The spy-shots of Datsun GO Plus MPV rose abundant of eyebrows last week, and were flooded with queries about its exact launch date. Now the rival of GO Plus – the Honda Mobilio (Diesel) MPV, too is spotted for the first time in the lenses of spies (in India).
Wearing none of the camouflages, this MPV of Honda is sure to take on the competition with a big bang rattling the sales with Honda’s new 1.5-liter i-DTEC four-cylinder diesel engine and the 1.5-liter petrol engine options.
Petrol is reported to be delivering 119 PS of power output and 145 Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, where the diesel motor to return the Amazes’ equivalent 100 PS max power and 200 Nm of torque. Five-speed manual gearbox to engulf the bays of both the fuel trims, while the possibility of CVT to be ruminating only the petrol variant.
On the cosmetic aspect, the spotted vehicle is the V trim of its diesel trim of model plate (identifiable due to i-DTEC badge on bootlid), which seems to be one of high-end variants – sports fog lamps, alloy wheels, rear wiper and a reverse camera tucked above the registration plate enclosure on the note.
The Indian-spec Mobilio looks almost identical to the one sold in Indonesian market.
There are news circulated round the web the Honda Mobilio will be launched in India by the next month, we mean July 2014. It is based on the Brio’s platform extended to house three-rows, and rival the likes of Maruti Ertiga, Datsun GO Plus MPV. However, for the Indians who thinks the Honda’s MPV will be a strong answer to the MPV monarch “Toyota Innova”, are in actual on the wrong side of conversation, because the Innova is more powerful and bigger than the rest, for which the automaker is asking such a magnificent price. This Honda MPV will sit between the bigger in size ‘Innova’ and the smallest yet least powerful ‘Maruti Ertiga’, giving the options of an economical MPV with subtle power, and not the least the trust of Honda as well.
Expected to be sold in good numbers like that of the mass oriented vehicle, the numbers according to the data released by Honda indicates Ertiga contributes approximately 12,000 units a month.