[a4anurag]

Is it me only or others too feel that the overhangs don't look proportionate?!

The front overhang is almost nil but the rear overhang is big giving it an odd look IMO. I know it is done to liberate the third-row seating space and not space.

I like the car except for the Brio dash.

Anurag.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

1. In the 60's, everyone said Japanese cars are too cheap, flimsy, lack depth in engineering, are a copy of other cars and will never cut it.

2. In the 80's, everyone said Korean cars are too cheap, flimsy, lack depth in engineering, are a copy of other cars and will never cut it.

3. In the 2000's, everyone said Chinese cars are too cheap, flimsy, lack depth in engineering, are a copy of other cars and will never cut it.

4. In 2020, thanks to Honda - it looks like the circle will turnover once again.

What a horrible product - shouts 'cheap' any way you look at it! Absolutely horrid side profile - the rising waistline of the Brio hatch was not suitable for an MPV and so what do they do? Bring it down midway! And just look at those interiors. I thought Amaze was the worst, but they have implemented the same dashboard without any improvements in a car that looks a lot bigger. Wonder why they left out the beige glovebox!

Had enough of Honda quality after a recent TD of the new City that costs 14L OTR bangalore for the top end version!

EDIT -

Wish they had atleast compromised a bit of function over form.

[mooza]

The dash, a bit of a sore point, is something I can live with. It's not bad enough to dispatch the vehicle from my thoughts while my thinking of my second car upgrade (dash pic reproduced below from Rehaan's post on the Auto Expo Thread on Honda):

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Attachment 1205168

Coming to the "harsh suspension", this is a low slung car, so the suspension travel definitely needs to be on the lower side, else the car would be scraping its belly all over town on our "roads". On the flip side, the body roll would be minimum and the handling is bound to be good by 7 seater MPV standards.

The TBHP team has already done a preliminary evaluation of the Mobilio at the Auto Expo, I don't think they have seen any cause for panic so far, so I am waiting for the launch and test drives to begin

[vibbs]

There was a time when people used to say Maruti interiors are drab, poor quality etc. But now with the other two Japanese deciding to fight it out with MUL, the situation has done a 360 degree turn. The Dzire feels decidedly more premium inside than both the Etios and the Amaze. Looking at the Mobilio pics, it is very clear (atleast to me) that Ertiga cabin would be a better place to be in if you disregard the additional space on offer in Mobilio.

Mark my words, price this thing anywhere above Ertiga and it will be an also ran soon.

That said, if these biggies cant match Maruti quality at this price levels, then I believe that if MUL really slugs it out they can produce a proper C Segment sedan that is better than the Cities and the Corollas. But that however is a topic for discussing in a different thread.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by vibbs

There was a time when people used to say Maruti interiors are drab, poor quality etc.

All fingers pointed at Maruti that it made cheap cars will not so good looking interiors. The turning point was the new generation Swift. This design changed what interiors were for the Swift, Dzire and Ertig which was a big plus point for Maruti IMO.

Originally Posted by vibbs

Looking at the Mobilio pics, it is very clear (atleast to me) that Ertiga cabin would be a better place to be in if you disregard the additional space on offer in Mobilio.

Ertiga is a much better place to live than the Brio's inspired dash layout. Even if there is place inside the Mobilio, the looks of the dashboard is not pleasing me then that car is not on my list as that is what will be in my line of sight always.

Originally Posted by vibbs

Mark my words, price this thing anywhere above Ertiga and it will be an also ran soon.

+1.

Anurag.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by vibbs

Mark my words, price this thing anywhere above Ertiga and it will be an also ran soon.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

+1.

Trust me - Mobilio will be priced higher than Ertiga for sure. Honda will charge a premium for H badge, iDTEC and supposedly longer length than Ertiga.

Note: I dont support the premium for Honda badge but unfortunately it is going to happen

They will NOT have any issues in profit as they would make a hefty premium on every sale.

Some cost saves in Mobilio compared to Ertiga
(Cost saving = profit)

1. Fixed head rests
2. No Centre arm rest
3. More Basic ICE Than Ertiga
4. 5th Steel Wheel (Four alloys in top end)

Why Honda will charge a premium and still make profit

1. More space than Ertiga (Longer)
2. Better boot space with all three rows in seating position
3. Gimmicks like one-pull seat-fold action
4. H Badge brand value
5. Costlier accessories compared to Maruti
6. iDTEC Engine

Going by the above two facts, Higher price and cost cutting (fixed head-rests) would definetly see profit for Honda. Honda would not want to be in the numbers game (sales count) but be in the profit numbers at the end of the day.

[karanraheja]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

What a horrible product - shouts 'cheap' any way you look at it! Absolutely horrid side profile - the rising waistline of the Brio hatch was not suitable for an MPV and so what do they do? Bring it down midway! And just look at those interiors. I thought Amaze was the worst, but they have implemented the same dashboard without any improvements in a car that looks a lot bigger. Wonder why they left out the beige glovebox!

Had enough of Honda quality after a recent TD of the new City that costs 14L OTR bangalore for the top end version!

EDIT -

Wish they had atleast compromised a bit of function over form.
Attachment 1237202

Agree with you with most points ! But frankly any thing you have against Honda? Seen quite a few bashing posts from your end against their products . OT Would you like to throw some light on your not so good TD of City ?

[scopriobharath]

I am looking out for two things

1. Four AC blower vents at the rear (pretty sure it will NOT come)
   
2. Whether the ICE system is carried over from the Indonesia model or whether Honda would offer the same Amaze ICE on the Mobilio (even only on the top end is fine).

Thoughts ?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by karanraheja

But frankly any thing you have against Honda? Seen quite a few bashing posts from your end against their products . OT Would you like to throw some light on your not so good TD of City ?

Yes, I do! Oh wait, no i don't. There is only one car in the Indian market (south of the Mitsu Evo that is!) that could make me go week in the knees every single time - and thats a Honda Civic. If i had limited usage, and could buy a petrol used car for modifications - there would only be 1 car in my shopping list.

If i dont have anything against Honda then - why bashing Honda products? Wikipedia says - 'Bashing is a harsh, gratuitous, prejudicial attack on a person, group, or subject.' Tough call - but yes, i sure would have seemed harsh for many. Prejudicial - No, because I do love the brand and twice recently went to the showroom to book their newest products. So i guess it all boils down to me being gratuitous - so let me put down the reason for my criticism.


1. Honda Amaze booking (almost!).

Car to be replaced: 2004 WagonR VXi.
Version considered: Amaze V automatic.
OTR: Little north of 9L, Trivandrum.

We needed a big small car to upgrade from our old 95k run WagonR VXi. Big in terms of feel, and for my parents from the typical middle class mentality - that meant 'sedan'. Small in terms of size due to our parking constraints. We were basically left with two choices - the DZire automatic and the Honda Amaze. DZire was ruled out for its lack of safety features. And so - last christmas season, we all set out for the Honda showroom, with the deposit in hand, to TD and book the Amaze. It looked perfect on paper.

Let me come straight to the point of what went wrong. Wife was the first one to say a solid no after checking out the build quality. Mom went next - mentioning we would be better off with the old WagonR than paying 9L for this car, and i believe the cheap feeling of dashboard played the biggest role here. Father was caught in two minds - the good part about it being a Honda and a practical sedan and the bad part of it being a not so worthy upgrade from a small car, specially after having to pay almost close to a million for it! Final Decision - we decided not to book the Amaze even though there were no other choices on offer. (5 months down the line - we are now waiting for the Hyundai Xcent SX(o) automatic to be delivered).

The best part - We were sitting in front of the SA ready to book the car, and he requested us to visit them another day since it was getting bit late for him, by Honda standards. Moreover, he asked us to remind him the next day incase he forgets to follow up our request for TD, which he never did.

2. Honda City booking (almost!).

Car to be replaced: 2012 Fiat Punto 90hp.
Version considered: City Vx, iDTec.
OTR: Little north of 14L, Bangalore.

TN registered Punto in bangalore. Rest of the story you can imagine. Cash strapped at the time - I had to borrow the money for the tax from wifey temporarily. She used the opportunity to come up with a better suggestion - that she was willing to put the extra money if we upgrade to a bigger car - a sedan - a Honda - a city. Why the Honda City? Because for an Indian household, City still defines the C segment sedan.

And so, last month - we went to the Honda showroom, to be greeted by one impressive package. The rear seat is a sofa and the legroom makes it the best place to be in! And it is loaded - even comes with a sunroof. As i posted elsewhere in the forum - If you buy a car based on initial showroom impressions, much like most Indians do, its the City for sure.

At this point - I might be sound prejudiced, as any other european brand customer talks about a Japanese car. Hence - let me first explain why my wife rejected the car. 1. You can literally feel the flex in the door plastics when you shut the front door! 2. The door itself feels shockingly thin and light- and we were sure it would take a dent if hit by a football/ basketball. You cant ask all the boys in the apartment to stop playing because you bought a new Honda, now can you? 3. Press your finger a bit hard on the dashboard plastics and you can hear the plastics squeak. Although the car boasts of lot of features, it didnt exude quality in whatever was offered. When you pay 14 lakhs on a car, it should make you feel good. The city made us feel ok, but not good. 4. Last, but most important - she was absolutely not comfortable in the backseat with the poor suspension setup.

Now coming to my prejudiced view - I rejected the car because it felt rather boring to drive - the diesel engine, the suspension setup. That, for a company, which introduced the culture of VFM performance sedans in India with the original VTec.

Just for comparison, we visited the VW showroom soon after the Honda city drive. The customer service, the product, everything felt miles ahead of the Honda. Vento has lesser features for sure, but every part shouted the quality of build.

Coming to the original question about Honda bashing. I dont agree it can be called bashing - as my criticism is with good reason. How is that reason relevant in the Mobilio thread?


Because there is a very thin line between feeling VFM and feeling cheap. I strongly believe Honda got it right on that line with the Brio, fell way short of it with the Amaze, and now - by putting the same interiors and build quality on a car that looks and feels way bigger than the Amaze and will be priced accordingly - is pushing the envelope too far! Not to mention that ugly side profile, just so that they can bring down the windowline and make it an airy cabin with minimal chances till the front door!

[RavenAvi]

Official Teaser video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL3i8EVN84M

[kaviprem]

^^ First thing, the ad video is erroneously stretched that gives the feel of HONDA Odyssey, forget about INNOVA !
I guess, there has to be a regulatory body for controlling such mistakes, but in most cases its deliberately done. I remember an ARIA ad too coming the same way, but not as false a representation as this.

[_raVan_]

IAB reports that Honda Mobilio will be launched in July.

Honda Cars India said an email to Indian Autos Blog this week that the Honda Mobilio will be launched in India in the next couple of months, putting the date in July.

Pictures published on enthusiast forums reveal that trial production started a few weeks ago at the Greater Noida facility. The Brio-based MPV was showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo. It was shown in Indonesia for the first time in September last year, and is on sale in the archipelago for three months, with over 25,000 examples already on the roads.

Source: IAB

[aniketi]

I am sure Honda will launch Mobilio with hefty price tag. Petrol model of Ertiga is very VFM and i am sure Honda can not match that. It will be at least 1-1.5 Lacs costly than Ertiga, model to model. Diesel also same thing will happen. Dashboard only will take away lot of potential customers away from Honda.

As far as third row is considered, i read in review from Indonesia that its almost useless. Though it has better space in case of knee room than Ertiga, its short on height. In above video also you can see that. So its almost impossible to sit there, that is what i read in the review. Don't remember which review was that. If that is the case then i am sure it will not get much success in Indians as India love to carry more people

[mooza]

Originally Posted by aniketi

Dashboard only will take away lot of potential customers away from Honda.

Quite true.

I wonder how an all beige dashboard would look. Could anyone do the digital color editing and put up the results please?

If the all beige dash turns out better looking, it would be the easiest short term fix, probably. But yes, they do need to improve on this aspect.

[mooza]

Tried a bit of color change. Please excuse the amateur coloring :







I feel this would be a better color choice for the dash.