[chef-de-jeep]

I was passing by the Honda yard a little ahead of Panvel (by train) and happened to notice two or three foam packed honda cars, looking similar to the dimensions of a Daihatsu Xenia( or a shrunk Tata Aria).I guess to keep away from from prying eyes, they were kept at the extreme corners and away from each other(closer to the railway lines). Guess some pieces ar

[chef-de-jeep]

I was passing by the Honda stock yard ahead of Panvel and happened to notice two to three MPV's parked closer to the railway line. Looked like a shrunken Tata Aria or a Daihatsu Xenia, could not make out much as they were packed in a white foam like paper as well as at a good distance from the railway line. Guess some pieces are already here at the stock yards

[rlvl]

Honda unveiled the Mobilo MPV.

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...ed-357662.aspx

[StarScream]

Nice, if you don't need the girth of the Innova then the Mobilio will be a good option.

[AyAn!]

She's out, and she looks pert! Smart stylistic touches effortlessly hide the extra bulk, and the proportions are spot on. The same, however, couldn't be said about the boxy JDM specific MPV that used to carry the Mobilio moniker until 2008.



Honda Mobilio(2001-2008)


Image source:Autocar India

[k_ajay]

One of the things Honda is very good at, is interior space packaging. Jazz was a prime example and from member reports here, so is Amaze. So it is possible Honda has packaged interior very well to leave good legroom (and under thigh support) for 2nd and 3rd row passengers.

Only concern is if it has left any space for the boot area (or if like most other MPVs, this one too will require a roof carrier to haul serious touring luggage)..

But the 1.5ltr 98bhp diesel engine to pull this vehicle? sufficient?

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

One of the things Honda is very good at, is interior space packaging. Jazz was a prime example and from member reports here, so is Amaze. So it is possible Honda has packaged interior very well to leave good legroom (and under thigh support) for 2nd and 3rd row passengers.

Only concern is if it has left any space for the boot area (or if like most other MPVs, this one too will require a roof carrier to haul serious touring luggage)..

But the 1.5ltr 98bhp diesel engine to pull this vehicle? sufficient?

Looks like your next car is getting prepared for launch next year

Clearly looks like Honda is analyzing Suzuki designs and trying to make them better. Whole Brio platform seems to be aimed at the Suzuki Swift platform. But as long as they are giving us better products why not ?

I wonder if they have changed the dash design !! It will be too utilitarian for people spending close to 10 lakhs. But then we have duster which sells for 15 lakhs

Also i noticed that the MPV is longer than Ertiga by 100 mm or so. 10 cm extra can only mean very very good boot space

Ertiga has 1.25 ltr Engine with 90BHP power with all the VGT. Enjoy has same engine with 75 BHP power.
So 1.5 Ltr will mean the power delivery will be even smooth and low end torque will be very good like we have seen in case of Amaze

[MaxTorque]

Looks like a nicely designed MPV. Especially the rear end has been nicely integrated to the rest of the body. As the Honda MPVs are not very popular, we need to get used to it (after the lanch). It will be interesting to see the third row.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Looks like your next car is getting prepared for launch next year

Count me in as well . I was anyways going to wait till the middle of 2014 for my car upgrade. Offlate I was inclined towards a two car option. One small hatchback for my daily office commute/city errands & a big MPV (read used Innova) for family outings. I had already started my hunt for a good used Innova since the last couple of days. However if the Mobilo can tick all the boxes then the 2 two car equation can go for a toss & one vehicle can serve all the purposes.

Originally Posted by k_ajay

But the 1.5ltr 98bhp diesel engine to pull this vehicle? sufficient?

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Ertiga has 1.25 ltr Engine with 90BHP power with all the VGT. Enjoy has same engine with 75 BHP power.
So 1.5 Ltr will mean the power delivery will be even smooth and low end torque will be very good like we have seen in case of Amaze

k_ajay & Raj, good that you raised this point . I would say Honda should go one step ahead & plonk their 1.6 Litre engine (which is going to power the Civic) under the hood of Mobilo. There is no point in powering the Mobilo with the 1.5 iDtec (same as the Amaze) beacuse this MPV won't be getting the excise duty benefit that Amaze enjoys, Mobilo being well over the 4m mark. So Honda should be more generous & plonking the much powerful 1.6L iDtec (though this may mean pricing it more than the Ertiga by couple of thousands). I am ready to pay a premium of 50K-100K over the Ertiga price, just for that 1.6L motor. Are you listening Honda?

[JayPrashanth]

Link to News Section

The 2013 Indonesian International Motor Show at Jakarta, Indonesia, is on and one of the significant unveils at this auto show is that of the Honda Mobilio, an MPV prototype based on the Brio-based platform. The Honda Mobilio is a product that targets the MPV loving car buying populace of Indonesia and this people mover will eventually land on Indian shores.



Notably, the Mobilio badge has been resurrected by Honda for use in the Brio-platform based MPV. The Japanese automaker withdrew the badge in 2008 to make way for the Freed MPV. In Indonesia, the 7 seat Honda Mobilio will take on the likes of the Suzuki Ertiga, Daihatsu Xenia, Toyota Avanza and Mazda VX-1 MPVs.

A 185 mm ground clearance, a 2,650 mm wheelbase and a 4,390 mm length give the Honda Mobilio proportions that are larger than that of the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, the former's chief rival in the Indian car market. Based as it is on the Brio platform, the Mobilio shares many parts including its interiors with the Brio range.



This parts sharing coupled to local sourcing could make for a competitive price tag. Pricing of the Mobilio, which is pegged between 150,000 and 180,000 Indonesian rupiah corresponds to 8.41-10.10 lakh rupees in Indian currency. This price corresponds closely to 143,000 rupiah, the price at which the Suzuki Ertiga was launched in Indonesia earlier this year.



Keeping this pricing in mind, it is likely that the Honda Mobilio would feature a sub-7 lakh rupee price tag, as and when it is launched in India. In Indonesia, the MPV is outfitted with a 1.5 liter i-VTEC petrol engine, the likes of which is also found on the India-spec Honda City sedan.

Transmission options include 5 speed manual and CVT automatic gearboxes. For the Indian car market, Honda is expected to outfit the Mobilio with a 1.5 liter i-DTEC turbo diesel engine as MPVs with diesel engines outsell those with petrol motors, in a phenomenon highly specific to the Indian market.



Twin airbags and ABS+EBD make for the standard safety features on the top-spec Mobilio MPV. Notable features include automatic climate control with twin blowers for the rear seats, keyless entry and a 2-DIN audio system with USB and AUX-In support. Honda will begin producing the Mobilio MPV in Indonesia from early 2014. An Indian launch is also expected to happen next year.

There have been reports from multiple Team-BHPians, about the Mobilio being spotted in various parts of the country. With an Indian launch likely to happen next year, with an Auto Expo unveil in early 2014, Honda could begin country specific testing of the Mobilio in India shortly.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

k_ajay & Raj, good that you raised this point . I would say Honda should go one step ahead & plonk their 1.6 Litre engine (which is going to power the Civic) under the hood of Mobilo. There is no point in powering the Mobilo with the 1.5 iDtec (same as the Amaze) beacuse this MPV won't be getting the excise duty benefit that Amaze enjoys, Mobilo being well over the 4m mark. So Honda should be more generous & plonking the much powerful 1.6L iDtec (though this may mean pricing it more than the Ertiga by couple of thousands). I am ready to pay a premium of 50K-100K over the Ertiga price, just for that 1.6L motor. Are you listening Honda?

Honda will anyway price it at a premium over Ertiga. That too with Brio/Amaze like interiors and 1.5 ltr diesel engine. Now that they know the engine is proven and also bring all together new engine will surely make the price shoot up.

USP will be the Honda badge and the interior space their cars are known for. I am sure this will have better space than the Toyota Innova and Honda will anyway price it cheaper than Innova. Wondering if that will result in Cabbies going for this car over innova(If Honda can justify by low maintenance costs)

[ampere]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

USP will be the Honda badge and the interior space their cars are known for. I am sure this will have better space than the Toyota Innova and Honda will anyway price it cheaper than Innova. Wondering if that will result in Cabbies going for this car over innova(If Honda can justify by low maintenance costs)

Would'nt that be difficult Raj? Having a better space than Innova, but having the size of an Eriga?

But that discussion apart, it looks like a fantastic package. And 1.5L 100bhp engine from Amaze has truly amazed every one.

I was thinking Duster has an 85bhp tune of the K9K motor, and no lag with an FGT. And here is this guy with 100 bhp 1.5L; a Higher FE than Duster (per ARAI) and STILL no lag! Thats really wow! (Of course weight of Amaze vs Duster would be a different argument but still..)

Honda looks like is also coming with an Ecosport rival with the same engine. But again that would smaller in space just like the ecosport.

[StarScream]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

One of the things Honda is very good at, is interior space packaging. Jazz was a prime example and from member reports here, so is Amaze. So it is possible Honda has packaged interior very well to leave good legroom (and under thigh support) for 2nd and 3rd row passengers.

Only concern is if it has left any space for the boot area (or if like most other MPVs, this one too will require a roof carrier to haul serious touring luggage)..

But the 1.5ltr 98bhp diesel engine to pull this vehicle? sufficient?

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Looks like your next car is getting prepared for launch next year

Clearly looks like Honda is analyzing Suzuki designs and trying to make them better. Whole Brio platform seems to be aimed at the Suzuki Swift platform. But as long as they are giving us better products why not ?

I wonder if they have changed the dash design !! It will be too utilitarian for people spending close to 10 lakhs. But then we have duster which sells for 15 lakhs

Also i noticed that the MPV is longer than Ertiga by 100 mm or so. 10 cm extra can only mean very very good boot space

Ertiga has 1.25 ltr Engine with 90BHP power with all the VGT. Enjoy has same engine with 75 BHP power.
So 1.5 Ltr will mean the power delivery will be even smooth and low end torque will be very good like we have seen in case of Amaze

To answer some of your questions, IAB has interior pics:
http://indianautosblog.com/2013/09/h...carousel-97369

Looks to have Brio/Amaze dash and decent boot space.

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by StarScream

To answer some of your questions, IAB has interior pics:
http://indianautosblog.com/2013/09/h...carousel-97369

Looks to have Brio/Amaze dash and decent boot space.

Thanks. Boot surely looks at least 250 ltrs(Definitely much more than that of Ertiga). Something like that of a Hatchback.

Plus I can see 50:50 split last row. Something that Maruti decided to keep for Ertiga midlife upgrade

This can only mean that the car can be a very comfortable MPV even after stuffing more luggage in the boot.

After reading about Climate control etc i strongly feel that Honda will price this car above Ertiga and by how much will decide how big hit it will be.

Maruti on the other hand will surely be planning to upgrade Ertiga with:
1. 50:50 split last row seat
2. ACC on Zdi variant

Apart from these two, Ertiga is almost perfect

[govigov]

Indian market may make the car being trimmed to less than 4000mm and hopefully with the diesel heart. I dont think a CVT will be on offer, given that the brio/city did not have it. However, the brilliant 5 speed AT may be there, may be even with paddle shifters. A near perfect tourer.