The Latin phrase above means ‘mobile
utility’, and so far as MUVs go, there would hardly be a more fitting
description of their purpose of existence. We tell you just how much of utility
you can expect in Honda’s new Mobilio
It's no secret that we Indians aren't just
satisfied with having our wife and children on our road trip, but also our
parents. And, if possible, maybe our cousins too. All right. So I'm
exaggerating, but you get the point, right? We love our families and want to
take them everywhere we go. Multi-utility vehicles (MUV), therefore, have a
great potential in our country. So if you were a family person looking to fit
your brood and your folk into one vehicle, then you could choose among the
Toyota Innova, Mahindra Xylo or Quanto, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and, of late, the
Chevrolet Enjoy. Now, however, there is another addition from Honda. Enter the
Mobilio.
The
Honda Mobilio offers strong performance, good interior space and excellent
dynamics
Should you look at the Mobilio head-on,
we'll forgive you for thinking it is a Brio or an Amaze. Barring some subtle
changes to the grille, there's not much to distinguish among the hatch, sedan
or MUV. Move a bit to the side, though, and the changes become far more
apparent. In profile, the Mobilio does seem a bit longer than the Amaze (the
car it is based on). The Mobilio is a full 247 millimetres longer than the
Amaze while, overall, the Mobilio's 4,386 mm length is longer than the sedan's
3,990 mm. The rear door too has grown by 195 mm, to make ingress/egress to the
third row easier.
The seven-seater Mobilio will, therefore,
butt into the Ertiga's bastion head-on (depending upon the price). And before
the question forms in your mind, no, it will not go up against the Innova. The
latter is a larger vehicle. But in spite of being smaller than the Innova,
Honda R&D's hard work in increasing the wheelbase has paid off well. While
the front row felt as spacious as the Amaze's, where you really feel the
difference is in the second and third rows.
The
dashboard is carried over from the Amaze, wood garnish doesn’t gel well
The second-row seats feel quite roomy. The
fact that the 60:40 split seats can be adjusted for slide and recline further
helps. In the last row, too, it doesn't feel claustrophobic. Even with the
second-row seats slid back as far as they will go and the seat-back reclined to
the last but one stop, my knees just about touched the seat-back when I was
sitting in the final row. Given that I am just over six feet tall, I would have
to say then that this is a spacious vehicle. Even after all this there's still
enough space for a medium sized suitcase and a strolley. The fact that this
Honda is 1,603 mm tall (a full 98 mm taller than the Amaze) also ensures that
there's sufficient head-room for all heights, except in the very last row where
it's somewhat compromised.
The
second row windows are the biggest we have seen in any mass produced car
Adding to the roomy feel is the large glass
area that Honda have endowed the Mobilio's cabin with. There is even a small
kink on the rear door, which, apart from giving it a bit of styling
differentiation from the other cars, also serves a higher purpose: in this case
ensuring that a straight rising shoulder-line doesn't reduce the size of the
windows at the rear, reducing the glass area.
