Honda Mobilio – The Perfect MPV for Indian Family

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL) announced its entry into the MPV segment with the launch of mid-size 7-seater, Honda Mobilio. The car gives the perfect combination of Sporty Exterior, Spacious Interior, Comfort and Utility with superb mileage. The Mobilio first unveiled at Auto Expo 2014.

The Honda Mobilio is available in both 1.5L i-DTEC diesel and 1.5L i-VTEC petrol engine that gives the best performance with best in class mileage.

I spent some time in the Honda Mobilio at the Auto Expo as well as a launch event in the New Delhi. Here is my short review of exterior, interior, comfort and security features of Mobilio.

Engine Performance & Fuel Economy

I didn’t get a chance to test drive the Mobilio but Honda is using the same engine that we find in Amaze. The i-VTEC Petrol and i-DTEC engine is known for delivering best performance without consuming much fuel.

The 1.5L i-DTEC diesel engine delivers the maximum power of 100 PS @ 3600 RPM and maximum torque of 200 Nm @ 1750 RPM. The engine is mated with 5-speed manual transmission. The engine has enough power to pull the load of 7 people and luggage. The company claims that the diesel engine will give fuel economy of 24.2 kmpl.

The 1.5L i-VTEC petrol engine delivers the maximum power of 119 PS @ 6600 RPM and maximum torque of 145 Nm @ 4600 RPM. The engine is mated with 5-speed manual transmission. The engine has enough power to pull the load of 7 people and luggage. The company claims that the diesel engine will give fuel economy of 17.3 kmpl.

Exterior Design

The MPV cars are not known for their looks, they’re usually boring and all the vehicles looks same. Honda knew this and they tried to improve it a little bit. The exterior design concept is based on Dual-Solid Motion which is the fusion of dynamic body and glassy cabin. The front grille, sharp spoiler and glassy character line on side will give sportier stance. The third window glass is also bigger and goes all the way to the upper body and connecting to the tailgate glass. This gives you the glassy-cabin feeling.

The 10 spoke alloy wheels with wing-shaped spokes enhance the sportiness of the car.

For more boldness and sportier exterior design, you can opt for top variant of Mobilio called Mobilio RS. The Mobilio RS available only with a diesel engine, this variant comes with a dynamic front and rear bumper, projector headlamps with LED position lamps, attractive & exclusive alloy wheel design, sporty chrome grille, stylish tailgate spoiler, side sill garnish retractable ORVM with turn indicators and Chrome exterior door handles.

Interior Design

The Honda Mobilio interior is based on a prime comfort theme which ensured wide seats, spacious leg room and a large trunk space. Here Honda successfully maintained its “Man Maximum, Machine Minimum” design philosophy. Honda is using a two-tone color scheme inside the car with black with silver trim for the arm rests, instrument panel and central console. Accessory and USB port is just below the 2-din audio system.

Comfort & Luggage

My height is 6 feet and I feel very comfortable even on 2nd and 3rd row. The 2nd row seat is a 60:40 spilt fold and tumble type with slide and recline options. The entry and exit in third row is very easy, just one click and 2nd row seat will fold itself to make room. Head space is also very high and should be enough for 6 or 6.1” people. To make the 2nd and 3rd row more conformable there is a 2nd row Roof AC vent. The 2nd seat is both sliding and reclining while the 3rd row seat can only recline. There is also Mobile and glass holder for 3rd row passenger.

Safety

Once again Car Manufacturers ignoring the basic security tools as a standard. All the security features such as Front Dual SRS Airbags, ABS with EBD, security alarm, Immobilizer Anti-theft system etc. are available but only in high variant. Most of these features are absent in base variant, if you’re concerned with safety, then you need to go for high variant.

ABS is standard on all Diesel variants.

Price & Warranty

The Honda Mobilio is available in 3 grades offered in Petrol and Diesel variants – E, S and V. The sportier RS grade will be available in Diesel. The delivery of Mobilio already beings and RS delivery would begin from September 2014.