Honda has launched the new Elevate facelift in India at an ex-showroom starting price of Rs 11.80 lakh. Five trims are available- SV, V, VX, ZX, ZX+. The last one is a new addition to the lineup. Honda hasn’t revealed its price yet. Pre-bookings are already underway.
This is the first major update to the mid-size SUV since its introduction in 2023. India is the first market to get the updated SUV. The facelift gets a revised exterior styling, more features inside and absolutely no change in its engine.
Design: What Has Changed?
On the new Elevate, most of the styling changes are concentrated at the front end. It gets a redesigned grille section, a new bumper, and refreshed lighting, including new LED DRLs. Minor changes can also be seen in the LED headlamps.
The side view remains familiar. The proportions are unchanged as well. That said, a new set of alloy wheels pumps fresh appeal into the side design.
At the rear, the SUV gets revised LED tail lamps and a slightly tweaked bumper. These design changes differentiate the new model from the pre-facelift one and give it a fresher appearance. More importantly, these bring it closer to Honda’s latest global styling direction. The intent has been to make the design bolder, and looks like Honda has successfully done it!
10 exterior colour options are available, including three dual-tone shades. You can also choose from two cabin colour schemes.
Interior And Features
The Elevate has always had a reputation of keeping things simple on the equipment front. This feature gap widened lately with the influx of models like the second-generation Kia Seltos. The facelift tries to address this by offering a few features which were earlier offered as dealer-level accessories.
The ambient lighting is a good example. It now comes integrated into various places inside the cabin. The overall fit, finish and material quality inside have improved significantly. The Elevate now feels more premium than before. The colour scheme is another big difference. The pre-facelift used to have a tan-themed cabin. The facelift uses lighter, more pleasant colours. Also, there is an all-Black option on offer.
It continues to offer a camera-based ADAS suite with features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, collision mitigation braking and road departure mitigation. You also get an automatic climate control, wireless charger, sunroof, air purification system, type-C ports, capacitive touch rear LED spot lamps, and more. A first in its segment, the new Elevate offers front and rear ventilated seats.
Front seats get power adjustments- 8-way for the driver’s seat and four-way for the co-driver’s seat. The car also has front and rear parking sensors and sees the addition of a 360-degree camera. It has disc brakes for all wheels and comes with an electronic parking brake.
Engine Specifications
The new Elevate continues with the same engine as the pre-facelift model- a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, known for its smoothness and refinement levels. The Honda City also uses the same engine. It makes 121PS and 145Nm on the SUV. Honda says the NVH levels have improved further on the new model. Two gearbox options are offered- manual and CVT.
Previously, there were reports about Honda considering a new, more localised strong hybrid powertrain for the new Elevate. These have now been proved to be mere rumours.
The New Elevate Faces A Stronger Set Of Rivals
The updated Elevate enters India’s fiercely competitive mid-size SUV segment. This space now has strong players like the new Kia Seltos, Tata Sierra, and Maruti Suzuki Victoris. Although it is awaiting a full model change, the Hyundai Creta is still the king of this segment. Other rivals are Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, MG Astor, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Renault Duster and Nissan Tekton.
On the product level, most of these vehicles are well-packaged and sharply priced. This is primarily because the buyers in this segment are mostly particular about having premium features in their vehicles. Safety is another major concern.
Most manufacturers follow a multi-powertrain approach in this segment. Honda, however, is an exception on this front, and comes with just the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. That said, it stands fairly competitive against most rivals.
The Elevate nameplate has been a fairly big success for Honda. According to the carmaker’s claims, over 162000 units of it have been sold in domestic and export markets so far. The new model will add to these numbers.