2022 Suzuki Celerio vs Honda Brio: Compact but capable city cars face off
In 2022, Suzuki Philippines brought in the latest version of the Celerio city car. It comes with plenty of improvements. It gets a new and improved engine, new convenience and safety features, as well as a new chassis. So, in general, it is ready to take on the local subcompact hatchback market.
2022 Suzuki Celerio - New Year, New Look | Philkotse Quick Look
But how does it compare to the likes of the Honda Brio spec-wise? To find out, let’s compare the top-spec Suzuki Celerio AGS against the Honda Brio RS Black Top.
2022 Suzuki Celerio vs Honda Brio: Exterior
When it comes to size, the all-new Suzuki Celerio is 3,695mm long, 1,655mm wide, and 1,555mm in height. It also has a wheelbase length of 2,435mm, and a ground clearance of 170mm.
The 2022 Suzuki Celerio
Meanwhile, the Honda Brio is 3,815mm long, 1,680mm wide, and 1,485mm in height. The Brio’s wheelbase then spans 2,405mm, and it also gets a ground clearance of 137mm.
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 AGS | Dimensions | Honda Brio RS Black Top 1.2 CVT |
3,695mm | Length | 3,815mm |
1,655mm | Width | 1,680mm |
1,555mm | Height | 1,485mm |
2,435mm | Wheelbase | 2,405mm |
170mm | Ground clearance | 137mm |
In summary, the Honda model is a bit longer and slightly wider than the Suzuki. The Suzuki Celerio in turn is a bit taller, has a longer wheelbase, and has more in the way of ground clearance.
As for exterior equipment, both models get a pair of halogen headlamps. Both also have front fog lamps, and they both ride on a set of 15-inch alloy wheels.
The Honda Brio RS Black Top
The Honda model does have power-folding side mirrors which aren’t present on the Suzuki. In turn, the Suzuki gets LED taillights, whereas the Honda comes with halogen taillights.
Of note, the Brio RS trim is arguably more sportier-looking than the Celerio AGS. That’s because it gets an RS design gloss black front grille, a black-colored roof, a tailgate spoiler, among others.
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 AGS | Exterior equipment | Honda Brio RS Black Top 1.2 CVT |
Halogen | Headlamps | Halogen |
Halogen | Turn signal lights | Halogen |
LED | Taillights | Halogen |
With | Front fog lamps | With |
15-inch | Wheel-size | 15-inch |
Alloy | Spoiler | Alloy |
2022 Suzuki Celerio vs Honda Brio: Interior
Inside, both the Celerio and the Brio can seat up to five. Both have fabric-covered seats, a manually adjustable driver’s seat, a turnkey ignition system, a manual air-conditioning system, and dark-themed interiors.
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 AGS | Interior equipment | Honda Brio RS Black Top 1.2 CVT |
Fabric | Seat material | Fabric |
Manual | Driver’s seat adjustment | Manual |
Manual | Air-conditioing type | Manual |
Turnkey | Ignition | Turnkey |
5 | Seating capacity | 5 |
The Celerio however, gets a smaller 6.2-inch touchscreen, which is smaller than the seven-inch touchscreen found on the Honda model.
Compare the Celerio's interior (left) with the Brio's interior (right) using the slider.
Apart from the size, both of these headunits come with Bluetooth, and USB connectivity, and they’re linked to a four-piece speaker system as well.
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 AGS | On-board tech | Honda Brio RS Black Top 1.2 CVT |
6.2-inch touchscreen | Infotainment system | 7.0-inch touchscreen |
Bluetooth,USB | Connectivity options | Bluetooth,USB |
4 | # of speakers | 4 |
None | Power-folding side mirror | With |
2022 Suzuki Celerio vs Honda Brio: Engine & Performance
Moving on, let’s compare the Celerio’s and the Brio’s engines. For the Suzuki model, it uses a 1.0-liter inline-3 gasoline engine that’s capable of producing up to 67 horsepower and 89 Nm of torque. Power is then sent to its front wheels through a five-speed auto-gear shift transmission (AGS). The said tranny gets a gear lever manual mode.
The Celerio's 1.0-liter inline-3 gasoline engine
Meanwhile, the Honda Brio gets a 1.2-liter four-banger that’s good for 89 horsepower and 110 Nm of torque. The said engine is then paired to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). It is also a front-wheel-drive model.
To sum it up, the Brio is far more powerful compared to the Celerio. And yes, this isn’t a surprise at all considering that the Honda gets one more cylinder and it has a higher displacement as well.
For suspensions, both cars use a MacPherson strut for the front and a torsion beam for the rear. Braking for both models is also handled by front disc brakes, rear drum brakes, and a manual hand-operated parking brake.
The Brio's 1.2-liter inline-4 gasoline engine
The Celerio, though, gets an idle-stop-start system, which in turn isn’t present on the Honda. This allows the Suzuki Celerio to automatically shut off in instances where the car is idling and isn’t moving. It then automatically turns on again by simply pressing the accelerator pedal.
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 AGS | Specs | Honda Brio RS Black Top 1.2 CVT |
Inline-3 gasoline | Engine | Inline-4 gasoline |
1.0-liters | Displacement | 1.2-liters |
5-speed AGS | Transmission | CVT |
67 horsepower | Horsepower | 89 horsepower |
89 Nm | Torque | 110 Nm |
FWD | Drivetrain | FWD |
2022 Suzuki Celerio vs Honda Brio: Safety
For safety, both the Celerio and the Brio come standard with dual front airbags, anti-lock braking, ISOFIX child seat anchors, and an engine immobilizer.
A simulation of how the Celerio's airbags will deploy
The Suzuki city car does get several safety features that are not available on the Brio. These include hill-start assist, parking sensors, and stability control. On the flip side, the Brio gets speed-sensing door locks and a security alarm.
Inside the Brio's front cabin with its airbags deployed
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 AGS | Safety | Honda Brio RS Black Top 1.2 CVT |
2 | Airbags | 2 |
With | Antilock braking w/EBD | With |
With | Hill-start assist | None |
With | Parking sensors | None |
With | Stability control | None |
With | ISOFIX | With |
With | Engine immobilizer | With |
None | Car alarm | With |
None | Speed-sensing door locks | With |
2022 Suzuki Celerio vs Honda Brio: Price
2022 Suzuki Celerio Variants | Price |
Celerio 1.0 MT | Php 708,000 |
Celerio 1.0 AGS | Php 754,000 |
2021 Honda Brio Variants | Price |
Brio S 1.2 MT | Php 601,000 |
Brio V 1.2 CVT | Php 661,000 |
Brio RS 1.2 CVT | Php 730,000 |
Brio RS Black Top 1.2 CVT | Php 735,000 |
2022 Suzuki Celerio vs Honda Brio: Conclusion
If you prioritize engine output more than anything else, it is plain to see that the Honda Brio has that covered, at least when comparing it to the Celerio.
Which rear end do you prefer? Do you dig the Celerio's?
But if you think you need more safety, then the Celerio might be the one you’re looking for. After all, it gets a hill-start assist, stability control, and parking sensors. Yep, the last one can be installed via after-market parts, but the latter two can’t be modded onto a car.
Furthermore, the Celerio might be able to take on rough, unpaved roads better. It has a significantly higher ground clearance after all.
Or do you think the Brio looks better from the rear?
For penny pinchers though, the Celerio, as you can see above, is also priced higher than the Brio. In fact, the Celerio AGS is Php 19,000 more expensive than the Brio RS Black Top.
So which car is better? Well, as always, we urge you to take each model out for a good test drive to find out for sure.
For more comparisons like this, keep it here on Philkotse.