Even though there won’t be a strong hybrid powertrain in the future, Honda Elevate SUV will spawn an EV version
With just two sedans on sale in India, HCIL needed SUVs, pronto. To fill this void, Honda Elevate has entered one of the most brutal and cut-throat segment of compact SUVs. This is a make-or-break product for India which will officially launch tomorrow, 4th Sep. Variant-wise pricing could play a crucial role in Elevate’s success.
Honda Elevate Base Model
Ahead of launch, first images of the new Honda Elevate base variant have now surfaced online, thanks to The Car Show. Elevate SV variant misses out on wheel covers, fog lights, rear defogger, rear washer and wiper. It gets body coloured pillars, instead of black ones seen in higher variants.
Lower-tier products like Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger offer rear washer and wiper as standard fitment right from the base model. However, we have to appreciate Honda for making LED headlights, LED tail lights as standard fitment from base SV trim. Also standard in base SV trim is keyless entry and push-button start.
Other standard fitments include front centre armrest, rear AC vents, all four power windows, automatic climate control and audio controls on steering wheel. Even though there are steering mounted controls, Honda isn’t bundling an infotainment system with SV variants. ORVMs are electrically adjustable, but they’re not power foldable, which is acceptable for a base variant.
Elevate gets the same window switches and ORVM controls as other Honda products of the past including Brio. All doors have bottle holders, all seats get adjustable headrests and there is a decent-sized glove box too.
There is almost nothing that Elevate does wrong, making it one of the most no-nonsense SUVs in its space. The boxy and squared-off aesthetics seems to work fine. Base SV gets 16” steel wheels and the ground clearance is the highest at 220 mm. 458L boot space is among the best as well.
Same Powertrain as City sedan
Honda Elevate borrows the same 1.5L 4-cylinder NA petrol engine from City. This powertrain makes 119 bhp of power and 145 Nm of torque. Transmission options include a 6-speed manual and a CVT. Honda claims fuel efficiency figures of 15 km/l from the manual and 16 km/l from CVT. These are good figures considering the segment.
HCIL will launch Elevate on 4th September and will reveal retailed variant-wise prices. It rivals segment leader Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, MG Astor and upcoming Citroen C3 Aircross.
