2014 Honda Mobilio review, test drive

Honda's upcoming Mobilio MPV will take on the Maruti Ertiga. Is it a worthy challenger that can take the segment by storm?

Published on Jun 20, 2014 05:30:00 PM

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Honda Mobilio MPV.

The MPV making the most noise recently is Honda’s Mobilio – a car that’s already a runaway success here in Indonesia. And it’s not difficult to see why. First impressions of the car are really good. It’s nice and light to drive in traffic, there’s sufficient grunt from the engine, even at slow speeds, and body control isn’t sloppy, so you aren’t really aware of the considerable 4.4-metre length of the car. I’m itching to delve deeper into Honda Mobilio’s repertoire of talents, but we’ve been crawling along in this jam for the last couple of hours, and there really is no end in sight.

Not going anywhere fast, we execute a leisurely pit stop and shop for supplies. Indonesia has some really good coffee and so I select a local brew from Java, politely avoiding the infamous Luwak. There’s also time to get a closer look at the Mobilio which, despite being a big and bulbous MPV, is pretty attractive. Honda has used bold lines and smart details to amp it up, and it seems to have worked.

The most recognisable bit, the nose, has been substantially altered from that of the Brio and Amaze. It gets new details in the headlamps, a larger bar of chrome across the grille and Honda has used a new, more aggressive chin to transform it rather nicely. What also lends the nose a tough, go-anywhere look are the bits of matte-black plastic. While many of the lines that rake the flanks of the Brio remain, there’s a clever Opel Meriva-like alteration to the window line. Looking for all the world like a lightning blitz, this detail effectively drops the otherwise climbing window line – smart thinking.