Head to Head

Back then, if you needed seven seats, you were forced to buy either a large SUV or a van. These days, seven seaters now come in all shapes and sizes and that includes the subcompact cars.

Toyota has been offering the Avanza in the market for a decade. Honda on the other hand is a fresh face in the subcompact MPV market with their Mobilio. These cars have many things in common but for this episode of head to head, we take a look at what differentiates them from each other.

The Toyota Avanza and Honda Mobilio promise big versatility with a small road foot print. We take a look at how each MPV fares with one another.

The Toyota Avanza is powered by a 1.5 liter, four cylinder gas engine with 102 PS and 136 Nm of torque thanks to Dual VVT-i. On the other hand, the Honda Mobilio also features a 1.5 liter, four cylinder gas engine but that is where the similarities end. The Mobilio's engine puts out 120 PS and 145 Nm, making the powerful car in its segment.

While both are similar under the hood, their transmissions can't get any more different. The Toyota Avanza takes a more traditional route with its four-speed automatic transmission while the Honda Mobilio comes with a continuously variable transmission. Five speed manuals are also available for each MPV. The Mobilio is front wheel drive while the Avanza is rear wheel drive.

Suspension setups are also different with these two MPVs. The unibody Honda Mobilio rides on struts in front and a torsion beam at the back. Being body-on-frame, the Toyota Avanza has a live axle at the back but also features struts in front.

Stepping inside, the Toyota Avanza has a two-toned themed interior with the top portion of the dash in gray. The seats are trimmed in beige fabric and the steering wheel, which comes with tilt adjust, is trimmed in urethane. As for the instument cluster, it simply offers the basics but has a digital readout for fuel, odometer and trip meter. For the Mobilio, the entire cabin follows a gray theme and like the Avanza, the seats are trimmed in fabric. Round shapes can also be seen throughout the dashboard from its air-con vents, cupholders and gear selector. Behind the urethane steering wheel is a more comprehensive instrument cluster. The dial surrounds light up in blue when stationary or when driving spiritedly and turn green when driving economically. The Mobilio also shows average and real time fuel economy readouts. The Mobilio also features tilt steering and adds height adjusters to the seats. Both the Mobilio and Avanza feature flip-forward third row seats.

As for entertainment systems the Avanza comes with a touchscreen while the Mobilio makes do with a 2-DIN stereo. A touch screen is standard for the top of the line Mobilio RS and limited edition V Navi models. The touchscreen is an option for the standard V variant.

For their exteriors, the Honda Mobilio comes with a more wagon-like design that's lower to the ground. The front end is the same one found in the car it's based on, the Brio. Moving to its side, the roof sweeps upwards while the window features a downward kink for visibility. At the back, the tailgate comes with a low liftover for easier loading into the cargo area. The Avanza on the other hand has a more upright design with more ground clearance. Its front fascia now follows Toyota's design language with its large grill and wraparound headlights. The rest of the body has been carried over from the pre-updated Avanza. Both ride on 15 inch alloy wheels. The Toyota Avanza comes in five variants, namely 1.3J, 1.3E M/T, 1.3 E A/T, 1.5 G M/T and 1.5 G A/T. Honda's Mobilio is available in seven variants which starts with the 1.5 E MT , 1.5 V CVT , 1.5 V Navi CVT , 1.5 RS Navi CVT , 1.5 V CVT Modulo Platinum and 1.5 V CVT Modulo Utility .

For the safety check, both are equipped with ABS with EBD, dual airbags and ISOFIX mounts for the rear seats.

Prices for the top of the line Toyota Avanza 1.5 G A/T starts at Php 924,000 while the Honda Mobilio 1.5 RS Navi CVT starts at Php 977,000.

And that concludes our head to head for the Honda Mobilio and Toyota Avanza. These two mini MPVs show that carrying people and cargo in comfort no longer means buying a big car. With the Avanza and the Mobilio, these cars show that versatility can come in small, affordable packages.