Honda Elevate long term review, 8,900 report

The Honda Elevate CVT entered our long-term fleet at a time when a number of its segment rivals were already present. But while the others were in demand – the Hyundai Creta IVT for its easy-going nature, the Toyota Hyryder for its frugal strong-hybrid and the Skoda Kushaq 1.5 TSI for its performance – the Elevate was, in a way, overlooked. When the time came for me to hand over the keys to the Creta and take the Honda, I was intrigued to see what it had to offer. Having spent over a month with it, here’s what my experience has been like.

Starting from the exterior, I’m a big fan of the way this SUV looks. The tall, squared-off stance, the imposing grille and the minimalist yet stylish rear end all look cohesive and give it a really good road presence. You jump in, and things get even better. The dashboard has a neat, uncluttered layout, and there aren’t too many textures and colours, which I like. The wood panel on the dash is tasteful, and so is the tan colour for the upholstery. The slick touchscreen has been glitch-free. The seats are also supremely comfy and support you in all the right places. However, I find the lumbar a bit excessive, and I would have liked the seats to have ventilation and power adjustment. My parents also appreciated the easy access to the rear seat and the space offered here. Overall, I really grew to appreciate the Elevate’s mature demeanour. And that goes for the way it drives, too.

The ride is well-judged, as the Elevate just takes road imperfections in its stride and feels composed doing so. The engine, though a bit noisy, is eager to respond, which helps in darting through the gaps in traffic. This, coupled with the elevated seating and easy-to-twirl steering, means it’s a breeze in traffic. What’s also really useful are the flares on either end of the bonnet, which help you place the car. These are particularly useful, as it doesn’t have a front camera or parking sensors that should have been there.

Fuel efficiency has also been respectable, hovering around the 10-11kpl mark in the city. In our time with this SUV, the efficiency rarely dipped to single digits, which is impressive because it has no mild-hybrid assist or fuel-saving auto start/stop tech. What’s also nice is that the on-board computer is quite accurate with its economy readings. In my short time, I wasn’t able to stretch the Elevate’s legs on a highway, but drives on Mumbai’s eastern freeway and the new coastal road point to a good road trip companion, especially considering it also has a class-leading 480-litre boot.

However, there are things that I haven’t gelled well with. The audio system is not good, especially since I’m moving from the Creta, which has a great-sounding Bose system. The other irritant is that you have to turn off the ADAS functions every time you start the car, unlike the Creta, in which it stays off. And I have to do that given Mumbai’s chaotic roads. It’s also only a camera-based system and not the more sophisticated radar-based system offered by rivals. Then there’s the feed from the cameras, which is low-res and choppy. Speaking of which, the blind-view camera’s feed appears on the touchscreen, so you lose the navigation feed for a few seconds when you’re about to make a turn. Moving from the Creta also highlights the paucity of features. Even in top-spec ZX form, it misses out on kit, such as a 360-degree camera, panoramic sunroof, electric handbrake, drive modes and more. Even the roof liner is woven and not the more premium, knitted type.

But while I did miss these features, the little things I did appreciate were the tactile switches for the AC controls, which don’t require me to take my eyes off the road, and the neat, well-executed and customisable part-digital instrument cluster. So, on the whole, it’s a car that’s got the fundamentals right, and it grows on you in a jack-of-all-trades way. And while it’s a frill-free SUV, it’s a fuss-free one, too.

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Honda Elevate long term review, 6,800km report