First report: Honda’s SUV joins our fleet and dives straight into the heaviest part of the monsoon.
Honda’s first square-rigged and upright SUV in a long time plays it safe when it comes to mechanical components. A lot of these are borrowed from the superbly engineered Honda City. The cars have identical engines, the same gearboxes, the running gear is similar and many of the elements on the inside are taken from the City as well. So this, in a nutshell, is the City ‘elevated’. Probably why it makes for such a comfortable, easy going and fuss-free city car. But I get ahead of myself.
The arrival of our long-term Elevate coincides with the first few heavy showers in Mumbai. While it’s a particularly challenging time for cars, the Honda takes to the difficult conditions with a relaxed nonchalance. Deep pools of water seem to not affect it and while many rivals have their cabins fog up easily in these humid conditions, the Elevate’s windscreen stays relatively condensation free. This means visibility is good and you don’t need to fiddle with the defog buttons, blower controls and temperature settings constantly. The air-con controls are also easy to reach and operate in a slick manner.
Easy to twirl, direct steering feels effortless to use in the cut and thrust of traffic.
A journey from one end of Mumbai across to the other, early one morning, also showcases the Elevate at its best. Despite the wet roads, slimy mastic asphalt bits and general array of craters and broken sections, the Elevate allows me to maintain a fair lick. The suspension and tyres seem capable of taking any knocks without any adverse effects (this is one tough Honda). And what comes as a surprise is that grip in the wet is reassuring. Unlike the City, Honda has used wide 215mm tyres here, and as speeds build even on wet sections like Marine Drive and the Coastal Road, the steering is direct and the Elevate doesn’t roll too much. There is a bit of stiffness in the springs at low speeds, especially on the bumpier bits of tarmac, but this isn’t uncomfortable, only mildly annoying at times.
Plastics on dash don’t feel as upmarket or as well built as on some rivals.
I do miss the performance. It clearly doesn’t have the City’s zip, what with the extra weight. And then the CVT gearbox stretches, strains and complains, so I only tend to use full throttle when I absolutely have to. And that’s a shame, especially when you consider just how free revving and fun the 1.5 DOHC Honda engine is. Still, I do use the paddles and the preset ‘gears’ on the CVT when I slow down. Any amount of engine braking lends itself to better control.
CVT works well at slow speeds but stretches and strains at higher speeds.
On the flip side, the Elevate feels easier and more effortless to drive in urban traffic than the City. Low-RPM responses have been beefed up and the Elevate has lower gearing. A tap on the throttle elicits a good response, and that, along with the light and easy-to-twirl steering, means driving in the cut and thrust of local downtown traffic is relaxing, easy and effortless.
Long drives also prove that the Elevate has comfortable and supportive seats. The driver’s and passenger’s seats are robustly built, and side support or bolstering is plentiful. This means you tend to climb out of the car less fatigued after long drives. Lumbar support, however, does feel a bit excessive initially, and I did instinctively reach for an adjustment.
What also seems to work in a seamless manner is wireless Apple CarPlay. Clarity and sound quality are reasonably good on the hands-free speaker system and Honda has also improved the native onboard software. You still need to engage the handbrake to pair your phone though, and what’s even crazier is that you have to decode this quirk yourself.
Part-screen, part-analogue instrument panel delivers the best of both worlds.
There’s also no 360-degree camera on this car, despite the car having a lane change camera, no cooled seats, and the Lane-Keep Assist (LKA) can only be activated over 72kph. However, adaptive cruise control works quite well, and comes good in traffic that is chugging along.
It isn’t the most exciting SUV around and won’t thrill you like a City. Still, first impressions are of a practical, tough, easy to drive and comfortable SUV that’s not only a good companion in the city but would also work well on a highway.
Also see:
Hyundai Creta IVT vs Honda Elevate CVT comparison
