2014 Honda Mobilio: 6 must know facts

The Honda Mobilio enters the space already occupied by the likes of the Toyota Innova and the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga on the more successful end of the spectrum. And the likes of the Chevrolet Enjoy and the Nissan Evalia, which incidentally haven't done all that well. So, the choices in the MPV space are many. The question is - does the new Honda Mobilio make a good enough case for itself for you to consider buying one? These six crucial parameters listed under our 6 must know facts should help give you a clearer picture.

Exterior styling

Exterior styling or design of a car, no matter which segment it operates in, has become one of the biggest deciding factors when it comes to car purchases. And the Mobilio does well here. It looks sportier, more modern and more upmarket than the Ertiga. And less cumbersome than the Innova.

It has taut lines, nice looking wheels, spot on proportions and a very good looking rear-end. The front is more generic in comparison and looks like the Brio and the Amaze. Also, the stance of the Mobilio is closer to the ground giving it more like like appearance than an MPV.

Fuel consumption

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The Honda Mobilio comes with two engines, both mated to 5-speed manual gearboxes. The diesel is a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder engine engine that makes 100PS of max power and 200Nm of peak torque.  It is a noisy engine but a fuel efficient one. Honda claims a fuel economy figure of 24.2kmpl for the diesel Mobilio which in the real world should translate into close to 20kmpl when driven intelligently.

The petrol - again a 1.5-litre, 4 cylinder engine - is less fuel efficient with an ARAI fuel economy figure of 17.3kmpl. In the real world this should be close to 12-13kmpl, which given the car's size and its ability to seat seven isn't too bad. The petrol engine makes 119PS of power and is a rev happy and refined engine.

Interior & space

The Honda Mobilio scores high on space. It can seat seven in comfort and while doing so, can still carry some luggage. It has 223 litres of boot space with all seats in place; that's how much one gets in large hatchbacks. With the last row of seats folded this figure climbs up to 521 litres, which is huge and should suffice for most family travel needs.

Seating wise, the second row slides and that liberates enough space for occupants in the second and third row. So knee room and head room is not a problem no matter where you sit in the Honda Mobilio. However, shoulder room isn't all that great. Given the Mobilio is also only as wide as the Amaze, three abreast seating in the second row was always going to be a squeeze, and it is.

The Honda Mobilio interiors are similar to the Amaze. So, the dashboard design is the same and so are huge various controls like those for the air conditioning, lights and wipers. It's not the best looking interior and the Ertiga's insides look and feel a tad better.

Performance

As we mentioned earlier the Honda Mobilio comes with both a petrol and a Diesel engine and both displace 1.5-litre in capacity. The diesel is noisy and the petrol less torquey. So, if you are looking at an MPV mainly for City use, the petrol engine makes more sense. Thanks to revised gear ratios, the pulling power a lower speeds is better than say what you get in the Honda City. And the gear shifts are smooth too.

The diesel thanks to healthier torque, feels peppier on the go. It is also easier to overtake with the Diesel engine and it requires lesser gear shifts. With seven people on board and luggage, the diesel is also better equipped to handle highway duties be it negotiating a ghat or hill road or overtaking fast moving traffic. Handling wise though, both the diesel and the petrol versions of the Honda Mobilio are equally planted, be it in a straight line or around corners.

Price

The Honda Mobilio will occupy the space between the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the Toyota Innova. Both in terms of price and size. So, the Mobilio is expected to cost around Rs 6 lakh for the base or entry-level petrol version. There will be three trims to choose from - E, S and V, barring the RS. The RS will sit above the V and will have all the features of the V along with HID lamps, body kit and fancier looking alloys.

The diesel Mobilio will have the same trim levels as well and the base Mobilio diesel is expected to cost Rs 7.5 lakh. The top end versions of the two - the V trim - are expected to be priced around Rs 8 lakh and Rs 9.5 lakh respectively.

Equipment

The equipment on the Honda Mobilio will mirror that of the Amaze. So, expect power steering, internally adjustable Outside rear view mirrors, body coloured bumpers and air conditioning standard on the base E trim Mobilio as well. This hold true for both petrol and diesel versions of the car.

The top of the line versions on both petrol and diesel - V - will get electrically adjustable rear view mirrors, an AVN system complete with reversing camera and Satnav, roof mounted aircon for the second row of passengers, faux wood finish and faux leather seats. These will also come with steering mounted controls, rear wash and wipe, fog lamps and alloy wheels besides safety features like ABS and driver and front passenger airbags. Indicators on ORVMs and climate control will not feature on any variant however.