Story & photos by Patrick Tulfo
DID you know that multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) are basically station wagons reinvented? Back in the 1990s where the sport-utility vehicle sales frenzy begun and sales of station wagons waned, manufacturers came up with the MPV concept by adding a folding third row seat at the rear of the station wagon making it more versatile.
Although station wagons are making a comeback, thanks to a better design execution (just take a look at the Mazda 6 Sports wagon to see what I mean), MPVs play a big role in the sale of car manufacturer nowadays as they account for almost half of the total sales being made for a year. Toyota is a prime example in this regard with the Avanza and Innova making up the bulk of their sales last year.
So, it is only natural that other manufacturers would want to have a slice of the pie too. Honda introduced their entry to the MPV segment in May last year, the Mobilio. This writer was fortunate enough to be assigned to cover and joined the test drive to Puerto Galera in Mindoro Oriental and got the first taste of Honda’s first foray into the market’s MPV segment.
A few days before Christmas at the height of the shopping frenzy in the Metro and the traffic at its worst, Honda Cars Philippines Inc. (HCPI) asked me if I want to test drive the Mobilio for the entire Christmas season until the third of January. I said yes and picked up the unit at a gas station nearby our place.
The variant lent to me was the silver 1.5 V equipped with the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). It slots between the 1.5 E manual and the higher offerings—the RS, the Modulo and the Modulo utility. With the navigation system and the addition of skirts, rear spoilers as the only difference.
The Mobilio is a good looking multiutility vehicle (MUV) as Honda puts it. It’s based largely on another Honda model the Brio Amaze, Honda’s entry in the subcompact segment. Upfront, it sports the same rounded look of its brother, as well as the same multireflector halogen headlamps that provide excellent illumination at night. They go well with the standard fog lamps and the Honda’s famous logo is proudly displayed on the narrow grille.
Sideways, it copied the lightning window design of the previous Odyssey, which complement well with the curves on both sides. This continues at the rear that sports a pair of well-designed rear tail lamps. A spoiler with an LED stop lamp completes the look.
But what makes this MUV shine is how the designer was able to make it roomy inside despite its compact dimension. One will be surprised at how big it is inside even with all the seats up. A second trip after the New Year to Bataan with the third-row seats folded, the cargo space swallowed a kiddie stroller, big bags for another overnight stay, as well as cooler for a picnic with still a lot of room to spare.
On the said trip, it seated all the passengers in comfort with adequate legroom even in the third row. The rear air-con vent was a big help in cooling the cabin quickly. The instrument layout and other controls are intuitively located. My few gripes are confined to the lack of a seat height adjuster for the vertically challenged and an ill-fitting glove compartment. The two din stereo is an aftermarket variety which means owners can upgrade if they so wish. It sounds great and reminds one of those installed on cars released in the 1990s.
The Mobilio may be the best handling vehicle by far in its segment. The rack and pinion electric power-steering return good feedback. The Macpherson Struts setup with stabilizers, as well as a torsion beam at the rear with coil springs aid in this regard.
The ride is somewhat on the firm side but only the most sensitive may be bothered by this. This also gives it a sporty handling—a trait, which exhibited several times during its stay with me.
The powerful 1.5 liter I-VTEC engine produces 120 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque more than enough to carry the vehicle even when it’s fully loaded.
On the way up to the summit of Mount Samat in Pilar, Bataan, it easily overtook several big vans even on the steep part of the ascent. CVT is a perfect match for the engine. It is also very frugal registering double digits’ fuel consumption even when driven hard or when stuck in traffic. It is also Euro 4-compliant, a trait that all Honda engine now possess.
When I interviewed HCPI President and General Manager Toshio Kuwahara, I asked him about their sales projection on the Mobilio and he said he would be very happy if they get even just half of the Avanza sales that time. But on the latest tally as of late, 3,000 Mobilios have been sold since its introduction. I think this makes Kuwahara-san very very happy.