.

01:18 [music]

01:40 So we are finally here at the Batangas Racing Circuit.

01:44 And as you can see, we brought a lot of stuff and I brought everything.

01:48 But anyway, even with all this stuff, even with another person on board and a folding bike,

01:55 in total, we got 15.5 kilometers per liter if I'm not mistaken.

02:00 Still not sure what we're gonna do, but they've set up some cones as we saw as we entered.

02:07 So I'm sure this is gonna be a lot of fun today, this afternoon.

02:10 So let's get inside. It's getting hot.

02:13 So lunch is done and we're gonna start with the afternoon activities.

02:16 There are four.

02:18 First one is the EcoSpeed Challenge.

02:20 So basically, you're gonna drive around the track with the Brio and the City,

02:23 and they're gonna do 50-50 points for the time and the fuel economy.

02:27 So it's not just about going fast, it's about going quickly and efficiently,

02:31 as quick and as efficient as possible.

02:33 Second exercise is the linoleum test where we're gonna drive the City on a slippery strip of linoleum

02:41 with some soapy water and see just how the technology, just how the stability control comes into play.

02:47 That's gonna give us an idea of just how the technology actually works in a car.

02:50 It's pretty cool. I've never done something like this, so I'm eager to see how it's gonna look like.

02:56 And after that, we're gonna reset the track and we're gonna do a Gymkhana.

03:00 So we're gonna time our runs and I've made a wager with Charles.

03:05 So let's see who's gonna be a faster one here.

03:09 Neither of us know what we're doing, so this is gonna be fun.

03:12 None of us are Gymkhana experts anyway.

03:15 And after everything, we're gonna do a moose test.

03:17 We're not gonna be driving this one.

03:19 It's a bit dangerous even if you're just driving a sedan or a hatchback

03:22 because you're gonna go at speed and just swerve as if you're avoiding a moose.

03:27 For the first one, we're gonna be driving.

03:29 The second one, we're not gonna be driving.

03:31 For the third one, we're gonna be driving it, and for the moose test, we're just gonna be passengers.

03:34 There's some dark clouds out there.

03:36 There's some overcast here. Hopefully, it doesn't rain today.

03:39 It was extremely hot earlier.

03:42 I'm happy with what the sky looks like right now.

03:44 Anyway, we're gonna start in a bit.

03:46 So we're gonna do some preps.

03:48 [music]

04:13 Okay, so we just finished our EcoSpeed runs.

04:16 And both Charles and I had a go in the City and the Brio.

04:21 So the scores for this one are gonna be combined.

04:24 So like I said, we can't mess it up because it's gonna suck for both of us.

04:29 We both got around 230 thereabouts for both of us in both cars.

04:34 And fuel economy was a bit off for one of the runs because Charles got 7.something in the City and I did 9.something.

04:42 I never really thought I'd bring a City or a Brio to a racetrack.

04:47 But it was fun because it's manageable power, but it handles well.

04:50 Both of these cars handle well, especially the Brio. I really love this small hatchback.

04:55 Both of us, all of us, were conscious about braking, about stepping on the gas too hard.

05:01 And for us noobs, we didn't really know exactly what we were doing, but it was really fun.

05:07 If I had the chance, I would want another run.

05:10 But yeah, they're gonna score us later and hopefully, hopefully, we don't really finish last.

05:18 So a linoleum test is basically one side has traction, the other side doesn't.

05:24 And this shows us how our ABS works, our stability control, and our traction control.

05:30 So we'll do the exercise at a speed of 40.

05:34 We have a blue cone over there that we'll use as our braking marker.

05:37 And as you can see, they're putting a soapy water to give us a no traction sign.

05:41 Now, when I get to 40, I'm gonna slam on the brakes, roughly at the blue,

05:47 and you'll see that all I'm gonna do is control the car with my fingers.

05:50 So the reason for this is obviously if one side of the car is losing traction, it will normally tend to spin out.

05:58 But with a lot of our technology nowadays, it's so much easier to control cars.

06:03 So let's give it a try.

06:05 So again, I'll just use my fingers.

06:06 Back up to 40.

06:08 Off the gas.

06:10 Now, brake.

06:12 So you can feel the car sliding.

06:15 And now, we're gonna launch off of this slippery surface where you'll see traction control keep us straight.

06:21 So again, use my fingers.

06:23 There you go.

06:24 You can hear it spinning.

06:25 You'll feel the traction in a bit.

06:26 There you go.

06:27 So yeah, this is just a simple way of showing how everything works.

06:32 In real-life scenarios, it could be a puddle, it's raining, there's a puddle, and you're off-roading on your right,

06:38 you can still be able to control your car.

06:40 So that's pretty cool.

06:42 Yeah.

06:43 Those are the features that you know are there but you don't exactly understand how they work because you never see them in action like this.

06:50 You never really get it.

06:51 Yeah.

06:52 But you don't really know the day-to-day driving they're actually working for you.

06:56 Yeah.

06:57 That's true.

06:58 A lot of drivers don't think about it, but when that light flashes, it's working.

07:01 Yeah.

07:02 Blue.

07:15 Nice.

07:16 Stall.

07:21 Nice.

07:22 Yeah.

07:24 Nice.

07:25 Turn all the way.

07:27 Then left hard.

07:28 There you go.

07:30 Just the momentum.

07:31 A little bit here.

07:32 Turn in.

07:34 Nice.

07:36 Right.

07:38 Perfect. Left.

07:39 And you're gonna do.

07:40 There you go.

07:42 Nice.

07:43 Turn in.

07:44 Turn in.

07:46 Nice. Go, go, go, go, go, go.

07:47 Brake.

07:49 Alright.

07:55 Thank you, man.

07:57 Nice.

07:58 So for the Gymkhana, I lost the bet by 0.5 seconds if we're not mistaken.

08:06 Charles finished the Gymkhana course in 40.5.

08:11 I did it in 41.

08:12 So yeah, I lost the bet.

08:14 But it was fun.

08:16 It really showcased just how well the Brio handles because I wouldn't do that in a higher-riding car, for example.

08:25 Or even the City.

08:27 I doubt I'd have as much fun or even I doubt the City would handle as well as the Brio does because it's just so compact.

08:35 It's so light.

08:36 It's Violetta.

08:39 You have a handle there just in case.

08:44 Ready?

08:47 Okay.

08:49 So you're going up to what speed?

08:51 Around 80.

08:52 Let's see if my phone flies.

08:56 You got good grip.

08:57 Okay, it's Violetta.

09:04 But all that braking feeling you got, that's all the car.

09:09 I didn't touch the brakes.

09:11 Oh, okay.

09:12 So I'll try to take a video of your foot on the way back.

09:16 I'll take a video of the brake pedal.

09:19 You want the foot up here?

09:21 Yeah.

09:22 That's good enough.

09:23 That's pretty cool.

09:24 So in violent turning situations, the car slows down on its own.

09:35 Well, what it does is it actually keeps you from spinning.

09:39 If you try doing that without the system.

09:44 With a violent turn, you're just going to spin out.

09:47 Yeah.

09:48 So it brakes for tires, it brakes individually to keep you from spinning.

09:57 So it'll brake like 80% here and 20% here.

10:01 Maybe trailing 10 just to keep you from...

10:04 Did you let off the gas when you swerved?

10:07 Just a bit.

10:09 All right.

10:10 We're done?

10:11 We're done.

10:12 All right.

10:13 Thank you, Tuto Louie.

10:14 So, what's the next one?

10:16 Thank you, Tuto Louie.

10:18 So for the Moose test, it was pretty cool.

10:21 I found it a lot cooler than the first few exercises, actually.

10:26 It's like the Renault test.

10:28 For the Moose test, Tuto Louie drove up to 80 kilometers per hour, then swerved violently

10:34 both to the right and to the left.

10:37 And the way it worked was that the car applied the brakes for him ever so slightly

10:44 just to keep it from spinning out.

10:46 So we also saw him with his left foot off the pedal and right foot just on the gas.

10:53 And he was turning violently.

10:55 As he turned violently, we felt the car braking.

10:58 So it slowed itself down automatically.

11:01 And that's how amazing these newer cars work.

11:04 That's how these technologies work.

11:06 So just like with the Linoleum test, which is very hard to say, it's hard to pronounce,

11:12 you never really know when these technologies come into play for day-to-day driving

11:16 until you see them in action like this.

11:19 So yeah, it's pretty cool.

11:21 And it really shows you how big Honda is going on safety because it does have this goal

11:28 to eliminate all accidents across the globe eventually in decades' time.

11:33 And with technologies like these, you cannot but wonder that it's possible

11:39 if all the cars had all these techs.

11:42 Anyway, we're done for the day.

11:44 We're done for all the activities today.

11:46 We're just gonna drive a bit to the resort later, and we're gonna call it a day.

11:51 So day two of our drive is about to begin.

11:56 Yesterday, we drove all the way to Lailla.

11:58 As you can see, we're by the beach. We're in Lailla, Matangas.

12:01 We drove here in the Brio, and today, we're gonna drive back to Manila in the city.

12:05 Like I said yesterday, we weren't able to try out the new features just yet,

12:10 so I'm eager to find out just how seamless or how well they work in the city.

12:15 Anyway, we're just gonna make some preparations, just gonna enjoy the sea breeze,

12:20 and just enjoy the waves for a bit before we head out.

12:23 [Music]

12:51 Okay, we're finally on the expressway, as you may have probably heard,

12:55 because the roads here are pretty bad again.

12:58 We're on Stark Hallway, and we're now in the City RS,

13:02 which is the top-spec variant in the City range.

13:05 It has automatic climate control.

13:08 It has a better-sounding speaker system.

13:11 It has paddle shifters, a center armrest, and it's overall an even better interior

13:17 than what the City already offers.

13:19 Right now, we're driving at highway speeds, and I'm gonna try out the adaptive cruise control

13:23 even if the roads are terrible.

13:25 They're so bad.

13:27 Oh my goodness!

13:29 [laughs]

13:30 That sounds bad.

13:32 But anyway, I'm at 100 right now.

13:35 I'm gonna turn on adaptive cruise control and set it to 100.

13:40 There you go.

13:45 You have adaptive cruise on, and you have lane keep assist and lane departure warning on.

13:53 So, well, you still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel,

13:57 but it will help you steer so you can stay in the lane.

14:02 It's actually pretty cool, especially if you're driving in the wee hours of the night

14:07 and you have it on.

14:09 It's gonna help you because when you feel a bit sleepy, if you're dozing off a bit behind the wheel,

14:13 it'll vibrate violently and keep you in the lane, prevent you from hitting anyone.

14:18 Basically, I'm gonna be able to tail the car in front of me without having to apply the brakes,

14:22 without having to apply the gas.

14:24 Right now, it's slowing down.

14:26 No foot on the gas, no foot on the brake.

14:29 It's just adjusting automatically.

14:32 So this part of the drive pretty much completes the entire drive experience for the new City

14:39 because this is a very important addition and, in my opinion, really makes the City

14:44 one of the strongest contenders in the subcompact sedan segment.

14:47 Anyway, for now, we're just gonna continue driving.

14:50 We're gonna do a few more stops before we get to Manila,

14:55 but from here on, it's the home stretch, and I guess that wraps up our drive.

15:01 [music]

2023 Honda Brio and City first drive: We take these Hondas to the racetrack | Top Gear Philippines

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