Shootout: Maruti Ertiga vs Honda Mobilio
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 7.12 – 10.09 lakhs (Maruti Ertiga), Rs. 7.78 – 13.36 lakhs (Honda Mobilio)
Ertiga and Mobilio offer tremendous practicality while being compact MPVs at the same time
There is a new trend of being trendy in India, especially in the automotive sector. When the trend of hot hatches came, several manufacturers including the premium luxury brands attacked the segment. We also have all shapes and sizes of different SUVs thanks to the sudden surge in demand. Now who would have thought that the words ‘trend’ and ‘MPV’ can be said together in a sentence. This is a reality now and compact MPVs are actually gravitating personal buyers apart from the taxi segment. Maruti Suzuki was the trend setter of the compact MPV segment with the Ertiga and now with a diesel engine on the block, Honda has pushed the envelope further by introducing the Mobilio. We put both the MPVs head to head in a shootout to perceive which Japanese MPV scores higher in a literal cutthroat battle between Maruti Suzuki and Honda.
Motor Quest: The Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is in its first generation that is derived from the Swift platform. The Honda Mobilio though is in its second generation and very few people are aware about its first generation, which was not offered in India and is quite boxy and simple in terms of styling that was in production globally between 2001 and 2008. The Maruti Ertiga was introduced in India in 2012 and is also badged as the Mazda VX-1 in some markets.
Styling – Both the cars have drastically different design philosophy. While the Honda Mobilio looks young and sleeker, the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga has a mature and no nonsense styling all around. Based on the Swift platform, the Ertiga has a calm and relaxed front profile featuring wide swept back headlamps, rectangular grille and a brawny bumper with simple lines. The side profile of the Ertiga also consists of straight lines with relatively more pronounced wheel arches but the rear tends to look plain with small tail lamps and a simple tailgate.
Speaking of the rear profile, Honda has mastered the tail of the Mobilio that is quite unconventional for an MPV. The wide wraparound tail lamps look sporty alongside the sleek bumper treatment at the rear. The rear three-quarters of the Mobilio is its best angle, where you can see the aggressive side profile lines rising up to a kink near the B-pillar and the continual effect of the rear quarter glass. Regardless of how young the Mobilio wants to look, it has a rather immature face of the Brio that spoils the overall styling. It has the same headlamp cluster but with a fat chrome bar and a revised front bumper. The Mobilio RS variant looks more appealing from the front. Styling is subjective but we like the more consistent mature design of the Maruti Ertiga.
The Ertiga’s dashboard is more appealing in terms of design but the Mobilio’s quality is slightly better
Interiors – The first thing to notice on both the MPVs is ingress. You walk inside the Maruti Ertiga and you sit inside the Honda Mobilio. Yes, the Honda Mobilio is a tad low and even the driving position is more car-like compared to the Ertiga that has a commanding position. The dashboard layout of the Ertiga is uncluttered and neatly done with smooth flowing panels and light dual-tone colours. The Mobilio’s dashboard comes straight from the Brio, which is not so impressive in terms of styling. The protruding glove box and uneven centre console doesn’t look attractive. However, when we speak of the quality, fit and finish, the Mobilio feels a little better as the Ertiga has some rough bits and they start squeaking with time. Both have separate condenser for rear air conditioning and cooling is effective on both.
The Honda Mobilio is more spacious and flexible but the Maruti Ertiga is more comfortable with good cushioning
Honda’s man maximum machine minimum strategy shows the impressive amount of space and flexibility in the Mobilio’s cabin. All three rows are well spaced out thanks to the compact dashboard and slim seats. The huge glass area all around further adds to the airiness of Honda’s cabin. The middle row has got better space than the Eritga and the last row too has decent legroom for short people, Ertiga’s last row is best suited for kids. The Mobilio is more flexible, middle row slides in both the MPVs but third row of Mobilio has split seats that are individually reclinable. Even the boot space with all seats up is better in the Mobilio because of its lengthier dimensions. However, the Ertiga’s seats are more comfortable because of the cushioning and support and three abreast in the middle can sit easily because of its wider dimensions.
The Honda Mobilio’s boot is more spacious and convenient as the seats split fold and loading lip is low
The Maruti Ertiga is offered with three variants while the Honda Mobilio gets four. If you notice, for all the variants offered by Honda you have to pay a considerable premium over the Ertiga for similar features and in some variants of the Mobilio you get shocking omissions. There is a difference of Rs. 2 lakhs between the on-road Mumbai pricing of the Maruti Ertiga ZDi and Honda Mobilio V, let alone Mobilio RS that asks for about Rs. 3.26 lakhs premium still you don’t get reverse parking sensors, rear camera, Bluetooth connectivity, automatic climate control, etc. The Mobilio RS gets sporty body kit, projector headlamps, power foldable ORVMs and heat absorbing windscreen. Auto door lock is only provided on the RS variant of the Mobilio.
Performance – The petrol version of the Maruti Ertiga is powered by a 1.4-litre K-Series engine that produces 95 PS and 130 Nm while the Honda Mobilio gets the 1.5-litre i-VTEC that produces 119 PS and 145 Nm. The K-Series has decent punch across the rev range considering the weight of the Ertiga but it’s the i-VTEC that offers good power and great drivability. The acceleration is phenomenal for a MPV and even with full load of passengers in the Mobilio, it can pull quite easily. Both are mated to 5-speed manual gearbox which is slick in both cars but smoother on the Mobilio. The claimed fuel efficiency of petrol Ertiga and Mobilio stand at 16.02 km/l and 17.3 km/l respectively.
The Mobilio 1.5 i-DTEC has excellent drivability but the Ertiga is faster in the 0-100 km/hr sprint
The diesel variants are of course more popular where the Ertiga is powered by the famous 1.3-litre Fiat MultiJet that produces 90 PS and 200 Nm. The Honda Mobilio gets the 1.5-litre i-DTEC producing 100 PS and 200 Nm. The torque figures are the same but the Ertiga makes 10 PS less at higher RPM with a bigger turbo so there is considerable lag initially and then it gathers good pace after 2000 RPM with eagerness. The initial lag makes it a hectic drive in city and hilly terrain. The Mobilio has almost no turbo lag and power delivery is linear since the beginning so even with good load and congested conditions, the Mobilio is effortless to drive. Both are good in terms of highway performance but the Mobilio betters Ertiga easily with more power on tap with both the engines. NVH of the Ertiga is better as the Mobilio clatter is evident inside the cabin, although much reduced from other diesel Hondas on offer in India. Transmission and clutch calibration is slightly better on the Mobilio. The Ertiga and Mobilio claim diesel fuel efficiency figures of 20.77 km/l and 24.2 km/l respectively, so the Honda is more frugal.
Driving Dynamics – Both the MPVs have similar kerb weight but their behaviour is different when it comes to ride and handling. The suspension setup of the Ertiga is a tad soft compared to the Mobilio so the low speed ride is much better and comfortable while the Mobilio feels little stiff on broken surfaces. As the speed increases the Mobilio provides a flat ride absorbing most of the undulations and bumps, which is good for high speed stability. The Ertiga is no less when it comes to stability but there is a top heavy feeling and some body roll is there because of its taller stance, the Mobilio feels more car-like.
The Ertiga feels top heavy while the Mobilio feels low slung despite having higher ground clearance
With shorter overhangs and a longer wheelbase, the Ertiga handles well. The Honda Mobilio is a good handling car too but the steering feels disconnected and isn’t as responsive as the Ertiga’s. The Maruti Ertiga’s steering is more communicative and adaptive so there is no nervousness involved. Both the cars have phenomenal braking performance but the brake pedal feedback of the Ertiga is linear while the Mobilio has a slight woody feel. However, it feels like the Ertiga’s ABS kicks in a bit early and there is some nose dive.
Safety and After Sales Service – Both the MPVs haven’t been crash tested by Global NCAP yet but have passed Indian safety norms that are not as stringent and exhaustive as Global NCAP’s. All the diesel variants of Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Honda Mobilio get ABS and EBD as standard. The petrol LXi variant doesn’t get ABS and EBD while it’s optional on VXi and standard on ZXi. The Mobilio E and S petrol variants don’t get ABS and EBD as it is offered only on the V variant. Dual front airbags only come with the range topping variants of both the MPVs. If you are based in tier-2, tier-3 cities then Maruti Suzuki would be more hassle free to own and run because they have the largest and almost unbeatable service network in India. Otherwise if you belong to urban cities, Honda after sales is equally good and light on the pocket.
Verdict – The Honda Mobilio is the better car than the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, there is no doubt about that. The Brio based MPV has more interior room, much better engines (specially the petrol one) and the Honda badge itself is more premium than that of Maruti Suzuki. However, the winner of this shootout is the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. Yes you read that right. You see, when Honda launched the Brio in India, they never tried to position it against the Swift, simply because the latter is a superior product. When Honda launched the Amaze, they charged a nominal premium of around Rs. 30,000/- more than the DZire, which was acceptable considering the more powerful diesel engine and the Honda badge justified the premium.
With the Mobilio though, Honda has charged a premium of Rs. 66,000/- on the base variants, rising up to Rs. 1.92 lakhs on the top-end variant (Mobilio V vs Ertiga ZDi, all prices being on-road Mumbai). For the additional amount you pay (which is going to rise further as Honda has stated these prices are introductory), you don’t get any extra feature on the Mobilio and let’s not forget the Ertiga being the older car here is also offered with a good discount by dealers. The Ertiga has always screamed terrific value and the Mobilio makes this Maruti MPV look even more attractive. The Maruti Ertiga looks better at the front, has a more appealing dashboard with better seats and the difference between diesel engine performance of the two cars isn’t vast either. Thus, the Ertiga’s value trump card helps it emerge on top in this shootout.
The Mobilio is without doubt a better product than the Ertiga but the premium charged doesn’t seem to justify as you don’t get anything significant for the added amount. Thus the huge premium over the Ertiga for just the badge doesn’t align well with those looking for a value for money MPV buy, making the Ertiga the better alternative of the two.
Further Reading –
Honda Mobilio Review
Maruti Ertiga Review
Honda Mobilio Long Term Review
Honda Mobilio RS Travelogue
