Faux wood trim is just an optional accessory now Nirvaanji.
Checked out Mobilio today with Sai Shibu.
As soon as we entered, Shibu blurted out that I am an Ertiga owner.
So each and every point, the sales guy was asking me comments about Ertiga.
Interior space and practicality: Space better than Ertiga obviously, but still, getting in and out of the 3rd row is very hard for people over 5'8" tall because of the very low roof. 2nd row is spacious, but still Ertiga has longer sliding seats. Also, Sliding 2nd row seats are available only on top-end Mobilio! One big area where the Mobilio loses out to the Ertiga is the luggage flexibility and "making you car, a home" abilities. Obviously the boot space with all seats upright is better than Ertiga and the 3rd row seatbacks can be folded as 50:50 split. But it folds as a whole unit though. Also there is no flat folding seats, so convenience is affected. Worse is, the 2nd row shouldn't be folded away while driving because there is no latch or strap to hold it in place. So, you have to make more trips than Ertiga if you are shifting your house. The max boot space is limited to the claimed 800 litres (till roof) only and cannot be expanded to around 1500 litres (till roof) like the Ertiga. So, Kinkyji couldn't have been able to shift his house as conveniently with the Mobilio.
The Ertiga has a very flat loading area and even the 2nd row can be folded flat to load as much luggage you want. Also, that very special bed you get to relax on, after you fold the seats in the Ertiga, is the perfect camping area. (I have slept)
Quality: First impression is that the dashboard is seriously a downer for an MPV like this. Build and strength seems to be at par with Ertiga, but Plastic quality is a bit better than Ertiga. The doors feel lighter than Ertiga for me. All the cost cut bits you might have noticed in Team BHP reviews media car have been covered up and hidden using plastics. Some bits like the roof AC blower speed regulator are extremely flimsy. I found the gear lever to be ugly like a thin rod with a ball tip. All buttons on dash are good quality. The Mobilio doors don't shut with the quality feeling "thunk" of the Ertiga.
Comfort and Safety: I was shocked to see wafer-thin seats on this MPV, like the Brio and Amaze! I can't comment about driver seat comfort as it was wrapped with plastic sheet and I couldn't feel it enough. Driving position was good though, just like Amaze. 2nd row was comfy enough, but very narrow. Seats very flat with a weird armrest. The armrest design, although corrected now than the media drive cars, is still awkward as it slopes down if you keep the seats upright. 3rd row has surprisingly good space. But absolutely NO thigh support! Getting in and out of 3rd row is really a nightmare though! Reclining 3rd row seats are a good feature though.
Safety features are exactly similar to Ertiga except the petrol variants. ABS available in all diesel variants and airbags on top-end variant only. In petrol Mobilio, ABS also only on top-end variant, whereas Ertiga VXi has it optional.
Price: Now comes the bomb! The sales rep brought the pricelist and I got shocked to hell by seeing 13 lacs on road! I couldn't understand why price this car so much, given the Ertiga is much better and cheaper by 3 lacs! I asked the reason and the sales person says, "Bigger engine, better quality and premium brand image". I said, "I will come back later, do TD and comment about the performance". He started asking me about Ertiga's performance and comparing both car's specs. I said that Ertiga's highway performance is fantastic and I will say about this new engine only after I TD it.
My verdict: Although better space and "seemingly" more flexible, the Mobilio loses out to the Ertiga in terms of comfort, price, VFM, build satisfaction and cost efficiency (Design also I feel Ertiga is elegant and cleaner. The rear of Mobilio looks good though).