Team-BHP - Honda Mobilio : Official Review

The wait is finally over!

It couldn’t have been any other except the Ertiga and this review wouldn’t have got any better without comparing the Mobilio with the Ertiga. They are head on in terms of their offering and USPs and I am very sure these 2 products will witness hot competition from each other. Brilliant review GTO and I liked the fact that your review focussed primarily on the comparo with the Ertiga; Something that we have been discussing over other threads day in and out. Personally, I wouldn’t even want to see the Mobilio getting compared with any other MUV/MPV except the one from Maruti stable. Both are extended avatars from their own siblings and both are car like to drive. Reading this, there is absolutely no doubt that a potential buyer will pick either of these based upon various parameters and attributes which can be a deal breaker for him between the two:

Quality over Quantity – Engine & FE
3rd Row seating over more practicality
Punch over linearity in terms of outright performance
City Vs(and) Highway driving comfort

It is evident from various pictures in the review that there seems to be a lot of cost cutting and missing elements to counter steep pricing. Having said that, I am sure they are built to last and owners won’t have to buy instant glue to fix things as they keep falling apart. If at all I was going to buy the Ertiga today, I would have surely been in 2 minds due to the Mobilio and taken a lot of time to decide between the 2 based on my needs. But I think, taller seating (along with humongous head room for someone who is 6’3”) and the all beige interiors (for someone who’s bored of Grey all around inside the WagonR)would have been the deal makers for me.

Also liked the fact about the Highway Cruising abilities. Something that was primary for me as well. Not for forget the fact that “Power on Tap” playing a significant role in decision making for folks like me who would drive it more on the highway than the city under full load. The Ertiga at 80KMPH is just around the Turbo band (1800) and the power on Tap for those quick maneuverers has been fantastic to surge ahead without dropping a gear. Anything nearing 60kmph and you sure need to drop to 4th to again leap forward (RPMs again at 1800 now). So, it is only city driveability where the Ertiga needs to be tamed unlike the Mobilio which will pass the test in flying colors.

With all the marketing and Road shows that Honda has done over the last few months and the pre-booking open right now, This will surely reach bigger numbers in the first 2 months and settle well at a healthy number eating out its share from the Ertiga and both should continue to run smooth over the years. After all, Honda or Maruti need not be worried when it comes to reliability.Word of mouth and blind faith needs to be earned and both brands in India have successfully done that!

As always, fantastic review GTO. I think the guys at Honda needed more time with the Mobilio, but guess the marketing team just wanted a new segment car that Honda has never introduced in India to push up their sales numbers.

What were they thinking with that wood finish dash board?? That's so ancient now. And the seat belt indicator wiring seems like its been done after the car was rolled out from the factory. But, I did like the way in which the toolkit was arranged at the back.

Now, since this is a Honda that doesn't guarantee a charter buster sales number soon after the launch, as we have seen with the Brio. So we would have to wait and watch, how the general consumer moves about with this offering from Honda.

Finally, it would be interesting to see what the big daddy (Toyota) comes out in the form of the new Innova.

Awesome and much-awaited review. I could be in the market for a C2 segment sedan or a 7-seater. While I think Honda has the edge with the Mobilio's engines and bootspace, with its lowgrade interiors, bad 3rd row seating, poor attention to build quality and the tinny-metal, it should be priced closer/ at-par with the Ertiga. I would hate to pay a premium over the Ertiga.

My guess is Honda may be playing the 'premium pricing' card till the launch and hope to positively surprise potential buyers with near-Ertiga pricing or at best a 10-20K premium.

Overall, the T-BHP review brings out some of the smaller and not-so-well-advertised aspects of the Mobilio in other media reviews REALLY well.

Thanks guys !

GTO,

Fantastic review of the much awaited Mobilio.

Somehow, this product from Honda reeks of cost cutting everywhere and somehow comes out as an under baked product.

I have driven the Amaze(a friend owns it) extensively and honestly was not too impressed with the drive dynamics and hihjway handling and felt so atypical Honda.

With the same chassis, Mobilio may not be too different.

The dash looks very basic and as you rightly said, will be a sore point for customers shelling out Rs. 10 l for this.

BTW, the pic with Mobilio besides the Ertiga somehow made Ertiga an even more desirable product!!stupid:

This is one good looking MPV - I would even go to the extent of calling it desirable, especially in RS form.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 3483511)

Unless you have a large immediate family or are part of the taxi segment, the 3rd row of seats will be used very occasionally. Why lug it around all the time? For the 4 or 5 times a year that you need a 7-seater, simply hire a self-drive option from Zoomcars or Myles!

You are missing the point about why an increasing number of typical urban Indian families - 2 adults & 2 kids - seem to prefer MPVs. Yes, they do occasionally need to carry more passengers, like you said, 4 or 5 times a year. But, when they don't have extra passengers, they see their MPVs as roomier & practical means of transport when compared to hatchback & sedans.

Dad in the driver's seat, Mom in the passenger seat, Junior 1 in middle seat and Junior 2 in the 3rd row seat. It's giving the kids their "own space" in the car. This is especially useful on long highway drives. Apparently, this keeps them from asking "Are we there yet?" every 30 minutes. They play with their iPad or even sleep in their own "pad" on long journeys.

See, its how a 3 BHK apartment is better than 2 BHK apartment, even for a typical 2+2 family. Kids have their own room most of the time, when when relatives drop in, there is still room for everybody.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smartcat (Post 3483682)

Exactly smartcat! The configuration to seat 4-5 adults gets better and flexible in the absence of the +2 passengers. Roomy cabin, stretchable leg room, bigger windows, reclining rear seats - Some major attributes for me too.

Like GTO mentioned in the Official Ertiga Review Throw away the 3rd row in that Ertiga, I wish I too could do that but I won't deny the fact on how useful the 3rd row was when I had to ferry the 6 and 7th passengers not only within the city but over couple of one day getaways too!

For me Ertiga is the winner. Mobilio is good but not great over Erttiga. They have taken some serious cost cutting measures & its a serious issue when it comes to Honda. People expect inside out quality when they are buying a Honda car. City feels premium & expensive car. But Amaze feels cheap. Same happens here, Mobilio will feel cheap when you sit inside one. Seeing the thickness of front seat i am shocked. How can they cut costs here? Also integrated headrests? You must be kidding Honda. Rear windows don't scroll down completely is a design mistake & people don't like it in India. They want to enjoy outside atmosphere by keeping glass open many times. Customer paying 10 Lacs will definitely expect more. Also dashboard is too basic as discussed already millions of times. Overall its a copy of Ertiga & nothing new as such. They didn't tried anything new which will be great over Ertiga. Finally Honda will surely demand premium over Ertiga. I expect 1 Lac over Ertiga model to model. So Ertiga becomes better bet IMHO.

GTO and Mpower - thanks for the fantastic review. well deserved 5* for the review.

Can't say as much for the reviewed product.

Honda - Pls don't launch Mobilio with such poor fit and finish. You are well off without a product in this segment rather than entering with a lousy one and then you have audacity to ask for premium pricing. :Frustrati

Somehow, compare and side-to-side pics of Mobilio and Ertiga made the Ertiga a winner (sure it was only for comparison sake and not intentional :))

PS : It has been asked so many times, and let me ask again -- Why didn't Honda chose Jazz platform for the 7-seater segment?
PPS : What was Honda design team thinking when they decided to continue ugly dash and front-end of Brio / Amaze on this?

Fantastic review.

I guess the mobilio will sell in decent numbers. I dont think it will dent Ertiga sales to an extent that They would be forced to offer Freebees or reduce prices. The average joe is not an enthusiast and will be happy with the interiors. I wont be a market dud for sure, even if priced 1 lac more than Ertiga.

Ertiga is a sure shot sale in those Tier-2/3 towns where Honda does not have a presence. I am just waiting to see the price and premium over Ertiga that Honda will charge. I personally am not happy with the fit an finish of Mobilio. The Isuzu MU-7 seems to be better finished than mobilio and even a Diahatsu looks better compared to a honda :Frustrati

The honda design team could have made a new dash for the mobilio and then probably bring in a facelift to the Amaze and Brio to achieve economies of scale. I feel they might do a new dash for the Honda SUV next year and then bring that dash into mobilio, brio and amaze.