What is it?

Honda has finally stepped into the fierce mid-size SUV segment with the Elevate. And the Japanese carmaker aims to change its fortunes in the country with it. The Elevate SUV has been developed and engineered from the ground up in India with more focus on the domestic market. So what is Honda bringing to the table where Korean giants like Hyundai and Kia are leading the pack? Let’s find out.

How is it on the outside?

Honda Elevate flaunts a bold and upright design with its striking tall face. The SUV takes inspiration from the automaker’s international models, such as the CR-V and WR-V. Up front, the Elevate gets a big squared-off grille with black horizontal slats pattern. The headlights are sleeker in design with LED DRLs placed above them. Additionally, there is a chrome strip running across the width of the front fascia underneath the bonnet line. The front bumper is wide and houses fog lamps. Adding to the overall look are the strong ridges on the bonnet, thus making the front look even more muscular.

The talking point here is the dimensions of the Elevate. It is 4,312mm long and 1,790mm wide, with a wheelbase of 2,650mm. Then, the height of this Honda SUV is 1,650mm and ground clearance stands at 220mm.

On the sides, it sports squared wheel arches with black claddings stretching over the side skirts. The car rides on 17-inch alloy wheels which get a dual-tone finish. Notably, all the wheels come equipped with disc brakes.

At the rear, this Creta-rival is equipped with inverted L-shaped LED tail lights with a connected look. It also gets a rear wiper and washer, rear defogger, shark fin antenna, roof rails, and chunky rear bumper with reflectors and silver skid plate.

How is it on the inside?

The interior of the Elevate SUV is a major step up from the typical Honda styling. The dashboard is dominated by a new floating touchscreen infotainment system. The cabin gets the dual-tone combination including a black and brown theme with wood finishes on the dashboard and door panels.

The rear seats are wide and comfortable too. Then, owing to the large wheelbase, the cabin feels spacious with ample knee- and leg-room. Meanwhile, the front seats miss out on any electrical adjustments and rather offer manual height and recline adjustments.

What’s on the feature list?

In terms of features, the Elevate SUV comes loaded with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, an electric sunroof, automatic climate control, cruise control, and a wireless charger. It also gets wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Honda Connect, steering-mounted controls, and more.

As for its safety features, Honda offers the Elevate with six airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist, VSA, HAS, light crash performance, pedestrian protection, a multi-angle rear camera, ISOFX, and a lane watch camera. The Honda Sensing ADAS tech from the City is also available with the Elevate SUV. This safety suite gets advanced safety features like adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation braking system, road departure warning, lane keep assist, and high-beam assist.

What is it powered by?

Powering the Honda Elevate is the same 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that comes with the Honda City. This engine gets an option of a six-speed manual or a seven-speed CVT gearbox. In this state of tune, the motor produces 119bhp and 145Nm of peak torque.

What about pricing and competition?

The carmaker will launch the Elevate first in India in the festive season, followed by its export to the international markets. We expect it to be priced in the range of Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 17 lakh. Upon arrival, the Honda Elevate will fight in the pit against the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun and MG Astor.