Honda Elevate

Honda’s new Elevate urges you to look past a brochure. Sure, you could put engine specifications, safety features and warranty on glossy paper. However, aspects such as reliability, build quality and trust are built over time and cannot be used as marketing material. 

Thankfully, the Elevate wears a Honda badge, so all these intangible aspects are almost a given. Honda has thankfully backed it up with a solid product that makes for a very sensible choice.

It goes up against popular models such as the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Grand Vitara and the Tata Curvv to name a few. So why should you be considering the Honda? Let’s take a closer look. 

Design and Quality

Forget the glossy brochure pictures. In person, out in the real world, the Elevate stands tall and upright. There’s oodles of road presence and you will get your fair share of attention on the road. In typical Honda fashion, the design isn’t taking any unnecessary risks. It’s simple, strong and powerful. The connection to Honda’s global lineup of SUVs is amply evident in the flat-nose with a large gloss black grille.

Pair that with a high-set bonnet, and a thick slab of chrome above the full-LED headlamps — you’ve got a face that exudes confidence. 

The bumper sports a plain design, with minimal creases. I liked the integration of the white LED foglamps into the rugged-looking black housing. Honda has also added a subtle silver-finished skid plate up front for that outdoorsy vibe.

The side profile seems almost too simplistic. Save for the interesting elements on the lower half of the doors, the profile is clean — devoid of any sharp creases. Its tall height is also highlighted when viewed from this angle.

Honda provides 17-inch dual tone alloy wheels on the top spec variants, whereas lower trims get 16-inch steel wheels.

From the rear, the obvious highlight is the connected tail lamp design element. We wish this entire unit was LED and not just the brake lamps.

Honda has used halogen bulbs for the indicators and reverse lamps, which seems unnecessary for an SUV in this segment.

In terms of size, the numbers are right where they should be. It’s standing shoulder-to-shoulder with its arch rivals — the Creta, Seltos and the Grand Vitara. The number that’s likely to get your attention, however, is the large 220mm of ground clearance. Nothing speaks ‘for India’ in the design as much as this does! 

The Elevate feels solidly built with tight shut lines and great paint quality. Honda cars generally age well, and this SUV is expected to be no different. 

Honda offers six monotone shades: Golden Brown Metallic, Obsidian Blue Pearl, Meteoroid Gray Metallic, Radiant Red Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, and Platinum White Pearl. If you want a dual-tone paint option from the factory, you can get a black roof paired with the Radiant Red Metallic, and Platinum White Pearl body shade. Honda also offers this Crystal Black paint shade, which is exclusive to the Black Edition.

Design and Quality

The doors of the Elevate open nice and wide. Getting in and out won’t be a task, even for the elderly. You tend to ‘walk’ into the cabin, which is easy on the knees. 

Once in, the classy tan-black color combination has you saying ‘classy’ almost immediately. Honda has chosen to keep the theme subdued and sombre, with dark grey highlights around the AC vents (instead of the usual chrome) and dark grey stitching for the upholstery too. The wooden insert on the dash gets a dark shade too. The wrap around effect of the tan from the dashboard ‘spilling over’ onto the door pads is executed neatly too, making the cabin feel a lot more cohesive. 

Honda seems to have hit the nail on the head in terms of material quality. The plastic used on the dashboard top, AC vents and the climate control interface seems high quality. Soft touch leatherette on the dashboard and door pads do their bit in amping up the experience. 

Front Seats

The driver’s seat can be adjusted for height, and the steering gets tilt and telescopic adjustment. Finding the right driving position is very easy. The seating position is tall, even at its lowest setting. 

The obvious advantage to this is that you get a clear view of the nose — important if you’re new to driving. An obvious flipside is for those taller than 6ft or those who wear turbans, you’d find yourself close to the roof. A non-sunroof model should have better headroom at the front. In terms of comfort, there’s nothing to complain about. The seats are wide and very accommodating of large frames. There’s ample support for the back and shoulder. I liked the slightly firm cushioning too, which was great on longer drives. On the passenger side, the portion below the central AC vents juts out by design. This might brush your  knee or shin which will have you move the seat a notch further back than usual. Thankfully, even doing that leaves plenty of legroom for the rear seat passengers.

Rear Seats

At the rear, knee room is among the best in the segment. A six footer like me was able to comfortably fit behind a 6’5” tall driver. The floor under the seats is raised, turning it into a natural footrest. There are no complaints about headroom, either. The roof liner is scooped from the sides, creating a bit more space. Cabin width is decent. Three people can squeeze in if needed. However, there's neither a headrest nor a 3-point seat belt for the middle occupant.

This makes the cabin perfect for 4 adults and 1 child. Rear seat amenities include a central armrest, and rear AC vents. Rear sunblinds would’ve been nice to have.

Storage and Practicality

Inside the cabin, there's no shortage of practicality - cupholders in the center console, storage in the armrest, and large bottle holders in the door pockets. In addition, there are thin storage slots for keeping your phone or keys.

Rear seat occupants can use seatback pockets that have dedicated smaller pockets for your phones. 

Charging Options

At the front, Honda provides a wireless charger (which can be switched off) along with a 12V socket and two USB type-A chargers.

Rear seat occupants have to make do with a single 12V socket. Honda could’ve provided fast USB type-C chargers both at the front and rear.

Boot Space

The Elevate’s 458-litres of boot is among the largest in the segment. It can comfortably accommodate a full suitcase set, consisting of a cabin-sized, medium and large trolley bag and have space left over for a couple duffle bags and backpacks. 

Honda also offers a 60:40 split on the rear seat in case you want to carry more luggage. It’s appreciable that the seat folds entirely flat, giving you a large and wide storage area that can be used to move larger items such as furniture or appliances if needed. 

The top-spec version of the Elevate brings with it all that you’d use on a daily basis. Basics such as keyless entry, push-button start stop, wireless charger, climate control, rear AC vents, and a single-pane sunroof are offered.

The highlight is the new 10.25-inch touchscreen, which Honda is introducing for the first time. The interface is simple, responsive, and has good resolution. It's definitely better than the Honda City's infotainment system. It supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay which functions as intended with no glitches or freezes. Paired with a crisp sounding 8-speaker sound system, the Elevate’s infotainment experience is satisfactory. 

The second highlight is the part-digital driver display, borrowed from the City. A 7-inch LCD screen blends seamlessly with the analogue speedometer to form one cohesive cluster. Here too, graphics are sharp, and all vital information is available at a glance. You can control the screen by using the switches on the steering wheel. 

While all the basics are covered, the Elevate isn’t standing out in any manner in terms of features. Rivals offer features such as powered seats, front seat ventilation, 360 degree cameras, head up displays and a panoramic sunroof, all of which are missing on the Elevate. That said, the top-spec variant of the Elevate is available at the mid-spec or one below top variants of its rivals, and seems adequately equipped in that context.

Honda offers safety features such as 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX child seat mounts, electronic stability control and hill start assist right from the base SV variant. Weirdly enough, Honda does not provide a tyre pressure monitoring system with the Elevate. 

Adding to the safety quotient of the Elevate is a host of ADAS functions. This includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and auto emergency braking. Do note that the Elevate uses a camera-based system and not a radar-based one like the Kia Seltos or the MG Astor. This will limit functionality in low visibility conditions such as rain/fog and also at night. Also, since there are no radars in the rear you do not get blind-spot monitoring or rear cross-traffic alert.

The Honda Elevate has not been crash tested by Global NCAP or Bharat NCAP yet. However, it has been tested by Japan NCAP, where the made-in-India Elevate (called WR-V in Japan) scored a full five star safety rating. 

Engine and Performance

Powering the Elevate is the City’s tried-and-tested 1.5-litre engine. Nope, no turbo-petrol, no hybrid, no diesel. Just one engine option for you. You do get to choose between a manual and a CVT, though. 

This four-cylinder engine is smooth, relaxed, and refined. Compared to the other 1.5-litre petrol motors in the segment, performance is on par. It’s not particularly engaging or exciting, but simply gets the job done. 

City Performance

Power is built smoothly, which means driving in the city is easy. Light controls make the process easier still. The Elevate makes most of its power at high rpm. Therefore, to make quick progress you will have to rev the engine out. It’s best to adapt a relaxed driving style which the smooth engine complements very well. You can amble around town in second gear for the most part. However, you will need to downshift to ensure the engine does not feel strained while pulling from lower rpm. 

I’d urge you to make the stretch to the CVT. It makes the experience even more relaxing. The CVT is tuned to mimic a torque convertor. So it ‘upshifts’ as the speeds climb, giving a very natural feel to the drive experience. 

Inside the city, you can expect the Elevate to return 12-13kmpl. 

Highway Performance

There’s enough power on tap to comfortably cruise at triple digit speeds. However, it’s not as exciting or punchy as some of the turbo-petrol options in the segment. If you intend on making relaxed intercity trips where you are usually driving between 80-100kmph, the Elevate will work just fine. 

You’d be left wanting for more power in two scenarios. First: on hilly roads with full load, where you'll need to use 1st or 2nd gear. Second: on highways while wanting to overtake at speeds above 80kmph. Here too, a downshift (or two) might be needed. 

Honda has tuned the suspension for comfort over outright handling. It performs well on smooth roads and doesn't toss you around on bad ones. At low speeds, over large craters, most SUVs in this segment toss you around side to side. None of that in the Elevate. Nothing out of the ordinary to report in terms of high-speed stability or cornering ability. It performs as you’d expect a Honda to. It’s sharp, predictable and easy to manage at all times. 

Steering is light and easy in the city, making parking and tight maneuvers easy. It weighs up enough at high speeds, inspiring confidence in the driver. 

• Honda offers the 2026 Elevate in four variants: SV, V, VX and ZX.

• There's a Black Edition that builds on the top-spec ZX variant alongside a ADV edition.

Elevate SV

• The exterior gets LED elements for the headlights, DRLs, and tail lights, but sits on 16-inch steel wheels without any covers.

• Gets dual tone beige and black theme but with fabric seats. Misses out on Metallic inserts in various places.

• Covers all functional features with auto AC, rear AC vents, tilt and telescopic steering adjustment, driver seat height adjustment, electrically adjustable outside mirrors, and push button start/stop.

• No stereo system, but gets a 7-inch digital driver’s display and steering mounted controls.

• 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, ISOFIX mounts, hill-start assist, and rear parking sensors are offered as standard.

Elevate V

• Adds wheel covers and black tape to the B-pillar for a slightly better look.

• Better looking cabin gets gun metal contrasts, and soft touch leatherette padding too.

• Features an 8-inch infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

• Top additions include a 4-speaker sound system, connected car technology, voice commands, and two USB ports at the front.

• Rear defogger and a rear view camera are the only additions in the safety kit.

• CVT variants exclusively feature remote engine start and paddle shifters. 

Elevate VX

• Improved design with LED fog lights, roof rails, and 17-inch alloys.

• Premium interior with leatherette on gearknob and steering wheel, and a single-pane electric sunroof.

• Feature highlights include 6-speaker sound system, auto folding outside mirrors, wireless phone charger, ambient lighting, auto headlights, and interior roof LED map lighting.

• The safety kit gets a lane watch camera and rear wiper and washer.

Elevate ZX

• Small tweaks like gloss black mesh on the grille, chrome finished door handles and dual tone exterior shades up the styling quotient.

• Leatherette seats, wood garnish and new dual tone black and brown theme up the cabin’s premium quotient.

• Adds an auto dimming inside mirror and an 8-speaker sound system with a 10.25-inch infotainment system.

• Improved rear seats with a central armrest, and seat back and sub pockets for the phone.

• Safety kit only gets the addition of ADAS kit, including features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and auto emergency braking.

Elevate Black Edition

• Gets exclusive Crystal Black Pearl shade with blacked out elements like the alloys and door handles.

• All-black interior theme gets black treatment everywhere.

• No changes in the features or safety kit.

Elevate ADV Edition

• Exterior features blacked out elements with orange inserts for a distinct look.
• All-black interior theme gets orange painted foor lining, orange stitiching and orange AC vents.
• No additional features or safety tech. 

CarDekho Recommends:

• The one-above-base V variant of the Honda Elevate can be considered if you’re on a tight budget and want an automatic. 

• The top variant of the Honda Elevate offers good overall value.

• If you want to stand out, you can opt for the ADV edition.

Honda’s pricing of the Elevate was key and they seem to have delivered on this front. The Elevate is a value for money product that’s hard to ignore. It could have done with more features (even at additional cost) and more exciting engine options would’ve definitely found more takers. 

However, when you judge the Elevate upon its original intent, that of being a no-nonsense family SUV, it is very hard to fault. It is an SUV that prioritises comfort, space, quality and safety over everything else — making it very easy to recommend.

Other cars to consider instead of the Honda Elevate

Kia Seltos

Reasons to consider

• More modern styling

• Option of turbo-petrol and diesel engine

• Offers more creature comforts

Reasons to ignore

• Comparatively less comfortable

• Comparatively less rear seat space 

Maruti Grand Vitara/Toyota Hyryder

Reasons to consider

• More efficient hybrid powertrain

• Optional all-wheel drive

Reasons to ignore

• Slightly less premium cabin experience

• Limited boot space with hybrid variants

• No ADAS

Volkswagen Taigun/Skoda Kushaq

Reasons to consider

• Sportier styling

• More powerful turbo-petrol engines

• 5-star safety rating

Reasons to ignore

• Comparatively less comfortable

• Comparatively less rear seat space and comfort

• Slightly less premium cabin experience

• No ADAS