Honda Elevate

The Elevate’s interior isn’t anything flashy; it’s simple, spacious, and a functional comfort box. With leatherette upholstery, it has either a completely black theme or a black-and-beige alternative, depending on the styling you want.

Cabin Layout and Quality

First, you are greeted by a beautifully clean and clutter-free dashboard; the fit and finish are exceptional here. Second, the cabin feels remarkably upmarket for the price tag, thanks to the excellent touchpoints.

Seating Comfort

Front Row

The front seats offer brilliant bolstering and solid under-thigh support. The driving position gives you a commanding view of the road ahead, making it extremely easy to place the SUV in traffic. It lacks a power-adjustable driver seat, which is slightly disappointing.

Second Row

Legroom, knee room, and headroom are excellent for two adults in the second row, but a third passenger in the middle will make you feel like the space is too cramped. Some owners have also said that this car may not give you satisfactory under-thigh support.

Features That Improve Daily Use

• The driver gets a crisp 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
• There is also a seven-inch digital driver’s display that is wonderfully easy to read.
• A single-pane sunroof and a handy wireless phone charging pad are some other handy features.
• There are rear AC vents and a 12V socket to keep passengers in the back comfortable.

Honda has priced the Elevate aggressively to face off against several key rivals. The entry-level SV manual variant starts at a very pocket-friendly price point, but moving up the range, expect your bill to go up with the fully-loaded ZX CVT.

Ex-Showroom Prices (India)

Fuel economy often decides which car wins or loses in this highly competitive segment. The naturally aspirated 1.5-Litre engine is reasonably frugal, but don’t expect it to break any efficiency records. During our tests, the manual variant returned slightly lower figures in dense traffic. The CVT, however, cleverly keeps the revs low and steady, which helps stretch your fuel budget during slow city commuting. But, on the open road, both gearboxes perform admirably if you avoid aggressive throttle inputs.

Observed Fuel Efficiency During Testing

Safety is an area where Honda has thankfully not compromised at all, as the Elevate borrows heavily from the City’s structural engineering to give buyers another proven vehicle.

Passive Safety and Crash Protection

The chassis uses high-tensile steel for the rigid passenger cell. Up to six airbags are available for crash protection, while you also get ISOFIX child seat mounting points as standard. Bharat NCAP has still not tested the Elevate yet, but it secured an outstanding five-star rating in the rigorous JNCAP crash tests.

Active Safety and Stability Systems

The Elevate comes equipped with an impressive suite of active systems. Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) and Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) are standard, but the absolute highlight here is the Level 2 ADAS suite, also known as Honda Sensing. It has Collision Mitigation Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Lane Keep Assist, and you also get the immensely practical Honda LaneWatch camera.

Safety Verdict

Exceptionally secure and planted; that's what the Elevate feels like on the tarmac. The ADAS on this vehicle is brilliantly calibrated for unpredictable Indian roads. Meanwhile, steering corrections from the Lane Keep Assist are gentle and predictable, making long highway journeys a completely fuss-free experience.

Inside, Honda has chosen a clean, conventional design over flashy gimmicks. The cabin feels premium, featuring soft-touch plastics, artificial wood inserts, and tan leatherette upholstery on the seats.

Infotainment and Interface

• You get a new 10.25-inch touchscreen that is now more intuitive and responsive than before.
• A seven-inch digital instrument cluster is there to give clear, legible data on the move.
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also included.

Cabin Convenience and Practical Features

• The seats are well-bolstered and very comfortable with great support during long trips.
• Despite having a wireless charger, all USB ports are Type-A, which feels dated in a Type-C world.
• While it has a sunroof, it’s a single-pane unit, not the panoramic glass rivals offer.

At 458 litres, the boot is wonderfully spacious. It easily swallows enough luggage for a long weekend away with the family, and the load lip's height is well thought out, as minimal effort is needed to load heavy suitcases inside. Furthermore, you get a 60:40 split rear seat configuration, so fold the seats down, and voila, the storage capacity expands. Overall, it ticks all the boxes for practicality.

Comfortable, mature, and effortless; these are the three terms we will use to define the Elevate’s riding experience. It has that smooth European-tuned suspension to handle Indian roads, but do remember that this is a vehicle more suitable for cruising than spirited driving, since the engine noise at much higher speeds and higher revs begins to irk you.

City Driving

As we already said, the suspension setup feels wonderfully done. It handles patchy terrain with incredible ease, simply gliding over standard potholes. The ride is also beautifully pliant as the vehicle cushions passengers from sharp impacts. Meanwhile, in stop-and-go city traffic, you can move around worry-free.

Highway Driving

However, on the highway, the car feels a bit sluggish. We know who's to blame here; it's the extra weight of the SUV, and also the "rubber band effect" often common in CVT setups. Still, the shifts are smooth and precise, and climbing to sixth gear is a fairly comfortable experience.

According to Seshan,

“The ride quality is a highlight; it soaks up road undulations beautifully. While the handling is predictable and safe, the steering feels a bit "wooden" with very little feedback.”

The Elevate range is wonderfully straightforward; you can pick between four main trim levels.

The Essentials That You Don’t Get

• It misses out on ventilated seats and power-adjustable driver seats.
• There is no diesel engine or strong-hybrid option available.

Four variants may not be enough in today’s automotive sector, considering rivals sometimes offer much more than that, but the Elevate chooses simplicity for a reason; whatever you need within this budget, you will find it available in the available models.

Best for Everyday City Commutes: V CVT

If you want a daily driver, there is no need to look past the V CVT. You get the smooth transmission that can handle crawling traffic brilliantly.

Best for Enthusiasts: VX MT

If you enjoy being aggressive on the gas pedal, the six-speed manual is a delight. You also get 17-inch alloys and a sunroof in this one, without stretching to the pricey top-spec model.

Best for Full Equipment: ZX CVT

For buyers wanting everything, the fully-loaded ZX CVT delivers. The Level 2 ADAS suite is here, along with the premium 10.25-inch touchscreen.

Bilal explains who the target audience ultimately is,

“It doesn't attract young at heart or risk takers or people who want fun, but the Elevate attracts buyers who are mature, and sensible and want a car for a purpose and not flamboyance.”