Honda Mobilio: A threat to Suzuki Ertiga

The MPV market is getting hotter with the entry of affordable cars based on small hatchbacks. These MPVs come with relatively small engines which generate decent amount of power and are quite efficient. The Suzuki Ertiga based on the Swift platform turned out to be quite a good seller. It looks decent and is a good performer. However there is a new player in town and it is the Honda Mobilio. Just like the Ertiga, it is based on a hatchback which in this case is the Honda Brio. It moves away from the conventional boring design that MPVs generally have and brings in a sleek design.

The Mobilio, as we said is based on the Honda Brio and it not only shares components but also shares its looks with the hatchback. Until now we are used to see plain and boxy MPVs like the Innova or Ertiga but on the Mobilio, you will see some impressive lines and design elements that set it apart. We aren’t inferring that the Ertiga is an ugly car. In fact it has got a pretty front face which resembles that of Swift. But rest of the car is very conservative.

The reason Mobilio looks sleek is because it is longer than the Ertiga and isn’t as tall. Also the Ertiga is a bit wider. This means that you get better legroom on the Mobilio but you would have to live with slightly less headroom and shoulder space. The third row has got slightly more legroom in Mobilio and accessing them is easier as well due to simple folding mechanism of the second row seats. That said, the third row is still good for kids only. The seats of Ertiga seem to be better cushioned than the Mobilio and might prove to be more comfortable in longer run.

People at Honda are good at packing things inside the cabin but the dashboard from the Brio is a let-down for the stylish car. On the top spec variant, you would find a touchscreen infotainment system along with built in satnav. The Ertiga comes equipped with a basic audio system and the audio quality is decent from the speakers on this car. The dashboard is same as swift but in beige here. The quality of fabric used is decent on both the cars though Mobilio is slightly better here.

The diesel Ertiga is powered by the popular Fiat 1.3 multijet diesel engine in its 90 bhp variant. This engine isn’t very well suited to the large MPV and this feeling is even more pronounced after you step into the Ertiga from the Mobilio. The Mobilio comes with the same 1.5 litre diesel engine, from City and Amaze, which generates 100 bhp. The petrol engine is the popular 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine from the City and it generates 116 bhp of peak power. Ertiga gets a 1.4 litre petrol which generates 90 bhp peak power. The Mobilio definitely is the better choice here with better engines and design.