Honda Elevate SUV had its global debut today at an event in New Delhi and marked the company's entry into the SUV arena. Although the SUV segment is not new to Honda, it previously had CR-V and BR-V SUVs in its portfolio. Elevate Bookings will begin in July 2023 and pricing will be announced thereafter.
- Elevate has the same 1.5-liter petrol engine as the City
- Will get full hybrid, full EV powertrains later
- Competitors include Creta, Seltos, Koshak and others in this segment
- Bookings open from July, launch thereafter
Honda Elevate dimensions, design
Design-wise, the Elevate closely resembles recent Honda SUVs sold abroad, such as the HR-V, ZR-V, and CR-V. The Elevate is 4,312mm long, 1,650mm tall and has a 2,650mm wheelbase, making it almost identical to the Creta. The boot space is 458 liters. The Elevate has 220mm of ground clearance, which is more than the Creta's 190mm off the ground.
Styling-wise, the Elevate features a large grille flanked by slim LED headlamps and circular fog lights below. The Elevate shares styling cues with the new HR-V in that it has a flatter nose with a large Honda logo in the middle. At the sides, Honda's new midsize SUV has slightly flared wheel arches that give it a bushy SUV look. The window line tapers toward the chunky C-pillar, and the Elevate gets 16-inch alloy wheels, similar to those seen on the City facelift.
At the rear, the Elevate has a slightly raked rear window and wraparound taillights attached via a chunky profile similar to those seen on the latest-generation WR-V sold in markets like Indonesia. It also has a large notch in the tailgate for the license plate housing.
Honda Elevate interior and features
The Elevate has a separate infotainment touchscreen in the middle of the dash. The screen has a landscape design and measures 10.25 inches which is in line with the Creta. In terms of features, the Elevate only has a single-panel sunroof, and while three of its eight competitors have the same, the rest get a panoramic sunroof. The next Seltos facelift will see it get a panoramic moonroof.
Honda will also offer the Honda Sensing ADAS suite on the Elevate, with features like Collision Mitigation Braking, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane-Keeping Assist, Lane Departure Warning and Automatic High Beam Assist. The only other midsize SUV that currently features ADAS is the MG Astor and the upcoming Seltos facelift will also have driver assistance technology.
Honda Elevate platform, powertrain
The Honda Elevate is built on the Japanese firms Global Small Car platform, which also underpins the Honda City sedan and now has a choice of engine, a 1.5-litre petrol engine, while a hybrid is expected to join the lineup. line later. Honda also confirmed that the Elevate will get an electric powertrain in the next three years.
Under the hood, the Elevate has the same 1.5-liter four-cylinder petrol engine as the City, making 121 horsepower and 145 Nm of torque. Power is sent to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual or variable-speed transmission. Honda is also expected to add a hybrid powertrain to the Elevate at a later stage.
Honda Elevate rivals and launch timeline
The Elevate is entering the mid-size SUV segment and will compete against Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, MG Astor and the upcoming Citroen C3 Aircross.
Re-entering the SUV space is much needed for Honda, as it has not long had an SUV in its portfolio and its current lineup consists only of City and Amaze sedans. Honda will be relying on Elevate to give it a chance and a lot will depend on pricing given the stiff competition with all the players with significant slices of the midsize SUV pie. For now, Honda is keeping mum on pricing, but expects an announcement in the coming months. India is the main manufacturer of the Elevate SUV and Honda has also confirmed that the Elevate will be exported to various international markets.
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