Team-BHP - Honda Elevate Review

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Originally Posted by hondadriver (Post 5724303)

For the music system, I was thinking of getting Infiniti component speakers in front and Infiniti coaxial speakers in the back. Is the stock head unit strong enough to drive that? Would love to hear what you did for your ICE setup?

Yes autoform is good. I selected that first but they asked for 15 days time. Then I got a good deal from local shop with better material. Although autoform fitting is better.

The stock speakers are pathetic. Even the ZX model has mediocre sound. I used Focal component in front and co-ax at back. Got it from motorouge website at 11K. That was 5K cheaper than local shop. But for online you need to pay fitting charge. The focals are more inclined towards vocal and instruments and less on base. I think infinity is a good overall package. Have heard about it but not listened personally. I also installed a sony amplifier(8k) and JBL subwoofer(5.5k). I think amplifier is not needed and you can save around 11K. The local shops will highly insist on selling amplifier. You can check and add if required. If you need strong bass, go for self amplified bass tube instead of subwoofer. I tried JBL bass tube(8K) and it was really loud & thumpy.

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Originally Posted by govindremesh (Post 5723377)

Please be very careful. My uncle purchased a Honda Elevate last week and despite my best advice not to fit the 360 deg camera, the dealer in Trivandrum convinced him that it was a genuine Honda accessory , plug and play, won't void the warranty. He got it installed.

The quality of video is horrible and the right side speakers don't work anymore! The car also ends up with 6 cameras - 4 for the 360 system and 2 factory fit (Lane Watch and rear camera)

Given that you have Lanewatch camera + rear camera + a fully visible bonnet, It is just a matter of time you get used to the maneuvering characteristics and soon enough, you'll find no need for the 360 setup, except in rare cases (eg: narrow road with open gutters and oncoming traffic)

Here's an example of what the so called official 360 camera setup from the dealer looks like (the quality looks better in this video for some reason). The brand is different (foxbat/foxfire or something, the user interface and hardware is the same)

https://youtu.be/Qbvw80C-FD8?si=Fv72-m-DU9S4g8y4

Shame that there are some Honda dealers mis-selling this as an official accessory. My dealer was crystal clear that it's not an official accessory and they demoed the whole thing to me. They were also very clear about what will void the warranty, and what won't. I have had no such issues with the electronics whatsoever, it's been around 2-months since I have purchased the vehicle.

The 'rare' cases that you mentioned are what I deal with on a pretty much daily basis in my area in BLR, so I went ahead with the purchase even though it was unofficial.

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Originally Posted by HereticHermit (Post 5719351)

Anyone saying driving seat thigh support is just OK will be doing disservice to those members of driving community who are most keen on driver seat comfort over other creature comforts. At Honda's end I am gobsmacked as to who passed the relevant processes and finalized driving seat position on Elevate. I am driving since 1985 and this was probably first time it happened that I sit in a car that is unknown to me and I am not able to find a natural sitting position even after spending good 10-12 mins fidgeting with every possible permutation and combination of seat adjustment. I couldn't put my finger to it but it just felt off.

Today I happened to visit the local Honda service center for a minor issue with my City. Whilst I was there, I checked out the Elevate (and the new City) in the showroom.

From inside the showroom I sat in a display piece, and the seating was perfect!

Later, I went outside to sit in a test drive vehicle (did not go for a test drive — just wanted to see everything in action in a running car) and I simply couldn't find the perfect seating position that was there in the other Elevate inside the showroom. I spent a good 5 minutes adjusting the seats before I gave up. By the way, I'm a little over 6' tall.

If I had been in the second car first, I would have been put off. But I know that if I spend a little more time I can find that perfect driving position.

Seat position is one of the most important factors. I found the ergonomics of Elevate drivers seat perfect although I'm 5'6". It seems mostly tall drivers are taking time to get the right position. Few seat related standouts for me:

Bolstering and seat squab are optimum. Seat fabric is perfect. Needless to say as many BHPians have mentioned the bonnet edge visibility is a killer- gives a higher class Body on frame SUV feeling.

Honda really excels in the smaller things- watch the 'All-New Honda Elevate | Birth of an SUV" video on Honda India Youtube channel. This show the Engineers & Project Managers approach while designing this car. We all would have heard about their Man maximum/ machine minimum philosophy.

Aside to Mods- please delete this link/ reference if it violates forum rules.

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Originally Posted by John316_WRC (Post 5598756)

Fuel Efficiency figures for my 2016 BRV MT iVtec SOHC:
CITY: 11-12 kmpl regularly without fail.
HIGHWAY:
Speeds of 80-90 km/hr: 17+ kmpl (not crossing 90km/hr, which is how my Dad drives)
Speeds of 100-120 km/hr: 14-15kmpl (this is what I regularly get, these figures have been consistent since 2016, no dip in mileage or performance as the car gets older). All figures are with 100% AC and tank to tank method.

This is my experience from 68,700+ kms.

Elevate will have the iVtec DOHC that was updated in 2020. Even with the added weight I believe users can easily obtain similar figures in real world usage.

Glad to know the Elevate doesn't disappoint on the mileage front. About 13 kmpl in the city and 17 kmpl in the highway are excellent figures considering this NA engine is the quickest non-turbo in the segment.

https://youtu.be/k6fXpd1MvOw?feature=shared

Video credits to the respective channel owner.

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Originally Posted by INDIAFIRST (Post 5729299)

So exports confirmed for 2 RHD markets. Japan & South Africa.

My query is regarding Crash Test Regulations for Japan Domestic Market (JDM). Can anyone elaborate the 'JDM ratings' / basic safety requirements. I would presume it's more stringent than Apna Bharat. Further then would it be fair to state Elevate is a 'safe' car? All the more in absence of B/GNCAP assessment of this model.

They can still make different build quality products for different markets in same factory. Read in this forum that, Suzuki does the same.
As per BNCAP, since 6 airbags is not standard across all variants, they cant pass side crash and will end up with 4 star at best. Correct me, if i am missing something.

Did a TD of the Honda Elevate ZX CVT this noon; must say it was like driving a "jacked up" Honda City (I drive a Honda City CVT 2017). There was no difference whatsoever in the the driving experience. That said the noise insulation is same or slightly worse than the City, Suspension is firm and not pliant as in my Honda City 2017 and allows the pitter patter of the road to filter through and vertical movements are "ditto" that of the Honda City, part throttle responses have become dull due to the 100-150 kgs "weight penalty", urban mileage bound to take a hit, A/C isn't as effective as my Honda City. The 40 liter fuel tank is woefully insufficient in the Honda City would be worse in the Elevate that has the same volume. I had taken my whole family for the TD and they felt that the Citroen C3 Aircross AT that I test drove yesterday with all of them was better in ride comfort and pliant suspension than the Elevate as was the space at the back they felt was slightly more in the Honda City and C3 Aircross, not to mention the chiller of an A/C in the Citroen. If only Citroen were to boost confidence in the market with opening of sales and service outlets on a war footing it would sell a lot more than they are doing now. Frankly I feel a C3 5 seater Aircross AT Max that retails at 16L approx on the road here is a steal if only they can inspire more confidence in the market by more sales and service outlets with a semblance of good after sales: like Kia has done, they'll be a force to reckon with.

I went to a TD of Elevate manual transmission after many elevate users here stating that I should not judge the sitting position too soon without a TD. Showroom took 15 days to agree to a long TD if I foot the petrol bill to which I agreed. I had a TD for nearly 50 kms.

As a background, when I TDed, I simply don't care for exterior looks, over the top creature comforts. It is the overall package and if my specific needs are addressed; is what I look for.

Interiors: I have to say that from aesthetics point of view, the interiors, touch points, placement of instruments/buttons/knobs are pretty much sorted and felt within easy reach. However, the interior setup felt a bit bland which was personally just about ok for me but in comparison to what others are offering at the price point, styling felt jaded. Overall, it was typical Japanese interior that is sure to please most users.

Steering: It just felt car steering like which is a compliment and those who have driven Honda city will immediately relate to it. I liked the progressive feel of it.

Achilles Heel: I sat comfortably so no complaints on that account, but I kept fidgeting in seat, trying to find a sweet spot that I really like. I stopped few times during TD to adjust the seat as the main purpose for this long TD was only to address this elephant in room. Overall, I would agree with many here and I understand that seating position is not a deal breaker for most people, but I was left with a vague feeling that it could have been better. I meant to use this car 90% for long haul runs and I can't afford to experiment with one simple aspect of sitting comfortable in driver's seat. That was my single most important demand and it wasn't' met.

Sum total of driving experience: Not going into technical stuff like Adas or driver assist technologies. Honestly, it is a well put together car, but I got out of driver's seat after driving 50 Km, feeling it is neither here nor there kind of crossover car. It doesn't wow with anything, nor it disappoints you with too many niggles. In manual trim I found the gearing too short which is perhaps to offset the extra weight it carries over the Honda city resulting in Maruti like driving once you reach at top gear. Suspension was not exactly plush which again must have been tweaked to counter the extra weight over honda city.

Conclusion: I really wanted to believe that Honda is offering something very exciting but in truth it is just a rebadged Honda city with crossover body shell and various aspects tweaked here and there. It pleases many and does not outshine any car in the segment. I can now see why the sentiment of 'bullet proof 1.5 NA Honda engine' is working in its favor but honestly there is nothing much beyond that. Honda just did not develop this car from 'ground up' and it shows that there is nothing radical in offer.

Honda came swinging as Johnny come lately and tried to play catch up because present action is in 15-20 lakh crossover segment.

I know that my demands are not many still I am going to give a miss to Honda Elevate for being another me-too in a segment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by John316_WRC (Post 5726878)

I drive Elevate ZX CVT and recently went on a 380-kilometer road trip last week. On the highway, I achieved a fuel efficiency of 19.8 kilometers per liter (kmpl) for the trip (measured by filling the tank from full to full). This figure closely matched what the car's odometer displayed. I have also gotten similar fuel efficiency figures on the highway in the past.

In highly congested city traffic, I have been getting a mileage of around 11.5 kmpl. Both highway and city figures are with the AC turned on 100% of the time. Compared to my other car (Ford Fiesta 1.6 petrol), which gets around 9 kmpl in the city and 14 kmpl on the highway, the difference between city and highway fuel efficiency for the Elevate CVT is quite significant.