There have a number of contenders in the MPV segment, not many stayed. However, some car models have proved their mettle over the passage of time. On one hand, Honda Mobilio has been eagerly awaited for quite some time by MPV fans. It was Honda’s first foray in this category. There was a time when Maruti Suzuki used to rule the roost in this category with the Versa, Eeco and Ertiga of late. Ertiga has been quite a performer in the segment and whether Mobilio is up to the challenge, only time will tell.
The power plants, which propel these machines, have quite a number of differences with each other. Mobilio comes with the same diesel mill, which features in the Amaze. It is a 1498 cc i-DTEC engine, which is capable of generating 100 PS of power with a torque output of 200 Nm at 1750 rpm. On the other hand, Ertiga has the same diesel DDiS engine, which can be seen in the Swift and Dzire. The 1248 cc mill is capable of a maximum of 90 PS at 4000 rpm. The net torque output of the car is 200 Nm at the rate of 1750 rpm. The engines of both the cars are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox; however, Mobilio offers a more exciting sleek shift and calibrated more appropriately. The lag is absent in Mobilio with a gradual acceleration, which might be encountered under 2000 rpm in Ertiga.
Going to the interiors of the two cars, there is a sharp difference between Ertiga and Mobilio. The dashboard of the Ertiga was the talk of the town at its inaugural in the Indian market. However, Mobilio has just replicated the dash of Amaze and one gets a feel of Amaze looking at it. The inter-sharing of components has allowed the cost to be kept under control. Steering mounted controls feature in Ertiga and the same does come in Mobilio, but only at the top-end model. Ertiga has four circular dials of various sizes in the instrument cluster with a digital display. In contrast, Mobilio features a small instrument cluster with a single digital display. The final verdict about which car performs better in the Indian market is up to the fans to decide.
