Honda Elevate : My best friend spent months meticulously researching compact SUVs, creating detailed spreadsheets and comparison charts. After numerous test drives, he settled on the Honda Elevate. At first glance, I assumed he had chosen the safe, conventional option—but a week-long road trip in his Elevate completely changed my perspective. This SUV isn’t about flashy gimmicks or overpowering performance; instead, it excels in delivering a balanced, refined driving experience that makes everyday journeys effortless.
Elegant and Timeless Design
Honda’s designers opted for a clean, sophisticated aesthetic with the Elevate, avoiding overly aggressive styling in favor of smooth, flowing lines. The Platinum White Pearl finish catches sunlight beautifully, accentuating the subtle contours along the body. The front grille, connected by a sleek chrome bar between the LED daytime running lights, gives a premium yet understated look. Even the 16-inch alloy wheels are perfectly proportioned, filling the wheel wells without awkward gaps.
The rear design remains uncluttered, with modern LED taillights that enhance visibility without appearing gimmicky. The 220mm ground clearance ensures a confident stance while maintaining elegant proportions. Unlike some SUVs that rely on excessive creases and angles, the Elevate’s design feels timeless—a vehicle that will age gracefully rather than quickly look outdated.
A Cabin Designed for Comfort and Practicality
Step inside, and the Elevate reveals a surprisingly roomy, thoughtful interior. The cabin is first and foremost utilitarian in its design, with simple controls and easy-to-read guages. Key touch points are soft plastic, and high-use areas are covered with hard plastics to ensure the balance between comfort and wear. The beige-and-black upholstery serves to lighten the cabin space, and has the advantage of not showing stains easily.
The front seats have firm, supportive cushioning that is easy to live with on a long journey, and the manual height adjustment will accommodate drivers or passengers of different statures. Rear passengers have generous leg and headroom with space for three adults to be seated without feeling penned in, assisted by the flat floor design. There is an ample 458-litre boot in which to stow luggage for long hauls and split 60:40 rear seats help to introduce some practicality when confronted with the need. There’s some clever storage options too – deep door pockets, numerous cup holders, a cooled glovebox – making it quite a practical proposition day-to-day.
Smooth and Refined Performance
Powering it is a 1.5l i-VTEC petrol engine that produces 121 HP in a direct and linear way. It’s not going to win drag races, but power delivery is predictable and great around town or out on the highway. The CVT auto is among the best in class, with very little of the usual rubber-band effect and behaving in a way that feels natural when you floor it. Paddle shifters bring some interaction for those who crave it, but the tuning of the transmission is such that few manual interventions are required.
In city traffic, the Elevate is an absolute breeze to ride, providing ample low-end torque to tackle quick accelerations. On the highway the engine is quiet and relaxed, maintaining calm revs even at highway velocities. Its fuel efficiency is also commendable, returning about 15–16 kmpl under mixed conditions —that’s a real benefit for frequent use.
Confidence-Inspiring Driving Dynamics
The suspension tuning of the Honda is just the right combination of softness and support. MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear are historically the most effective suspensions for dealing with bumps and the rough stuff, but body roll is still well controlled around the bends. Steering is light at low speeds for effortless maneuverability and progressively weights up as speed increases, but it could use a bit more feedback.
Braking provides confidence, thanks to firm pedal response a strong stopping force. Its high driving position and giant windows make for great visibility — a welcome feature in India’s anarchic traffic. On the highway, the Elevate is very stable, the thing feeling rooted even at triple-digit speeds. The turn-in is city-tight, making U-turns and parking a breeze.
Smart, User-Friendly Features
Rather than burden the Elevate with gimmicks, Honda has concentrated on useful extras. There’s an 8-inch touchscreen, which supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so there’ll be no cables trailing across the cabin. The Lane Watch camera, a Honda trademark, gives you an crisp view of the left blind spot, a great assist in dense traffic. Automatic climate control prevents disruptive temperature changes in the cabin.
Other nice touches include a wrapped leather steering wheel, a sunroof that provides added lightness without costing you headroom and remote engine start (by the key fob) that lets you pre-cool the cabin on scorching hot days. Even on the most basic, details such as the see-everything mirror for spying on rear passengers reflect Honda’s practicality.
Safety as a Priority
Safety Honda hasn’t skimped when it comes to safety. All models in the range get six airbags and an Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure designed to help absorb and deflect crash energy. Electronic stability control, hill start assist and ABS with EBD, all work very unobtrusively but effectively to keep one safe.
Rear parking sensors and a camera make tight reversing easier, and there are ISOFIX child seat anchors for families. The number of blind-spot hazards is decreased by the Lane Watch system, while high-tensile steel is used to strengthen the cabin. Not only is there feature checklisting, but these elements contribute to an authentically secure driving environment.
Strong Value Proposition
Priced from ₹11–16 lakhs, the Elevate finds itself in a competitive segment, though it is unique for its long-term reliability, a decent driving experience, while of course carrying a strong resale thanks to the Honda brand. And while some competitors’ products may have flashier designs or aggressive marketing, the Elevate would be appealing to buyers who value substance over hype.
For buyers who value a big, cushy, rugged, and practical SUV that is excellent for daily use, the Elevate makes good sense. It may not be at the top of our lungs, but it sang, where it counts—in providing an all-around great driving experience!
