Team-BHP - Honda Elevate Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain (Post 5616861)

This is an interesting comparison, something that plenty of buyers are going to have to deal with. Honda has to be watching the Nexon launch very closely, for the cars are actually very closely matched. Nexon turbo DCA vs Elevate CVT is going to be some contest.

Elevate’s pricing is a tightrope. Honda needs to be super aggressive here, as they have not been so with the product itself. Otherwise, it risks being crushed between two behemoths - Nexon and Seltos.

After seeing Tata's pricing for the Nexon Facelift, suddenly the Elevate CVT has started to feel more VFM to me.

Honda's bulletproof reliability courtesy of a free-revving engine and absence of unnecessary electronics combined with a butter smooth CVT GB, makes the Elevate a more robust and reliable experience. It also helps that the Elevate has a better road presence thanks to being a segment higher than the Nexon.

PS If I have to spend 14-15L onroad for a the Nexon AMT/DCA, why not spend a lakh or two more and get the marginally bigger if not better Honda Elevate VX CVT??
The difference is anyway minimal in the monthly EMI outflow.

I did a brief test drive of the Elevate a few days ago. My impression is that the car looks less of an SUV and more of a compact crossover, in spite of its Creta-rivalling size and ground clearance. May be it is that Ignis like "flat roof" side profile that is a factor.
On the inside, the seats are well contoured and textured, and feel a tad more comfortable than my Creta (particularly driver seat). I looked at the boot and somehow was not convinced that the space is significantly larger than others as claimed because it has the wheel arches that create significant kink in the width so you dont get much of cubical space like say the VW CSUVs. Maybe one should take a couple of empty hard bags and test it . BTW I dont know why the dealers dont do it themselves.
I drove the ZX CVT version, and found that the engine was quite refined, more so than my 4th gen City, and certainly more responsive. I did not feel much of the rubber band effect while accelerating mid-speeds, like 50-80 kph etc. We were 3 adults on board at the time. The suspension also felt quite mature without being too obtrusive (bump/thuds). And most importantly, the steering felt well weighted at higher and at low parking speeds. Sometimes it is important to have steering heft at parking speeds to precisely guess the movement into a slot and the Elevate did not feel one-finger-light at all, which is a plus in my view. It is a good package overall for someone who wants a fuss-free Honda ownership. Of course the VW twins and the Seltos turbo will out-pace it on the highway by miles, but each to his/her own.

Test drove the Elevate ZX CVT after having a prolonged test drive of the Kushaq 1.5DSG. As expected, Kushaq drives like a dream but the Honda is tuned for a more relaxed driving style and offers matured dynamic characteristics. All the other practical aspects such as boot capacity and rear seat space are well taken care of in the Honda. It feels like a bigger car overall. The seats feel plusher in Honda but the absence of ventilated seats is a big bummer. All in all, a nicely rounded package nonetheless. One cannot go wrong with either of the VAG twins or the latest offering from Honda.

I test rode the Honda Elevate ZX CVT yesterday and was quite underwhelmed with the experience. I currently drive 4th Honda City VX CVT 2014 (which was the topmost variant then). Firstly, I didnot find any technical advancement in the Elevate beyond the 2014 City that I drive (yes the engine has become DOHC from SOHC but that hasnt changed performance with any perceptible effect).

In terms of driving experience, the stiffer suspension is a welcome thing and had to be done to make the higher CG vehicle stable. The rubber band effect I found to be more pronounced than on my City and the groan of the engine as you try to accelerate a little hard shows up earlier with a resistance than on the City.

The driver's seat on Elevate doesnt push all the way back as it does on the City making it a little uncomfortable for taller drivers like me. Air vents look rudimentary to extent of making you feel that car AC just got invented. The audio system on the ZX was satisfactory and balanced.

Overall, just an ordinary crossover (I dont call any 2WD higher sprung vehicle an SUV, as they are not) that is a little late in coming by a decade.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nreddy (Post 5624820)

They gave me the option to to choose from their insurance or to go for outside provider. Acko has quoted me 34k for ZX CVT with 1 year comprehensive+ 3 years third party+ zero depreciation+ consumables cover+ return to invoice cover+ roadside assistance+ rat bite protection+ some other add-on.

Honda insurance doesn't cover roadside assistance+return to invoice cover + rat bite protection for 56k.

Some friends are suggesting to go with the Honda insurance only for the 1st year even though it's on the higher side to get a hassle free claim experience if anything happens to the new car.

Requesting the advice here from the team-Bhpians.

While buying my Creta in January 2023, I insisted on sticking with ACKO Insurance which had all the add-on you mentioned and costing just 25K. The Dealer ( Sharayu, Turbhe) obliged and I have made 2 claims ( Zero Dep) so far this year( Yes...:crying ..Parking Pillar damages). ACKO service and support was AWESOME, App based and totally hassle-free. Even the Authorized Service center did not create any fuss in processing the claim, though they kept saying, "Acko is this, and acko is that...:coldsweat" . Overall- I saved at least 35K on insurance by not taking dealer promoted one, and still had a normal insurance claim experience with the same dealer-Service center.
Hope this helps!

I took a test drive of Honda Elevate from Brigade Honda, Bangalore.

As mentioned by almost everyone here, the elevate is a jack of all trades, and master of none.

Engine felt good. Too much grunt sound can be heard.
Features are good but not loaded.
I only main problem i had was with the bump in the back seat for the 3rd passenger.

Even though I was not expecting it to fit 3 people comfortably, atleast it should accommodate 3 people in unavoidable situations. But that bump in the centre just does not allow the 3rd passenger in back to sit comfortably. This is a deal breaker for me.
I am now confused between Honda Elevate VX and Skoda Kushaq Ambition.

Sorry if this is a noob question, but for all the experts here, is it possible to get the back seat altered to get that bump removed?
If yes, what kind of shops do this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackant052 (Post 5626295)

The Skoda Kushaq has a Turbo engine and it is a pleasure on the highway. If you are going for the 1.5 DSG there is no comparison really as that is a performance oriented car 100%. I have a Kushaq 1.0 Manual Ambition and let me write from that perspective. The 1.0 Turbo is also great to drive on the highway with the added advantage that it ca also give a greater mileage especially if driven responsibly.
For convenience of city drive plus the free revving part, the Honda CVT engine should be equal to the task. Honda also seems to have much better visibility up front from driver seat and the ADAS is good on highway, something that the Skoda lacks as of now. There are only 3 cars in the segment offering ADAS - Astor, Seltos and Elevate. Elevate should be the pick amongst these three as the build quality, engine refinement and even space inside will be better though Seltos might also be good. The low GNCAP of the otherwise good Seltos is always in the back of the mind, otherwise it is a great car!

Kushaq and Elevate might have similar dynamics, though I expect Kushaq to be slightly better in handling and the build quality. The Honda might be a bit better in the ride quality as it might be a bit more soft sprung than the Skoda. The doors still shut with the bigger thud in the Kushaq inspite of Skoda/VW 2.0 not being as tough built as 1.0!

To sum up, if its mainly a city drive and occasionally the highway, then Elevate CVT will shine more than the Kushaq and vice versa for the Kushaq. Not that either of them is bad in the city or highway. Hope I did not make the decision harder!

So, it finally boils down to the style preference, features and how you like the drive and the road presence. You will for sure not go wrong with either!

Quote:

Originally Posted by mukeshgoel (Post 5625452)

Even I cancelled my online booking (Frontier, Gurgaon) on 7th September but I didn't call dealer for refund. No refund so far.

I thought if booked online, cancelled online, there should be no role of dealership in refund.

Should I contact dealer?

I cancelled my booking on 16th August'23 but till date no refund has been received. I wonder how Honda allows such dealerships. This frontier Gurgaon showroom is the worst one. I have escalated to Honda Noida office today. If anyone has any other suggestions on how can I get my money back, please let me know.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vibhu_95 (Post 5626568)

I got my refund back from Cherish honda gurgaon in 4 working days.
Reasons could be:
1. I sent mail to them to refund the amount as soon as possible keeping customer_relations@hondacarindia.com in cc
2. In the past, i raised complaint against them on twitter as they we not providing me any booking ID or my queue number even after paying 21k as booking amount ! They did give me booking ID and seq num later which would have helped.
3. I gave medical reason (drive discomfort) while cancelling booking of elevate.

Hope this helps :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackant052 (Post 5626295)

I took a test drive of Honda Elevate from Brigade Honda, Bangalore.

I only main problem i had was with the bump in the back seat for the 3rd passenger.

Sorry if this is a noob question, but for all the experts here, is it possible to get the back seat altered to get that bump removed?
If yes, what kind of shops do this?

The hump has the differential below. Honda couldnot avoid it as they increased their ground clearance already and the body would have gone even higher had they tried to avoid the hump, thereby pushing the CG too high and hence the vehicle would have become unstable. And the simple answer to your question is no, you can't get the bump removed as you understand the technicalities involved above.