Honda Elevate road test, review

Propulsion duty is handled by Honda’s tried-and-tested 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine, which comes mated to either a 7-step CVT or a 6-speed manual transmission. It’s the same powertrain as in the City, but it has been tweaked a bit. There’s an immediate response to every dab on the throttle, without any delay or dead zone, so responses feel noticeably sharper to give owners a satisfying feeling of power. As before, the naturally aspirated engine pulls well from idling revs all the way to its 6,900rpm redline. However, it feels its potent best at higher engine speeds. 

This time around, to aid driveability and compensate for the Elevate’s extra 100kg over the sedan, its 6-speed manual gearbox has shorter gearing. As a result, the Elevate’s rolling acceleration times from 20-80kph in third gear and 40-100kph in fourth gear are 2.6sec and 3.5sec quicker, respectively, than the City. 

Good throttle response and relatively short gearing result in impressive driveability.

Flat-out, the Elevate will accelerate from 0-100kph in a respectable 10.8sec (0.6sec slower than the sedan), and on account of a shorter final drive ratio, it tops out at 161kph (the City tops out at 198kph). What’s also nice is that the gearbox has short, crisp throws and it’s a joy to row through. However, the clutch, though light, feels a bit sticky, warranting careful modulation to shift smoothly.

The 7-step CVT does a fine job as an automatic, making light work of commuting. Paddle shifters with pre-selected ratio points mimic a regular gearbox to some degree, but there is still too much of the infamous ‘rubber band’ effect under hard acceleration, keeping the engine constantly at high revs, which isn’t very relaxing. Like the manual, the final drive has been shortened, leading to similar rolling acceleration times as the City, despite its heavier kerb weight, and a top speed that, at 162kph, is 29kph lower than the City CVT’s.

It bundles the strengths of the City with the practicality of an SUV.

What isn’t nice is the Elevate’s unrefined cabin experience – you hear the engine at mid and high RPMs, and there’s plenty of tyre and road noise filtering through at all times. 

Honda has missed a trick by not offering a strong-hybrid powertrain option, which seems like a confusing strategy, especially because it is already available with the City. We believe that in the absence of a diesel, the hybrid would have been the go-to option for high mile-munchers, on account of its excellent fuel efficiency, something SUV buyers would appreciate.