It’s not a bad thing to arrive late — you can identify mistakes made by early-movers, learn from them, and emulate their strengths.
Almost similar is the case with Honda, which will enter the midsize SUV segment with the Elevate. It will be launched in September, and we drove the pre-launch unit in Udaipur.
What is the Elevate?
It’s India’s ninth midsize SUV. Others are Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, MG Astor, Toyota Hyryder and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. Around the same time as the Elevate’s launch, French carmaker Citroën will launch the C3 Aircross.
All these SUVs are longer than 4,000 mm (but less than 4,400 mm), and are broadly priced in the Rs 10-20 lakh range. As far as fuel type is concerned, two have petrol and diesel options (Creta and Seltos), two have petrol, CNG and hybrid options (Hyryder and Grand Vitara), and the rest are available only in petrol.
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Which engine powers it?
It’s the same engine that Honda City has — 1,498 cc i-VTEC petrol, with 121 PS power and 145 Nm torque, mated to either the 6-speed manual transmission or the CVT automatic. Claimed fuel efficiency numbers are 15.31 km/litre (MT) and 16.92 km/litre (CVT).
In the City, the same engine returns better fuel efficiency: 17.8 km/litre (MT) and 18.4 km/litre (CVT).
Why is that so?
The Elevate is about 100 kg heavier than the City, it isn’t as aerodynamic as the City (a sedan), and it has broader tyres. All these increase fuel consumption.
What about design?
It’s not really a head-turner as the new Kia Seltos is, but wherever I drove it to people got curious. Maybe it’s because they haven’t seen an SUV with a Honda badge in a long time, or ever. The front grille stands out — it’s the biggest among all midsize SUVs, and make the Elevate look bigger than it actually is. From all other angles, it looks just like any other midsize SUV.
How about the cabin?
The cabin of the City is very good. Enhance it a few notches and you get the Elevate’s cabin. It feels really upmarket (though not overtly fancy like the Seltos). It’s carefully crafted, has soft touch materials, seats are neither too hard nor too soft, driving position is just right, and all controls are in easy reach. It doesn’t have some features such as ventilated seats, powered driver’s seat, electronic parking brake, 360-degree parking camera or panoramic sunroof (the Elevate has regular sunroof). But then some of these features (like panoramic sunroof) are anyway gimmicky.
In the City, all windows get automatic, one-touch up/down function, but in the Elevate it’s only for driver’s window.
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How does it drive?
MT: It suits a buyer who loves to drive. The gearshift is smooth and power in the right gear is adequate. It also suits a buyer who likes to get driven around. The rear seat is supremely comfortable and spacious — one can easily sit cross-legged.
CVT: For urban stop-and-go traffic, the CVT may be a more convenient option. It’s also more fuel efficient.
Overall, even at high speeds and on wet roads, the Elevate rides almost sticking to the road. The steering feedback — mechanical signals that the front tyres send to the steering wheel — is accurate, and you feel every bump and dip in the road through the steering wheel. This leads to safer driving. Despite being an SUV, there is minimal body roll.
It also gets the Honda Sensing semiautonomous driving ability — it can ‘drive’ itself inside a marked lane on the highway and follow a vehicle ahead at that vehicle’s speed.
Is it the best in segment?
The Elevate enters the most competitive segment in the Indian passenger vehicle space.
—The Creta is still going strong, and the new Seltos has raised the bar for SUVs.
—The Hyryder and the Grand Vitara have the advantage of a hybrid/CNG powertrain.
—The Kushaq and the Taigun feel solid.
—The Astor is relatively basic, but the C3 Aircross seems promising.
Watch Video | Honda Elevate First Look:
The Elevate isn’t the best in segment, but it has the Honda badge, which is still valued. There are 950,000 active Honda users in India, and a lot of them will possibly upgrade to a Honda SUV. That will give the Elevate enough sales numbers without denting the competition.
At the end of the day, it’s the Honda badge that will elevate the Elevate.
Its price will be announced in September.
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