Honda Elevate review – Better late than never | First Drive | Autocar India
Honda Elevate review – Better late than never | First Drive | Autocar India
Honda has finally entered, or shall we say re-entered (remember the BR-V?) the mid-size SUV segment with the Elevate. It faces some exceptionally strong competition from rivals that have had an eternity in terms of lead and experience. But can Honda play to it’s strengths and make a mark with the Elevate? Gavin d’Souza finds out.
Cameraperson: Pradeep Bhondave
Editor: Siddhesh Kadam
0:00 - Intro
1:13 - Exterior design and dimensions
2:37 - Bootspace
3:17 - Rear seat space and comfort
4:45 - Interior design
7:40 - Features and safety
8:12 - Crash test rating
9:09 - Driving position and visibility
9:38 - Suspension and ride quality
9:42 - Ground clearance
11:12 - Steering effort
11:58 - Engine and performance
12:54 - Hybrid or EV?
13:25 - Weight and gearbox performance
14:03 - ADAS performance
15:13 - Elevate manual
15:32 - Manual gearbox performance
16:47 - Fuel efficiency
17:26 - Handling
18:00 - Braking performance
18:17 - Verdict
19:35 - Price
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#autocarindia #elevate #carreview
Content
9.3 -> [Music]
14.04 -> This is the Elevate, Honda's first entry into
the mid-size SUV segment. Except it's not,
19.86 -> is it? You might remember the BR-V from 2016 -
a car that, frankly, didn't do so well. So why
26.52 -> am I bringing up that SUV? Well, because
it's key to understanding this SUV. See,
31.26 -> where that car was based on a Mobilio MPV, this
car has been developed from the grounds up with
37.74 -> Indian customers in mind. It's a very important
model for Honda and I'm here in Rajasthan to drive
42.78 -> it for you. But first, back to the BR-V which,
as you might remember, offered three rows of
48.66 -> seats and was the largest and most spacious
SUV in the segment. It was comfortable, high
53.46 -> quality and drove well, but it failed to win over
buyers solely because of how it looked, which was
58.38 -> to say like a cladded up MPV, not a proper SUV.
In fact, almost all of Honda's SUVs have leaned
65.34 -> more to the crossover side, with low roofs, curvy
styling and less than average ground clearance.
70.38 -> Not the Elevate, and Honda certainly seems to have
learned its lesson. It is tall, square, boxy and
76.86 -> has a class-leading 220mm of ground clearance. In
fact, that's the highest ground clearance of any
83.22 -> Honda SUV. The tall bonnet rises above waist level
and ends in a cliff-like nose, with a huge black
90 -> plastic grille area, crowned by a winged chrome
piece that flows into the LED projector headlamps.
96.48 -> The front end is so tall they fitted vertical
fog lamp housings, and lower down you'll find
101.1 -> a faux skid plate too. Chunky mirrors spawn from
the front doors, and muscular wheel arches push
106.5 -> out from the flanks. The thick cladding around
those arches show off that ground clearance,
111.42 -> and smart 17-inch wheels and tyres sit inside
them. A body-coloured trim piece gives relief
117.24 -> below the doors, as does a window line that kinks
up into an optional contrast-coloured roof. And
123.24 -> around the back, the look is clean, with a slight
rake to the roof line, part-LED tail-lamps and a
128.46 -> heavily cladded rear bumper. The proportions are
those of a classic, upright, two-box SUV, which
134.46 -> gives it excellent road presence, despite the
relatively understated design. Before we go any
140.16 -> further, what do you think about the Elevate? Do
you like it? A bit late to the party? Or right on
144.48 -> time. Tell us down in the comments, and tell us if
you'd pick it over any of its many, many rivals.
149.04 -> If you like this video, give it a thumbs up and
be sure to stay subscribed to Autocar India.
154.08 -> Before we hop into the car, let's quickly head
around the back to look at the luggage area.
159.18 -> At 458 litres, this is a class-leading boot. As
you can see, it takes one travel bag very easily,
168 -> the loading lip is not too high, and
of course, it can take a whole lot
171.12 -> more if you wanted. And if you need more
space, the back seats fold 60:40 split.
178.2 -> And underneath here, there is still room
for a steel wheel space saver spare tyre.
186.24 -> And the packaging wizards at Honda haven't stopped
there because, despite that class-leading boot,
191.16 -> there's loads of passenger space too. Now
Honda says that the Elevate's back seat,
196.44 -> in most dimensions at least, is class leading.
And at least in terms of knee room and headroom,
201.24 -> I think they might be right. This scoop frees up
a lot of headroom and this seat is in my position,
206.34 -> I'm just under 5 foot 8 and I think I have
plenty of space. There's also the nice foot
211.62 -> tray to rest your feet on at a slight
'elevated' angle, don't mind me saying,
216 -> but I think that the sense of space and the width
isn't perhaps quite as much as some rivals. That
221.82 -> sense of space is perhaps dampened a little bit by
the fact that you don't get a panoramic sunroof,
225.72 -> just a single-pane one. But that said, the
windows are nice and long and large, even
229.62 -> though the window sill is quite high. The seat
comfort, however, is just superb. They've judged
235.44 -> the positioning and the cushioning just right.
It's not quite in the same league as the City,
239.82 -> you still get that rather low-set armrest like
the City, but it's still plenty comfortable,
245.34 -> especially in terms of lumbar support, which
they've engineered in really, really well. The
250.2 -> seat has a slight hump in the centre, so centre
passengers might not be as comfortable as the two
254.1 -> outer ones. They've given it adjustable headrests
unlike the City this time, but there is no central
259.02 -> headrest and the centre passenger only gets a lap
belt, which is a little bit disappointing. Now in
265.02 -> terms of creature comforts back here, yes, there
are AC vents, no blower control. Similarly there
269.52 -> is a 12-volt charging socket, but no USB ports,
and I would have liked to see rear sun blinds
276.24 -> over here on the windows. There is, however,
a nice, nifty pocket here for your cell phone.
283.5 -> Now, time to move to the front of the cabin, where
the restraint from the exterior design is carried
288.24 -> over. There's a lot to unpack in the front seat
of the Honda Elevate and let's start with the
294 -> dashboard design, which is pleasantly uncluttered,
elegant and a little bit understated. Now that
300.36 -> might not be for you, especially given the more
flamboyant designs that have come out lately,
304.98 -> but I quite like it. I think it gives a bit
of an old-school luxury feel, especially with
309.84 -> this faux wood effect and the leatherette trim
with the cross stitching on the dashboard. That,
314.22 -> by the way, extends to the door pads and the
armrest as well, and it gives a real feeling
318.36 -> of luxury. Quality on the whole is typically
Honda high. Even the hard plastics on top, they
323.7 -> just feel very, very well put together. A bit of a
shame is the fact that there is a woven roof liner
330.36 -> and not a knitted one, but that's a small sore
point in an otherwise well put together cabin.
334.68 -> You also get a frameless, auto-dimming rear-view
mirror and of course a single-pane sunroof. The
340.5 -> steering wheel is pretty much the same as the
Honda City, with nice controls for everything,
343.8 -> including the ADAS features. I like that there are
physical controls up here for the toggle switches
350.4 -> for the auto climate control, simplistic but well
functioning AC vents, a wireless phone charger,
355.98 -> two USB ports, unfortunately not USB-C just USB
type A, a 12 volt socket and the wireless charger
362.7 -> and the cup holders are not interchangeable
like they are in the City this time, which is
366.18 -> a big relief. There's also small cubbyhole here,
manual handbrake and a reasonably sized storage
371.82 -> bay under here. The other revelation is this
slick new 10.25-inch touchscreen, which is a big
378.3 -> revelation for Honda; it's the biggest one they've
fit in India yet. It's very slick to operate,
382.98 -> it has wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto and
a few physical buttons which help you through the
388.26 -> shortcuts. It doesn't feel like an aftermarket
unit like some of the older Honda ones did,
392.04 -> and it looks very well integrated. Trouble is,
for as well as it works, it doesn't pack in a
398.34 -> whole lot. There's no native navigation system,
nor many sub menus, and what you see on the home
403.02 -> page is basically what you get. You can keep
the rear or side camera active on the screen,
407.34 -> which is cool, and you can even add a
central widget for music. Speaking of which,
411.66 -> though it doesn't carry any fancy branding
the 8-speaker sound system is rather good.
417.54 -> The other thing is the part-digital instrument
cluster. Now, it's very neat, very tidy and holds
422.7 -> a lot of functions, but I can understand that
some might find it a little bit too simplistic
426.78 -> and lacking that flash value of the full-digital
screens or even the other part-digital screens
431.76 -> available in the market. But what do you think
about the interior? Let us know down in the
435.9 -> comments. For me, the highlight has got to be this
seat. Honda does seats just so well and this one
441.84 -> is incredibly supportive, incredibly comfortable,
although I do wish it was power adjusted.
448.68 -> I also wish the front seats were ventilated,
which is another feature rivals offer. And really,
453.12 -> the Elevate's features list is one that is good,
but doesn't match up to the high standards set by
457.68 -> competitors. Other things missed are a panoramic
sunroof, drive modes and an electronic parking
462.72 -> brake. But it does get a wireless charger,
part-digital dials, wireless Carplay and
467.46 -> Android Auto, remote engine start, connected car
tech and paddle shifters for the auto gearbox.
473.82 -> On the safety front, there are 6
airbags, vehicle stability assist,
476.88 -> ISOFIX child seat mounts and Honda Sensing ADAS
tech, which we'll get to in a bit. But while it
483.42 -> has a rear and a lane watch camera, it doesn't
get 360-degree cameras and that's a shame.
489.12 -> And speaking of safety, it has not yet been
tested by any independent crash testing body
493.74 -> like Global NCAP, but Honda is not opposed to the
idea. In fact, it's confident of a good score,
499.14 -> because after all, its last-gen models
the Jazz and the Gen-4 City scored 4 stars
505.02 -> in the old regime of GNCAP tests. And with
that, let's get the Elevate out on the road,
509.82 -> because I'm curious about what the
highest-riding Honda ever is like to drive.
513.78 -> [Music]
514.539 -> Now as you can probably see, it's absolutely
519.42 -> coming down here in Udaipur today. The roads
are in a terrible state and there's standing
533.34 -> water everywhere. And I don't think there's
a better test of an SUV's mettle than that.
538.86 -> So let's see how the Elevate holds up. The first
impression is Honda has made a concerted effort
544.92 -> to get out of its crossover past and into its
SUV future. That's because you're sat nice and
552.06 -> high up, the view out in all directions is just
superb, visibility is great, and stretching out
558.24 -> in front of me is an absolutely horizontal bonnet.
And isn't that so 'SUV'? Even the big touchscreen,
565.26 -> it doesn't impede your view too much. It's got
big mirrors, but they don't create a blind spot
571.02 -> because there's enough of a view between the
A-pillar and the mirror to see what's going on
575.58 -> in that gap over there. The next thing we have
to talk about is the suspension. At 220mm, the
581.58 -> ground clearance is not just class leading, it's a
benchmark for Honda themselves, and the engineers
586.74 -> admitted to us that they were really stepping
out of their comfort zone with that. You see,
591.24 -> they always keep their SUVs or crossovers a little
bit low to the ground to maintain that legendary
596.16 -> Honda dynamic capability. I'll get to those
dynamics later, but what you need to know is that,
602.46 -> despite the tall ride height, it feels firmly
planted to the road. And here on the highway...
609 -> cutting through large pools of standing water, I
feel incredibly confident, not just in that ground
615.78 -> clearance, but in this car's ability to handle it
unfazed. There's always a danger with raising the
621.48 -> suspension that a car might be made too stiff to
compensate, but Honda seems to have nailed it just
627.48 -> perfectly. There's a great mix between confidence,
suppleness and ride comfort. This is truly a very,
635.7 -> very comfortable car, even as we are crashing
through potholes right now; I bet you can't tell.
640.86 -> It's just so flat and so composed, and you don't
even get shocked through the steering wheel.
646.92 -> Crucially, like with the tall driving position
and visibility, the Elevate's suspension setup
651.6 -> gives you that sophisticated 'big SUV' feel, which
a lot of others in the segment do not. It's not as
658.08 -> overtly soft as some others, but then it still
manages to take the edge off sharp bumps just
662.88 -> fine, while high-speed stability is in another
league. Honda truly showing its dynamic genius
668.76 -> here. Which brings me on to the steering. It is
everything you could ask for in the steering of
675.42 -> a mass market car, never mind an SUV. It's
got enough weight, yet it's light enough,
682.02 -> it's got precision, it's got directness and
it's got great feedback from the front wheels.
687.48 -> And when you combine that with the amazing dynamic
setup of the suspension, it's a true return to
693.72 -> form for Honda. This feels like a Honda of back
in the day and that's really saying something.
701.58 -> However, there's another area where it's maybe
a bit too old school. We now have to address the
708.12 -> elephant in the room, and that is the powertrain.
Yes this car comes with just one engine,
713.34 -> and it's a naturally aspirated petrol. Rivals
offer such engines too, but for all of them,
719.28 -> that's merely the entry-level engine, with
more powerful options positioned above.
724.38 -> In an age of diesels and hybrids and EVs and
turbochargers, this just feels incredibly old
730.8 -> school. Now don't get me wrong, it's a very
fun engine that enjoys to be revved out. With
736.62 -> this CVT, it goes up to about 6,500rpm. And
while that is fun, it's not very practical,
745.02 -> when you're out here on the highway and just want
to make an overtake to get past a truck, maybe.
749.88 -> That mid-range whack that you get from a
turbocharged engine is simply missing, and while
755.64 -> that's less of a problem in a sedan like the City,
in an SUV that's what buyers want and expect.
763.2 -> Honda, of course, discontinued diesel earlier this
year in the run up to BS6 Phase 2 emissions norms,
768.48 -> and as for why the Elevate doesn't get the City's
hybrid powertrain - the brand simply thought it
773.88 -> better to go straight to an EV, which will be
coming by 2025. Honda's 1.5-litre i-VTEC is quite
781.8 -> legendary at this point, and it's been retuned a
little bit for this car. They've given it a bit
787.74 -> more low-down torque to deal with the extra weight
and the CVT has been reworked a little bit too.
795.3 -> Speaking of the weight, Honda
engineers tell us that, spec for spec,
798.36 -> is about 150kg more than the City on which it's
based, but it's still light at under 1,300kg.
806.46 -> The result is that there's sufficient grunt low
down in the rev range, and this car doesn't feel
811.68 -> like it's struggling with all its weight. It
does give you that 'rubber-band' effect, which
816.3 -> is high revs and not a lot of progress, that's
typical of a CVT, but I'm happy to report that
820.62 -> it recovers from it rather quickly. But perhaps
I'm being a bit harsh because it's not all bad.
828.12 -> Where this engine absolutely excels is in the
city, where it's refined, tractable and perfect
834.12 -> for just nipping in and out of traffic. Now
while Honda didn't bring the hybrid powertrain
838.74 -> over from the City to the Elevate, what they
did bring across was Honda Sensing ADAS tech.
844.32 -> And now that we're on the highway, let's test
it out. It requires some conditions to be met,
849.24 -> like being at a certain speed and reading
the lanes just right, and once it does,
853.32 -> you see the lights going green over there. Now
it has, it's keeping me in my lane, I can take my
858.54 -> hands off the wheel, as we approach the bend up
ahead it should steer for me, which it's doing.
870.6 -> And as we approach the car ahead of
me, it's slowing down to its speed.
875.22 -> Just great.
877.92 -> Car's gone, it's picking up, all automatically.
882.6 -> And yes, even though this car only uses
cameras and not radar to get the job done,
886.86 -> I think it works pretty effectively. Another
handy feature, of course, that Honda has been
892.02 -> using for a little while now is the Lane Watch
Camera, which activates a camera underneath that
898.02 -> mirror and shows you a feed on the screen, which
helps alleviate a little bit of blind spot stress.
905.46 -> Amazingly, the weather started
to turn nicer as we drove along,
908.76 -> and I thought that was as good a time as any to
switch over to the manual version of the Elevate.
914.76 -> If you want far better control over the 1.5 i-VTEC
engine, you've got to have the manual version.
924.54 -> As with other Hondas, what you get is a nice,
short, stubby, short-throw gear lever and a light,
930.54 -> progressive clutch. And together, these
take the work out of shifting manually,
935.46 -> and let you have as much fun as you want.
Now apart from the retuning that Honda
940.56 -> has done to the engine of this car, they've
also worked on this 6-speed manual gearbox.
944.64 -> The first two ratios are much shorter than in
the City and that's for better low-down response.
951.9 -> The result is that there's very little hesitation
when starting off and moving around at low speeds,
956.64 -> and you won't find yourself constantly shifting
down when negotiating a slow-moving traffic jam,
961.44 -> for example. And really, this engine is a whole
lot more fun when you have a manual gearbox and
968.7 -> can modulate the revs entirely by yourself.
This gearbox is also a great way to showcase
974.94 -> how tractable this 1.5 i-VTEC engine is. So
here I am in fifth gear, flatten my foot,
981.48 -> slight hesitation while it gets into its groove,
but then it pulls and pulls and pulls. 50... 60...
993.32 -> 70...
994.32 -> And we're at the speed limit. But it pulls so
gamely in any gear that you can really tell
999.96 -> that Honda is trying its very best to make
up for the lack of a turbocharged engine.
1005.72 -> Another thing worth mentioning is the fuel
economy, which as per ARAI is, unusually,
1010.94 -> lower in the manual, at 15.3kpl, than
in the CVT, which is rated at 16.92kpl.
1018.14 -> Those numbers are also lower than some
turbocharged rivals too, but typically,
1022.28 -> naturally aspirated petrol engines tend to be more
efficient than turbo-petrols in the real world,
1027.56 -> so we'll get back with those figures once we've
done our Autocar real-world fuel-efficiency test.
1034.12 -> And now that we're off the highway and on some
smaller, tighter, twistier roads, I think this
1041.06 -> is a great time to tell you a bit more about the
dynamics. Which are really, really impressive.
1048.14 -> Now here's where some of that classic Honda
handling magic shines through. As I said before,
1053.36 -> turn-in is sharp, steering weight is good, but
I think what stands out more than any of that
1059.12 -> is the body control. Honda's gone and done it
- they've made a tall car that doesn't roll too
1064.88 -> much at all. It holds its line admirably no matter
what you do with it and how much you push it into
1070.4 -> the corners. Truly for a car that's this tall with
such high ground clearance, it really doesn't lean
1075.44 -> that much at all. The brakes are good too, and
that's despite not having disc brakes at the rear.
1082.1 -> Now with great power comes the need for great
brakes as well, and I'm happy to report...
1090.44 -> ...that the Elevate stops pretty strongly. All
of this feels like a return to form for a company
1096.74 -> that used to make some of the finest handling cars
around, but which had lately slipped into softer,
1101.96 -> looser dynamics to appeal to a wider
audience. And they've done it in an SUV,
1107.3 -> while retaining the comfort that buyers expect.
And really, it is precisely buyer expectations
1112.94 -> that led to the creation of the Elevate. No
longer could Honda ignore this extremely popular
1117.98 -> and lucrative segment, nor could they afford
to take another - let's be honest - shortcut,
1122.78 -> like they did with the old BR-V. The Elevate
looks like a proper SUV and it gives you that
1127.22 -> sense from the driver's seat too. The superbly
judged suspension setup makes it feel tough and
1131.9 -> yet comfortable, and let's not forget the 220mm
of ground clearance. And despite all of this it
1138.14 -> somehow handles well too, just like an old school
Honda. It's just a shame that, fun as the i-VTEC
1144.5 -> engine is, there are no stronger engine options
available, not even Honda's own strong hybrid.
1149.6 -> Some also won't like that some popular
features haven't made it to the Elevate,
1153.14 -> like a panoramic sunroof or cooled front seats.
But then, like with the City, it's the Elevate's
1158.12 -> strong fundamentals and not its flash value, that
will draw in buyers. This is not your typical
1163.04 -> midsize SUV that chases a checklist of features.
The space, comfort, reliability, elegant design
1168.68 -> and practicality are what will draw you in.
Oh, and the fun handling? That's just a bonus.
1174.32 -> Pricing, of course, will be key, and we hope
Honda can keep things in the Rs 12-17 lakh
1179.66 -> ex-showroom price bracket, or maybe even lower.
If they get that right, this could just be the
1185.06 -> vehicle to elevate Honda back to the upper end
of the sales charts. Thank you for watching.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQKS3lhWOZ8