Honda Mobilio vs Maruti Ertiga: Which one is for you?

Once launched, Honda Mobilio will compete with the segment leader, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. Sales of Maruti Ertiga are expected to slide down when Mobilio comes out, just as sales of DZire were affected when Amaze was launched.

Mobilio has already been launched in Indonesia, where it has beaten Maruti Ertiga as far as sales are concerned. Last month, Honda sold more than 10,000 Mobilio’s and became second best selling MPV there, trumping Etriga. Will the same happen in India, or are there more Maruti lovers here than we think? Lets compare them for now and see how the odds are stacked.

Ertiga is available in petrol, diesel and CNG variants. Fiat’s 1.3 litre Multijet DDiS engine drives diesel version of Ertiga, while Suzuki’s 1.4 litre K-Series engine drives petrol and CNG variants. Both petrol and diesel models offer decent response to drive while carrying room full of passengers through city traffic, but the diesel engine lacks turbo until about 2000 rpm and causes sluggish ride. While CNG Ertiga is a little under powered by about 10 percent in terms of max. power and max. torque, it does perform well. Interiors seem to be designed swiftly (pun intended) but we got nothing much to complain on that front. Overall cabin room and leg room is appreciable. In short, Ertiga is very good as a 5 seater with good ride ergonomics and boot volume (third row folded and ignored).

Mobilio on the other hand is driven by more powerful petrol and diesel engines that speak for themselves. Although diesel engine of Honda’s is not as refined as the petrol one, it does pack quite a heavier punch and is expected to be best in class in terms of fuel efficiency. Designed on Brio and Amaze’s platform, it will share same interiors. One can expect more legroom in Mobilio as Honda advertises to have shaped the dashboard in such a way and also the seats being built more concave. Also, boot volume is much more than Ertiga’s fancy one. In short, Mobilio will have all the hallmarks of Honda, starting from well refined engine, powerful ride, rich interiors, classy body lines and overall better value appeal.