[dZired]

What an amazing review! I am amazed how do you guys manage such great attention to detail. Five stars to the review. Can't say the same about the vehicle though.

To put it straightly, I didn't like the Mobilio. It screams cheapness. You can't simply pick interiors of a 4 lakh hatchback and put it into an MUV which will probably be double as costly. And those panel gaps will certainly destroy the image Honda has made in the past decade about its perfect fit and finish.

I am not even impressed about the overall stance of the vehicle as the short hood area and a bulky rear makes the dimensions disproportionate, and that long rear door makes matters worse, IMO. Though I must admit the rear, when viewed in isolation, looks classy.

Honda has to price this competively or else the older and plane looking Ertiga would be a tough contender to beat.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by narayans80

I have the same concerns over the front seats. I mean Honda makes a highway cruiser and puts such depressing front seats on it

Even from the cost cutting perspective, they could have provided the adjustable headrests on the front seats and made the middle row seats with fixed head rests (like in Honda city). Irony is, even the last row gets adjustable headrests.

[Slush_Traveller]

Excellent review!!

I think Honda must be in hurry to finish up on Mobilio projects, so have carried forward many of the parts from its smaller siblings Brio & Amaze, but frank speaking its a let down when you enter the mobilio, the 3 quarter is the best angle to look at it, the front must have been a bit masculine along with a good dash with a infotainment system, Mobilio is launched way ahead of its main rival the Ertiga, but it still looks like struggling on some of the areas. Due to the low slung profile the 3 row seats have to be dug in deep making it even more uncomfortable. If they would have given a tall rear it would have been great to fix higher seats with better sitting position.
Let’s rate it vis-à-vis Ertiga
Seating comfort Ertiga > Mobilio
Interior Ertiga > Mobilio
Looks Mobilio > Ertiga
Engine Mobilio > Ertiga
Space Mobilio > Ertiga
So I don’t see a huge benefit for why one should go for new Mobilio rather then the Ertiga.
Please share your views.

[GrammarNazi]

What an excellent review

I'm saddened to see car-makers losing creativity. That too a brand like Honda! Did they lose all their resources/contacts?

While I see there are some decent positives about the car (thanks to the engine options and space management - which was partly due to the super thin seats), IMO the Mobilio simply isn't a well thought-out product by Honda standards. This looks like Honda just 'added a 3rd row' to whichever hatch it had. A failed attempt at imitating Maruti.

Originally Posted by nakul0888

...I know its going to be more expensive, but I also feel its going to be worth the extra money and a more befitting vehicle for the big "H" badge.

Not really IMHO. They seem to've made a half-baked product, such products just harm the brand they built.

[nakul0888]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Not really IMHO. They seem to've made a half-baked product, such products just harm the brand they built.

Yes I know the mobilio is a half baked product. What I meant to say was that it would have been better if Honda used the jazz platform for the mobilio instead of the brio's and even though such a jazz platform car would be more expensive than the current one it would be more fitting for the usual high standards of Honda.

[racer_7]

Dear GTO. Awesome review. Loved the detailed pictures. Just one correction. Currently Amaze is made at Honda's Tapukara plant in Rajasthan while the City and the Brio are made at Noida. Moving forward City, Jazz and Amaze would be made at Tapukara and Brio, Mobilio and other CKD's to be made at Noida. Infact some City's are already been made at Tapukara. The plant is one of the biggest I have come across. Even the Maruti Manesar new plant looks puny compared to it.

[revv_maniac]

IMO - All 3 Honda cars released with the I-DTEC feels incomplete or lacking in something for me.

JAzz , it is all the way !!! Hope it is of International quality, no skimping on attention to detail, quality and the stupid bar on 140kmph top speed.

[MaxTorque]

Awesome review of a half cooked product. Now we need to wait for the price announcement. Even if it is priced at a premium, Mobilio will definitely attract many buyers. Thanks to the H-Logo.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by nakul0888

I know its going to be more expensive, but I also feel its going to be worth the extra money and a more befitting vehicle for the big "H" badge.

So what we're asking Honda to make its a quality MPV, with premium features and great quality, at a price point higher than the competition.

Wasn't that what the initial Jazz was?? Excellent product, no doubt! At that point, we called it overpriced n made it a market dud. Why would wee expect Honda to do it all over again??

[deetjohn]

Thanks for sharing a great review guys, really appreciate the detail and effort put in.

Such a shame that I cannot say the same about the car. This pic of the driver' seat below speak a thousand words.

Originally Posted by GTO

Seats are awfully thin. If a rear passenger is short on legroom, you can feel his knees through the backrest:

Its ironic how Maruti and Hyundai have gone the other way relative to Honda on quality and desirability of products! Especially Hyundai. If we debadge the cars, someone from the early 2000s will have a tough time identifying the brands inside out.

Coming back to Mobilio, I have a feeling Honda will either undercut the Ertiga or price it on par. And I hope MSIL counters it by getting an updated Ertiga. 1.6L Diesel and black interiors anyone?

[nakul0888]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

So what we're asking Honda to make its a quality MPV, with premium features and great quality, at a price point higher than the competition.

Wasn't that what the initial Jazz was?? Excellent product, no doubt! At that point, we called it overpriced n made it a market dud. Why would wee expect Honda to do it all over again??

Yeah , you are right. Guess we brought this one on us ourselves

[jvm_1986]

Did Honda say anything about a Brio RS? Brio with a 1.5 l engine would be a terrific little car.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

So what we're asking Honda to make its a quality MPV, with premium features and great quality, at a price point higher than the competition.

Wasn't that what the initial Jazz was?? Excellent product, no doubt! At that point, we called it overpriced n made it a market dud. Why would wee expect Honda to do it all over again??

Originally Posted by nakul0888

Yeah , you are right. Guess we brought this one on us ourselves

Well, in some sense YES and NO to the above posts - pricing will reveal this. The above stands true if the Mobilio is priced squarely equal to the Ertiga or perhaps even a shade lower (although the latter is unlikely).

However, if they charge a premium on Ertiga that's anything over 20k, they're effectively doing a double whammy: i.e. giving a Jazz like premium priced product but with quality cost cutting nevertheless.

[oxymoron]

Amazing review as usual. I believe with every review Team-bhp sets up a new benchmark which is far from the usual auto journos capabilities. kudos to you guys.
Needless to say about the product, despite its shortcomings on several counts, I personally don't see any deal breaker. It will definitely turn out to be a blockbuster for Honda, these shortcomings only make difference to brands which are not well accepted in the market.

[NPV]

Had just mentioned on another thread that I was looking forward to the official TBHP review of the Mobilio and here it is published a day after that post of mine, nice co-incidence.
Awesome review GTO, mpower! Attention to detail is impeccable.

Not happy to see the cost cutting measures in place, Honda should have just focused on giving a premium feel to it to distinguish it from the competitors but they ignored it and I think it's a missed chance.
I don't think (and I could be wrong here as well!) Mobilio is going to eat big time into Ertiga and Innova numbers.

*Mobilio Seat backrest reminded me of the Nano, maybe a tad thicker!