2004 HONDA Mobilio 1.5L CVT AWD (110 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Honda developed an MPV for their home market and managed to accommodate seven people inside a small-segment-sized vehicle.

The Mobilio replaced the Capa, which was good only for five adults inside. But the customers started to ask for a bigger interior room either for passengers transportation or for cargo capacity. Then, Honda decided to build the Mobilio with a longer wheelbase than its predecessor and managed to provide room for seven or, with the second and third-row folded, a minivan-like cargo area.

Honda’s designers started from the kei-car segment solutions when they designed the Mobilio. They made the car with flat sides and rear area and a very short nose. A steep windshield and a tall greenhouse led to a tall, narrow, and short vehicle. The car was available in two trim levels: the Mobilio and the Mobilio Spike, with the latter being considered more upmarket. The flat front fascia with a short overhang and rectangular headlights looked similar to those installed on a kei-car.

Inside, the carmaker placed a short and wide dashboard, extended downwards with a center stack where it installed the infotainment unit and the climate control buttons. Its upright gear-selector for the automatic transmission was very close to the steering wheel. Honda didn’t install a center console, so the driver or the side passenger could have easily crossed the car from side to side. The sliding doors offered a very wide opening in the back, which made easier the ingress and egress from the car. The middle row could have slide forward and tilt for better access to the rear seats.

Under the hood, the carmaker installed a 1.5-liter, naturally aspirated engine paired to a CVT.