Honda Elevate Review

I really wanted to buy a Honda when I was selling my City last year. It was a fuss free car for 5 years. Wish they had released elevate last year. I bought a Tata Safari and I could immediately see the niggles and issues with Tata's excellent (sarcasm) customer service.
I recently had a minor issue with my bumper and Tata took 22 days(even after paying cash!) to replace a bumper, after so many follow ups. I remember i had a similar issue with my city and it was home in 4 days (with insurance)

One thing that made me smile about this launch is that my 2015 Honda City ain't too old.

Is it just me or anyone else finding the manual Elevate yummy? 🤩
For me, being spacious, comfortable, reliable, with a slick MT and engine scores above the panoramic sunroof and auto wipers. I somehow find it difficult to trust the Seltos and Creta, let alone the VW twins over Honda. Ventilated seats shouldn’t have been omitted though. The Elevate feels more like a replacement for my ignis than the Grand Vitara.

A really impressive car from Honda after a very long time. Heck, I don’t even remember when Honda had introduced a new colour in any of their cars. But as they say- ‘der aaye durust aaye’. I hope this car sells well because I don’t want to see our market being limited to Maruti/Toyota, Hyundai/Kia & Tata/Mahindra. Just wish Honda would had offered more engine options, City’s hybrid or may be the old i-dtec as there are still plenty of diesel lovers.

Thanks for the detailed review.
So, we can say that Elevate is kind of Jack of all trades but master of only few (or none)? I personally liked the fact that Elevate has a clean design and will age well unlike the popular ones in the segment.
It's a no-nonsense car that will appeal to a category of buyers who expects the same from a "Honda". But the question is will it appeal to other category of buyers who are spoilt with all the blings currently on offer by the competitors in the segment.
Pricing will be the key as there is no outright differentiating factor in the car (Hybrid version could have been) & I hope that Honda has done its market research this time around.

This should put Honda back on track and this is their best attempt at a Compact Xover till date in India. The Honda 1.5L NA engine is a gem in this turbo GDI era and is adequately powerful. But being miserly with paint pigments does look cheap and economy.

A bit of comparison between Elevate and Creta/ Seltos 1.5 NA

Similarities
- Similar power and torque figures
- Same/ similar auto gearbox

The above 2 may translate into similar driving experience (if Honda fails to enthuse on highways, not sure if Creta and Seltos can provide much better experience)

Honda advantages
- Better safety (structural built)
- Better handling and dynamics (?)
- Higher ground clearance
- Inner space
- Honda reliability - everlasting cars (may be a little bit more than Hyundai and Kia)

Creta/ Seltos advantages
- Some essential features (for a few people) such as ventilated seats and panoramic sunroof
- Some good to have features (which may be important for some and not so for others)

Not comparing looks as those are subjective.

Now, assuming ~70% of Creta and Seltos are sold in 1.5NA petrol configuration, is there not a big market for Honda to compete with Elevate in this segment (1.5 NA)?

Thanks for an exhaustive review of Elevate. A truly 5star rated review.

I have gone through various reviews, their comparisons with Honda city and list of missing features on elevate wrt city. This gives me a feeling that, the Elevate may be priced either similar or lower to the city, the later looks more probable.

I am holding on to my booking for now. The ride and handling section has given me some good inputs and a bit surprise also. I was never doubting the suspension part knowing how well they have done it in WRV.

Thanks for such a comprehensive review. Sadly, the Elevate disappoints. It is neither going to appeal to the masses nor the enthusiasts. It seems Honda is indifferent to this product and has not put in much thought before launching the same. Lack of engine options, lack of features and creature comforts will be turn off for most of the potential customers.

Moreover, Honda is known to charge a premium for their products. Hence, I won't be surprised to see the Elevate priced at par, if not at a slight premium to the Koreans. Such a misadventure on part of Honda will be the last nail in the coffin for the company's fortunes in India.

I do hope to be proven wrong and wish to see Honda succeed in India.

Will wait for the Price declaration but till then it looks to be a good no-nonsense vehicle.
This vehicle to me focuses more on Needs rather then Wants

Still a decent number of people who are out there looking for such vehicles, it may not match Seltos/Creta sales though.

Also feel that considering the dimensions/packaging of Elevate down the line we can see a Hybrid/BEV based on it.

Seltos HTX IVT is way better equipped than the Elevate ZX. Gets the following over the Elevate-

1. All wheel disc brakes
2. Proper TPMS with air readouts(Elevate gets a tire deflation warning system)
3. Front Parking sensors
4. Sequential turn indicators
5. Pano Sunroof
6. Ambient lighting and Sound mood lamps
7. Drive modes
8. Traction modes
9. All LED interior lamps
10. Illuminated power window buttons
11. Auto Up down for all windows
12. Rear camera with dynamic guidelines (Elevate gets static)
13. Driver rear view monitor
14. Rear door sunshades
15. 3 adjustable rear headrests (Elevate gets 2)
16. Dual Zone AC
17. 3 point rear seatbelts (Elevate gets lap belt for middle)
18. Height adjustable front seat belts
19. Speed limiter function in cruise control
20. Reclining rear seats
21. Navigation display in MID
22. Smart Air Purifier
23. A more loaded and faster 10.25 inch touchscreen

Elevate ZX on the other hand gets the following over Seltos HTX IVT-

1. ADAS Level 1 (Without Radar, suspect effectiveness under rains and at night)
2. Lane Watch Camera
3. Wireless charging
4. Wireless apple carplay and android auto
5. Request sensor on passenger door (Seltos gets only on Driver door)

Clearly the Seltos IVT HTX is way more loaded than Elevate ZX CVT. If Honda needs this to be a success, it better be priced atleast a lakh lower than Seltos HTX IVT.
Elevate only gets a Level 1 ADAS, that too without the Radar. It's effectiveness in rains and at night should be susceptible.

Agreed but the competition does provide many more features than Elevate even in the mid variants. Check the IVT HTX Seltos comparison I have stated above.

Wonder how good is a camera based ADAS compared to radar? Is it less effective in rain, fog etc?

I honestly feel that Elevate ZX CVT is going to be priced 1.5 Lakh to 2 Lakh over the Seltos HTX IVT. They will price it around 1 to 1.5 Lakh cheaper than the the Seltos GTX+ DCT.
Elevate ZX CVT would be priced around 1.5 Lakh over the city ZX CVT.

A loyal Honda customer would buy it. Best of luck getting a relatively younger buyer to buy this over the Seltos. Personally, I would prefer the Elevate. Seems the lack of bells and whistles make it am easier car to maintain. Except for a cooled / illuminated glove box and a rather long-in-the-tooth key fob design, I wouldn't mind much the lack of auto wipers, 360 degree camera. Ventilated seats would be nice to have. All in all, it's staid and understated on the inside.

This car will be dead on arrival.

Give me three reasons to buy this car over the Creta or the Seltos!

I find none.

This car is the WRV equivalent in the SUV Space. Great at nothing, but equally expensive.