Honda Elevate: A Jazz owner looking for an upgrade shares his views

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I just hope Honda Cars India prices it well. It is definitely not in the range of a 25L price for a top-variant of Kia or Creta loaded with features.

BHPian itzvicky201 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Checked out Elevate in Whitefield Honda – Bangalore. Being a Jazz 2015 owner and looking for an upgrade, I have put out my observations as below:

1. Elevate is a no nonsense family car. It is practical for anyone looking for a lateral upgrade from a hatchback or compact sedan into SUV category.

2. If you own a hatchback at the times of 2010-2015, then looking at Elevate can give you a sense of pleasure, in terms of:

  • Good Interiors and soft touches
  • Improved touchscreen
  • Good thumb contour steering
  • India’s must-have “Sunroof”.

3. On the other hand, if you are a hatchback owner of 2016 and above and not a Honda owner, then Elevate will disappoint you with the features which you probably have in your own car.

4. Driver footwell area is definitely smaller than Jazz and even current Honda City. Honda Engineers have reduced seat movability to give more back passenger space and have compromised on driving comfort for a tall driver 6-6’1+ folks.

5. Boot area and Ground clearance is a huge relief for the existing Honda owners. Gone are the days where you are scared of scraping the car when an awkward speed-breaker or concave crater aka inverted pothole hits.

6. Build quality looks nice. There is a strong thud sound when you shut the doors and even your knocks on the metal body feels strong and assuring.

7. Somehow, Elevate looks a more compact-er than its rivals (Creata, Seltos and others), its more an “Elevated” SUV.

8. Existing Honda users will find not anything unusual or unfamiliar. Its the same. All necessary things are in the correct expected places.

9. The SA’s were clearly tutored on not to utter anything on indicative prices, variant details. In the current social media age, one feels really sad on SA’s trying to persuade prospective customers for a sale specially trying to explain features, when there are tons of new car reviews with varied content available for new age buyers to understand the product.ย  SA’s here were just trying to cajole prospective buyers to get them booked. It seems online booking amount is Rs 5000, but in-person showroom pre-booking amount is Rs 21000. I guess they are trying to increase a pre-booking coverage.

10. A prospective buyer like me was checking out Honda Elevate today. Upon entering the rear seat of Honda Elevate made a first comment “Oh, there is no Sunroof” and a little later observed a sunroof on the driver’s side and corrected the statement by saying “its not panaromic”. This nails the expectation benchmark prevailing in current compact SUV market. A disappointing but a re-assuring look from the SA saying “Its a Honda” says it all on how Honda is still trying to rely hard on the brand value.

11. No test drive is available. It is like one is waiting for September 4th to unveil prices and then test drives are permissible. 2 test drive cars are available. Blue Elevate which is manual and an Orange one which is CVT automatic.

At the outset, Elevate does not look to put a fight with Creta, Seltos. Atleast, features-wise, interior fit and finish areas. Both Creta and Seltos are upmarket and will definitely fit any new-age person to have all gizmos and technos requirement in a car.

Honda Elevate is clearly 5 years older in the current market. It would be a run-away hit if it was launched in 2018. This car is defintely for a B1, B2 segment hatch-back owners of 2010-2015 who are looking for a “SUV” feeling from a reliable and trusted brand like Honda. Not sure, if this is a correct example here; a Maruti Alto/Ford Figo/Chevrolet Beat/Maruti WagonR etc user looking for an upgrade to do one’s daily duties and also give a hassle free experience and pride of having owned a Honda, then Elevate is definitely worth a try.

Honda Elevate with its super 1.5 i-VTEC engine which still rules the roost of most peppy, drivable, reliable and “re-saleable” engine will bring a smile in your face.

But, for 2016+ owners having a Hyundai i-20/ Nios i-10/ New WagonR etc, it might not appeal to them. The competitors Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, Skoda have given much more here.

I just hope Honda Cars India prices it well. It is definitely not in the range of a 25L price for a top-variant of Kia or Creta loaded with features, new-age tech. At the same-time, it is not dull or lack-lustre considering the fact ADAS is offered from mid-variant itself (Courtesy Reviews, Youtube reviews and definitely not from Honda showroom SA’s ).

The curious case of HCIL is clearly evident from how SA’s were proud of showcasing Honda City as the best Sedan one can get. HCIL needs to be known as a best sedan car in the country, at the same time they cannot price Elevate higher than City or atleast near to City (currently running at 25L). Also, it cannot be priced close to a Kia Sonet/Hyundai Venue, the whole Honda Elevate segment itself gets changed with a different set of competitors which Honda probably does not want to compete.

HCIL should price this for 17L ex-showroom to have a decent bookings for Honda to have a smile after a 5 year research of what an Indian consumer needs in Compact SUV segment.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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