At the end of 2001 Honda introduced a new compact minivan in Japan called the Mobilio. It was built for customers wanted a spacious vehicle that was not big. Even though the length was only 4 meters, it could fit a total 7 people. The low floor and high height of the car meant it was possible to carry very tall luggage in this car. The seat layout was very flexible allowed for different cargo configurations and with the rear sliding doors it was easy to put things inside the car.
The design of the car is very boxy, maximizing the available space. Large windows give the driver and occupants a good visibility all around. Since the window bottom is so low, even children good enjoy the outside view. The large window area did not compromise the safety of the car as Honda paid a lot of attention to the crash safety of the Mobilio.
A fuel efficient 1.5 liter 4-cylinder engine connected to a CVT transmission was the only powertrain option. It was possible to get either front wheel drive or full-time four wheel drive. Three grades were offered; Y, A and W. Y was the entry grade. A added privacy glass and an audio system with CD player. W had some more convenient options such as automatic air conditioning.
Shortly after the Honda Mobilio was introduced, the Mobilio Spike was introduced. It was technically the same vehicle but it had a different front and rear with horizontal rectangular lights. The regular Mobilio had square light units both front and rear. The Y, A, W grading system was the same but the Spike had a more powerful version of the 1.5 liter engine. Thanks to the addition of VTEC it had 110 horsepower versus the regular 90 horsepower.
In January 2004 there was a facelift for the regular Mobilio giving the car a modernized look. In addition to this the engine now also got VTEC, giving it the same 110 horsepower as the Spike. The Spike got a facelift in December 2005. Following that, a few special versions were sold until the end of production was announced in 2008 with the model being replaced by the new Honda Freed.
Click on the picture below to see the Honda Mobilio details and specifications per year such as weight, new price and equipment for each version in the Goo-net.com catalog.
Click on the picture below to see the Honda Mobilio Spike details and specifications per year such as weight, new price and equipment for each version in the Goo-net.com catalog.
