[Rehaan]

Honda had already announced that 2014 would see the launch of 3 new cars, the Mobilio, Jazz and new City. The new City was launched last month so we knew the Mobilio and Jazz would be there at the Auto Expo.

The Mobilio's prime target is the Ertiga and it may even sway some Innova loyalists.

High Points

• Based on the Brio platform
• 4390mm length slots in between the Ertiga and Innova
• Engine options will most likely be the 1.5L i-Vtec from the City and the 1.5L i-DTEC.
• Petrol may also see a CVT box as an option
• Expected Q2/Q3 2014

From the front it looks like a blown up Brio/Amaze:


But when you see it from the side you know it's a full length MPV:


The Mobilio has some interesting styling cues like the rear quarter glass merging around into the rear windshield:


The sharp tail lamps and rear design try to mask the MPV looks with a hint of sportiness:


Notice the massive rear door with an chink in the window line that makes the rear half look a little more bloated:


You can see the Mobilio was attracting quite a lot of attention:


This is indeed a pic of the Mobilio interiors and not that of the Brio/Amaze:


Similarity in the Mobilio's cabin with the Brio/Amaze is definitely an aspect that could play against Honda:


This is a wide angle shot, so don't let it fool you into thinking the vehicle is any larger:


Even the slim front seats with the integrated head rests are the same:


When it comes to interior space, the Mobilio felt more spacious than the Ertiga. Seats were extremely comfortable and could recline as well as slide:


Separate AC vents at the back with fan speed control:


The second row seats also flip forwards completely which makes getting in to the third row easier unlike the Ertiga's seats which has only the back rest folding down:


Space at third row is decent if you slide the middle row forward by few steps:


60:40 split folding seats:


The boot space is a revelation. Even with all 3 rows in place, the boot can easily hold 2 cabin size suitcases:

[Rehaan]

The new Jazz is expected towards the end of the year and this time, will feature an oil burner similar to the City and Amaze. The Petrol motor will be the familiar 1.2L i-Vtec from the Brio/amaze. On display was what looked like a mid variant of the Jazz.

Thankfully, the massive chrome grill from the City makes way for a much better looking shiny black one:


Even though the silhouette remains the same as the older Jazz, this is an all new car:




Rear tail lamp reflectors extend into the hatch area:




Length remains the same at 3995mm but the cab forward design gives the impression of a mini MPV from some angles:




From the exterior, the Jazz appears to be a tall boy design but if you see from this picture it's not really that tall:


The interiors are similar to the new City but this particular variant had climate control and steering mounted buttons missing. To keep prices in check, Honda may be looking at cutting down on features:


Steering wheel looks spartan without the buttons and 2 plastic covers. The horn pad should have extended till the edges instead:


Start/Stop button present, Climate control absent. Head unit looked after market:


Hope Honda gets the same black colour theme and does not "beige-fy" it for India:


The new Jazz loses the unique upward folding "magic" seats. Legroom is very impressive:

[Rehaan]

As a World Premiere, Honda unveiled the Honda Vision XS-1.

The design tries to maximize space on the interior, and features 3-rows of seating for 7-passengers. I couldn't help see the silhouette and front-end of the previous generation CR-V in this concept crossover utility vehicle.



Fog lights are '3D' as they make great use of the depth:


See what I mean about this having similarities to the 1-gen old CR-V:


And again...


ORVMs are rear-facing cameras:


Two-tone paint job works neatly, with the hint of silver, and the black being re-used at the bottom edge:


Massive sliding doors:


The entire sliding door was held up by just this one arm:


Black and silver seems to be the standard theme for alloy wheels at the Auto Expo this year:


No door lines or B-pillars breaking the side profile. Instead there's a jagged lower strip to do that:


I loved the tail-lights. Notice how they originate at the metallic strip on the rear and end at the one on the roof-line:


But that's not why I love the tail lights. This is:


In case you missed it, they float away from the body. Almost begging to be hit by a biker's handle bars though:


The Vision concept has 3 rows of seats:


Seat design is minimalist (and flat, for the last 2 rows):


The sub-woofer is a lovely design element. However, it reminds me of the time Rudra Sen had to take a long journey sitting right next to GTO's subwoofer. He didn't enjoy it much :


Minimalist design continues at the front. Check out the wrap-around / bezel-less display for the center screen:


'Floating' cup holders and gear shift are sweet:


Footwell, and one of the rare times you see a speaker mounted to the side of the center console:


Note the embedded floor tracks for sliding the seats forward/backward:


The ORVCs (Outside Rear View Cameras... hah, I made that up) get a rear-facing turn indicator too:


Another look at the massive rear doors. Overhang is not practical though (eg. if you parked with the car backed against a wall):

[Rehaan]

Ah, the NSX Concept!

Unfortunately the replacement for the legendary NSX has been nothing more than a concept for more than a decade now! (Yes, I'm pointing back to the earlier 'HSC' concept from circa 2013). Whilst the HSC looked like the good ol' NSX, this new concept looks more the an R8 that's been designed in Japan. It doesn't really have much of that original NSX flavour. That said, it's still an absoulte beauty!

Honda says that it's an AWD, and has a mid-ship mounted V6 engine and a dual-clutch tranny. Both front wheels get their own electric motors too (did you really think it wouldn't be a hybrid?).

[Rehaan]

Also on display was the new Honda Accord Hybrid. Honda could get this to compete with the Toyota Camry Hybrid but it looks extremely unlikely given the volumes.

The Hybrid system used on this Accord is quite revolutionary for Honda as it's a series parallel hybrid very similar to the one that Toyota uses in the Camry. Till now Honda used a simpler parallel hybrid system known as IMA or "Integrated Motor Assist". The Internal combustion engine used on the Accord is a smaller 2.0L 4 cylinder engine running on the more efficient Atkinson cycle.

The Accord is winning accolades world wide and it's actually managed to oust the leader Toyota at it's own game. The Accord hybrid supposedly offers better efficiency than the Camry and even beats it when it comes to fuel efficiency.









Honda's current lineup in India consisting of the new City, Amaze, Brio and CR-V were also present with a few add on kits.

This red Brio with a body kit looked hot:


The chrome grill was replaced with a body coloured one:


Regular Amaze:


Amaze with a body kit and rather boring alloy wheels:


The new City with a body kit, slightly better looking alloys than the OE ones and a different design chrome grill:


And the current CR-V:



A special thanks to Vid6639 for helping pen out this report!

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Similarity in the Mobilio's cabin with the Brio/Amaze is definitely an aspect that could play against Honda

Exactly! Honda should have given both the Mobilio and Amaze a better dash layout. That said, the Mobilio looks the best compared to the Brio or Amaze on the outside.

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Hope Honda gets the same black colour theme and does not "beige-fy" it for India:

Let's hope so. I like the interiors as we see here.

The Diesel Jazz will be a wonderful car for our crowded cities. Can we get a AMT as well?

[Simhi]

Hi Rehaan,
Thanks for the wonderful coverage. It would be interesting to see the pricing of Mobilio. It may be placed higher than Ertiga which is justified by the amount of space it offers. We will also need to see how the taxi segment views this vehicle - A possible contender to compete with Innova.

[volkman10]

The new Jazz loses the unique upward folding "magic" seats?
Wasn't that one of the USP's of the earlier JAZZ?

Cheers!

[Zenn]

Rehaan, thanks for your review. I'm looking at replacing my petrol Etio with either an Ertiga or a Mobilio. Comparing the way both look, Mobilio for sure gets my vote. I notice that the 3rd row windows are not the butterfly type windows. This tad bit of ventilation will be missed.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by volkman10

The new Jazz loses the unique upward folding "magic" seats?
Wasn't that one of the USP's of the earlier JAZZ?

Yes - it was presented that way, but how many people even know about it, or have ever used it?

On the flip side, how many people have complained about the pricing of the Jazz?

I'm sure there'll be quite a bit of cost saving by skipping the magic seats - and I don't really think they'll be missed much.

cya
R

[Wall-e]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Yes - it was presented that way, but how many people even know about it, or have ever used it?

On the flip side, how many people have complained about the pricing of the Jazz?

Completely agree.

Having driven the previous gen jazz for 2+ years the upward folding seat is something good to have but not a must have feature given the fact that there is already a humongous boot space with the 60:40 folding rear seat .

I've hardly used it, may be once(that too for the heck of trying it out) .Wouldn't really mind if Honda removes this feature and passes on the cost benefit to the customer.

[guyfrmblr]

Good coverage Rehaan. I almost mistook the Jazz as City from the first picture taken from front. Its sad that they took off the magic seats. I had seen a demo of those seats in Honda showroom once and was impressed with it.

I liked all the exterior design elements in Mobilio except that six sided rear door window. At the first glance, I though the rear door is dented near the window because of its V shape.

[AutoIndian]

I am wondering why Honda is not coming out with the tech specs for the Mobilio. The 1.5L iVTec will be the same as found in Honda City. However what tune of the 1.5L iDTec will Honda plonk under the hood of the Mobilio still remains a big mystery. If at all they retain the same tune as that of the Amaze/City (100 ps/200 Nm), then hope they at least give it a 6th cog as that of the City because this will be primarily used as a family tourer. If they come up with the 1.6L, then it will be an icing on the cake

My other wishful thinking, Honda gives a rear wheel drive to the Mobilio as it being a 7 seater the rear is likely to get overloaded.

[chaotic]

Maybe it's the pictures, but the mobilio looks only slightly taller than the amaze and much less than ertiga or innova. Really, it looks more like an estate with a third row, rather than an mpv. This could just make it's very own segment if marketed well and priced appropriately.