The Honda Mobilio is a successful model for the Japanese carmaker in Indonesia and the seven-seater MPV is getting a facelift for 2017. The 2017 Mobilio fascia has gone a complete revamp and we like the way the new Mobilio looks.
The new front look of the Mobilio is sharp and chiselled resembling the current generation Honda City with its swept rectangular headlamps. The front grille now gets an additional chrome slat underlining the badge and makes it look premium. The three-part air dam complements the blacked out headlamps units with its black fog lamp inserts. Being a facelift, the body shell is the same and hence is the profile.
With the changes, the Mobilio now looks almost like the BR-V from far. Only when you go close you would notice the lower hood and the missing cladding which make the BR-V look its part as an SUV. For the similarities with the BR-V, the interior of the new Mobilio is almost the same and is expected to have the same equipment list as the SUV. Same is the case of the engine options. It has the 1.5-litre petrol i-Vtec that churns out 115bhp of power works well with the five-speed manual and the CVT automatic gearbox options. The frugal 1.5-litre i-Dtec engine develops 100bhp of power and comes mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
Owing to the unmistakable similarities, we think Honda might not be keen on bringing the Mobilio facelift to India as it would undermine the distinct identity of the BR-V. Also, with the BR-V doing much better than the Mobilio in the Indian market, Honda would want to keep current dynamics undisturbed.
