After enjoying the longest reign, the Toyota Innova was contested by the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga in the MPV segment only to find both the products co-existing in a similar space without eating into the other’s market share. While the Ertiga managed to woe buyers looking for space and utility on a budget, the Innova was the king of the segment offering space, luxury and reliability in a trusted package over the years. However, striking the right balance between the two, Honda has made its foray into the MPV space with the Mobilio that has been positioned bang in between the middle of both the models.
Offered with frugal petrol and diesel engine options, the prices for the Mobilio are finally out and Honda has made sure to send a message to Maruti Suzuki and Toyota that the new Mobilio is definitely here to stay. Powered by the 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engine options, the Mobilio offers power, performance, good dynamics as well as best-in-class fuel efficiency. With Honda’s shop now declared open, we compare the Mobilio’s prices to the very popular Maruti Ertiga and Toyota Innova to understand, which vehicle is worth your money.
Petrol Models – Considering that Toyota barely sells the Innova in petrol avatar, we will only compare the petrol powered variants of the Mobilio and Ertiga. On the outset, it is certainly the Honda that takes the top spot with a bigger petrol engine, which also reflects in the prices of the Mobilio. The base E variant of the Mobilio is priced at Rs. 7.78 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai), while the Ertiga is cheaper by Rs. 60,000/- with the base variant starting at Rs. 7.11 lakhs. However, the mid-level VXi variant of the Ertiga comes equipped with ABS, while the same is available on the top-end version of the Mobilio along with EBD, dual front airbags and seat belt pre-tensioner. The Mobilio also happens to offer better interior space than the Ertiga, and being more powerful, it is more engaging to drive as well.
Diesel Models – The volume puller for all three manufacturers, Honda has managed to stick to a very competitive price with the Mobilio. Once again, the Ertiga is the least expensive here, but also sports the smallest engine under the hood. The Innova on the other hand seems astronomically priced in comparison with the base variant priced at a hefty premium of Rs. 4 lakhs than the base Mobilio and Ertiga versions. The Innova does manage to offer better space and comfort on the inside, but lacks equipment, while the Ertiga is decently loaded and the Mobilio feels on par but lacks Bluetooth connectivity, a shocking omission.
In terms of power output, the Honda Mobilio and Toyota Innova are evenly matched, but the Mobilio manages to offer 100 PS from a 1.5-litre unit, while the Innova offers the same (102 PS) from a 2.5-litre unit. The Mobilio will also be less expensive to maintain between the two, while the Ertiga should be on par with the Honda. Safety tech is abundant on the Mobilio with ABS, EBD offered standard on all diesel variants (Maruti also offers ABS as standard on all diesel variants), while the Ertiga only gets airbags on the top-trim and only the top end variants of the Innova get these features.
So, which of the three are worth your hard earned money? Most certainly, the Honda Mobilio is a good package offering the best of Innova’s space and Ertiga’s affordability. Factor in the novelty factor and certainly the Mobilio is worth splurging compared to the other two popular rivals in the segment. Still, for those on a budget, the Ertiga makes a strong case for itself and lets not forget, the dashboard design of the Ertiga has more appeal than that of the Mobilio. The Innova has started to show its age but is very well engineered but priced too optimistically.
