Honda has long be in the business of putting smiles on the faces of their customers and now with the arrival of the all-new Mobilio multi-purpose vehicle, young families everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief as this might just be the most affordable seven-seater currently on the market.
The highly versatile model adds another, fills a vital niche in the Honda passenger car offering in Southern Africa, and is set to win the quality-driven, high-tech brand many new friends.
“There are a lot of people who are searching for a good, comfortable, safe and affordable family car and the Mobilo delivers on all that and much more,” says Pupkewitz Honda sales manager Jaco
Barnard.
“And you’d be hard pressed to find a seven-seater under the N$ 200 000 price range, especially when you take into account Honda’s high level of standard specifications,” he added.
The Mobilio brings the space and practicality of a family-friendly MPV within reach of a wider audience, while delivering all the style, technology and engineering prowess the Honda marque has become famous for. This allows buyers seeking a spacious, seven-seater solution to consider a stylish Honda product for the first time.
The Mobilio is offered in two trim levels, Trend and Comfort, both powered by the same, zippy 1.5-litre petrol engine, linked to a five-speed manual gearbox. Both the engine and the gearbox have already proven their mettle in the highly regarded, Honda Ballade.
The advanced four-cylinder, 16-valve power unit is fitted with Honda’s i-VTEC intelligent variable valve timing system, and has a maximum power output of 88 kW at 6 600 r/min, linked to a torque peak of 145 Nm at 4 600 r/min.
But it’s the interior of the Mobilio that will be hogging the limelight. Comfortable seats, generous head and legroom for all three rows of seats, and plenty of luggage space ensure a feeling of luxury and privacy.
Despite its comparatively compact footprint, the Mobilio offers sedan-like space, but with the benefit of three seating rows.
The 60:40 split second seat row has a slide and recline function that allows the space to be optimised depending on preference and requirement. With a large door aperture and the second row’s one-motion fold-down function, access to the rear seating row is easy and convenient.
The third seat row is split 50:50 with a reclining function, and offers ample legroom. Both seat rows can be folded flat and tumbled forward to maximise cargo space. Even with all seats in place, the Mobilio will swallow a full 223 litres of cargo, which increases to 521 litres with the third row seat folded down.
Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body construction means that the new Mobilio provides peace-of-mind safety by managing collision forces, while active and passive safety equipment includes dual front airbags, head restraints, front inertia reel seatbelts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, as well as ABS brakes with electronic brake force distribution.
In related news, Honda recently ranked 20th in the “Best Global Brands 2014” report published by Interbrand, the world’s leading brand consultancy. This is the 15th annual ranking of the 100 most valuable global brands.
The value of each brand is converted into a dollar value to produce the table.
Although its ranking in 20th place remains the same as last year, according to Interbrand the dollar value of the Honda brand increased by 17% to US $21 673 billion dollars.
One of the factors taken into account was Honda’s impending return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier for McLaren, after a break of more than 20 years.
The Mobilio is backed by Honda’s three-year/100 000 km warranty, as well as a one-year AA Roadside Assistance package. The Comfort model also benefits from a two-year/30 000 km service plan. Services are at 15 000 km intervals. Get to Pupkewitz Honda to book a test drive and to discover for yourself “The Power of Dreams”.
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