2019 Honda Brio debuts with RS variant and it looks adorable

When when the Honda Small RS Concept was previewed in Indonesia back in April, it made waves in the motoring beat. We in AutoDeal adored the mini subcompact hatch, which is more or less a preview of the refreshed Brio. If you’re among those who wished the Small RS Concept pushes through as the 2019 Brio, well, this is good news for you.

The 2019 Brio has been launched in Indonesia, and we couldn’t get any more excited about it. Even better, it adapts the positive things that the Small RS Concept has, while some cues are dropped for the production model. It also adapts the Road Sailing (RS) badge, just like what the HR-V did. Nice.

The new Brio RS sports the blacked-out wing grille over mesh and angular headlamps, aligning it with the rest of Honda’s lineup of small cars like the City and Jazz. So yes, say goodbye to the bug eyes. Also, we love that almost everything in the previous concept vehicle has been carried over, except for the strip fog lamps, huge wing, and hood scoop. The latter’s a personal favorite, but that’s fine.

At the rear, the pizza taillights are also dropped on the 2019 Brio, which now features a Hyundai Accent-like tailend. The meshed vents at the rear bumper are purely aesthetic, so don’t expect any aerodynamic thing going on in there. Wheels are 15-inch alloys.

The non-RS trims are a bit different when it comes to styling with full-on chrome wing grille, less meshed faux vents, and 14-inchers. Indonesian market gets a yellow color option, which is something we wish we could get.

Across all variants, the 2019 Brio reflects the interior design of the Jazz, albeit, with a different steering wheel. This includes the infotainment system, A/C vents, and the gauge clusters. The RS variant, on the other hand, gets a bit of an ace with the orange accents on the dashboard and on the fabric seats.

Powering the 2019 Brio is a 1.2L four-cylinder SOHC i-VTEC engine churning out 89 hp at 6,000 rpm and 110 Nm torque at 4,800 rpm, coupled to either a five-speed manual or CVT.

No news yet from Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. if and when will it bring the 2019 Brio here, but considering how aggressive the company is these days with its revamped lineup, it won't be too long.