Been waiting for this for a very long time. Thanks for a great and an in-depth review GTO!
Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO Personally, I think it lacks symmetry and there's no denying that the designers went overboard with creases & cuts. I prefer the cleaner, more proportionate look of the Ertiga. |
I completely agree with this. The first time I saw it in some spy pics from Indonesia, it looked odd. The bonnet seems tool small in length in comparison to the overall length of the car. And personally, I too prefer the cleaner lines of the Ertiga's sides to the random Ninja Sword slashes on the sides of the Mobilio. Just to give another example to support my point, I personally prefer the Vento's cleaner design to the Fluidic Verna's busy design (although the Verna is a way better proportioned design than the Mobilio). The rear is a different story and Mobilio definitely looks better.
I am a new Ertiga VDi owner which I bought on the 27th June this year. I have been following the Mobilio since the sketches got published just before the Indonesian auto show. Over the last 7 to 8 months, I was a regular reader of the Mobilio thread on Team BHP, been reading every news article, and even Thai reviews about Mobilio. As more details started pouring in, and after personally taking a detailed test drive of the Ertiga, my preference shifted towards Ertiga from the Mobilio.
Based on some known facts, assumptions made from watching Indonesian reviews and other leaks on Mobilio, and a very detailed test drive of an Ertiga, I felt that Ertiga has
- better ride and handling package (I wanted a comfier ride as against the typically stiff rides of Hondas). And none of the Ertiga ownership threads seem to complain that a good ride at slow speeds is resulting in a bouncy ride at high speeds on undulating highways, which was a big plus for me
- meatier steering, offering more feedback, weighing up nicely on highway and giving ample confidence above 100. I don't like extremely light, video game console type steering units, which Honda is famous for
- more usable last row, because the seat base is higher off the ground. a better driver's seat, and a comfier middle bench.
- better interiors. Already having a Brio in the family meant I was already bored of the interiors. Couldn't imagine living with it for five more years in a car that would cost twice as much
- a more comprehensive MID and better looking speedo unit (again, its a personal preference), auto locking doors
- heftier build. The doors shut with a very reassuring thud compared to my brother's Brio
- better NVH. The diesel was very quiet and I could barely hear it when I was doing 80-90 on the highway during my TD (and the TD Ertiga had done 81000 KM). By the way, I also test drove the Amaze and I felt the diesel drone is ever present, specially at similarly high speeds. You get a lot of road noise in the Brio and the reviews suggested something similar for the Mobilio too. I thought this would be tiring over longer distances.
- better looks (already talked about this above)
- the Mobilio also looked short. The roof came upto the Indonesian reviewer's shoulders when he was standing besides it. This suggested a comparatively lower driving position. I liked the Ertiga's during TD
Of course Mobilio seemed to have some advantages too, like a more powerful and drivable diesel, better boot space, better looking rear. The sea of beige in the Ertiga's interior was a deterrent but it does make the interiors feel airy. Still I wanted to TD both back to back before deciding. And the biggest piece of puzzle, the pricing of the Mobilio, wasn't yet revealed so was going to wait for that. But a lot of reports suggested Honda positioning it between Ertiga and Innova and that it might carry a "significant" premium over the Ertiga.
While I couldn't see any significant advantages for Mobilio over the Ertiga (actually Ertiga had advantages in areas that mattered more to me) I simply wasn't ready to pay a premium. At-par pricing would have confused me a bit but anything over 50K for Mobilio and I would say its a deal breaker
Then why did I buy it just days before the Mobilio was scheduled to launch? well this may sound odd, but the Excise duty exemptions were expiring from July, and if not continued, it would have resulted in roughly a 30K increase in price of a car like Ertiga. Looking at the rail budget and the talk of bitter pills from Mr Modi, I got skeptical.
So I thought as I am already in favor of the Ertiga, and its not like its going to get any cheaper in July, and its highly unlikely that the Mobilio will turn out to be cheaper than the Ertiga. I decided to put my money on my assumptions about the Mobilio (that made Ertiga a better choice for me) rather than the Government's decision.
In hindsight, the duty cut got extended, but all my assumptions about the Mobilio have been true, and even today, I would choose the Ertiga over it.
Now waiting for the last piece in the puzzle to reveal itself on 23rd July. Not like I can do anything about it now
![Stupid](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/Sign stupid.gif)