Team-BHP - Honda Elevate Review

Any comments on this article on real world fuel economy?

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Honda’s 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine delivers impressive fuel efficiency in the City sedan, however, in the Elevate, it doesn’t. While Honda claims 16.92kpl for the CVT and 15.31kpl for the MT, in our real-world tests, it averaged merely 10.8kpl and 11kpl, respectively.

The reason for the Elevate’s poor fuel efficiency is its sharp throttle responses, which take a toll on fuel consumption. In addition, Honda has tweaked the MT’s gearing, which is much shorter than the City’s, so while acceleration feels strong, at cruising speeds of 100kph in sixth gear, the engine is spinning at 2,800rpm – 100rpm higher than in the City – thus affecting its highway consumption.

Shifting focus to the automatic, unlike the City CVT, the Elevate CVT doesn’t get an Economy mode to aid efficiency either. Neither variant gets an automatic engine stop-start feature, which some of its rivals offer to save fuel while idling.

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Originally Posted by nreddy (Post 5643581)

Now it seems to be settling around 10kmpl in the mixed traffic; if it's slow moving traffic.. 6-7kmpl seems to be the consumption.....

The petrol.. I was mixing everything the Indian oil E20, XP95, BP normal, BP Speed, HP normal till now.

I recommend completely steering clear of E20 fuels, as their lower calorific value, attributed to higher ethanol content, will undoubtedly have a negative impact on your fuel efficiency.

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Originally Posted by ADC_99 (Post 5642175)

IMO if one drives a Ford/VW/FIAT, then shifting to any other manafacturer (Asian) is going to be a huge down grade in terms of handling and driving dynamics but a sizable upgrade in terms of features/ technology.

Loads of assumptions loaded here in your statement, my friend. Entirely true if we were in the 1960-70s, but not in today's age and time.

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Originally Posted by haridsv (Post 5643744)

Any comments on this article on real world fuel economy?

I'm driving to office on alternative days about 100kms in total. Its mix of highway and city; about 60kms on highways and 40 in city. I get an an average of 13-14 kmpl.

I use BP station with ordinary petrol and I'm soft on the accelerator and occasional revs ups for overtakes. AC always on with 24 deg's. In couple of occasions full city driving gave about 10-11 kmpl.

Overall, I'm happy with the fuel efficiency :Cheering:

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Originally Posted by outdoorlover (Post 5643978)

Loads of assumptions loaded here in your statement, my friend. Entirely true if we were in the 1960-70s, but not in today's age and time.

I drive a Figo 2nd gen. I have test driven all the cars or so below 30lacs. Nothing comes even close to the handling and body control of this Ford. While his statement was general it is indeed true at least in the handling and chassis control department unless you are going for something beyond 30 lacs. I am happy to be proven wrong though.

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Originally Posted by prakashrs (Post 5644067)

Thanks! Are your observations based on full tank to tank or what shows up on MID?

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Originally Posted by jackofsome (Post 5644121)

Spend a few days with the i20 N line , that will be a better comparison than a tall crossover like Elevate. Nevertheless you'd be a lot happier and lot less tired in an i20 as well as an Elevate when you are in a 500 kms trip.

Since you mentioned 30L, there is a 3 row crossover that would have been rebadged as a Ford if their deal wasn't cancelled at the last moment. So it's no surprise that it can keep even a BMW driver happy at the wheel.

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Originally Posted by Kosfactor (Post 5644391)

As mentioned before by someone else, the fancy gizmos in the i20 n line is what sways. And it’s pretty much visible by this comment of yours. The swift is a better handler. At least to me. However I would reiterate, the tightness of the chassis is nowhere close and I am not even bringing the Figo S in the picture.

As far as road trips go, I have done a couple of Delhi Cal non stop runs. No sweat. Point is you have had to experience what Ford offered in this little hatch. Sad how nobody bought it. As far as the certain crossover you mentioned, I would just say the Glanza does not make a Baleno a Toyota. Does it?

As for the Elevate- It’s a boring set of wheels, does everything okay and that’s about it.

Got the chance to test drive the Elevate CVT variant along with my friend who is looking for a new car and this is on their short list. A couple of observations from both our ends:
1. Space was good considering we are of similar height (5'9" for me and 5'11" for my friend). Felt comfortable in the rear.
2. Driving position was easy to find for me. And felt comfortable. Friend struggled a bit due to left knee fouling with the console. After adjustment of the driver seat it was alright.
3. Driving experience: I found the car to be decent. When you are in part throttle, engine is smooth and also it is very relaxed thanks to a smooth CVT (frame of reference for me is Nexon AMT, which is horrendous due to lag in gear change especially when you floor it for overtake). Giving more throttle and pickup felt better than the Nexon (despite it being turbocharged) whose Achilles heel is the AMT. But comparing both when driven in part throttle, I am siding with the Elevate. My friend found it to be good as he lacks experience with automatics. He refrained from making rookie mistakes for first time automatic drivers. My friend got a chance to drive the manual earlier. Felt the clutch was smooth along with gear shifts. His Jazz diesel had slightly rough gearshifts (could be due to its age).
4. Ride comfort: Excellent. Managed undulations quite well. And felt rock solid in highway despite not going fast (there was traffic). My friend also.gave same response.
5. Braking: Quite solid.
6. Steering: Quite responsive and turning was easy. Did not feel kickbacks from undulations

Overall I would say it is good car for those who don't car about features but the driving experience is good.

I got a chance to finally test drive the Elevate (mainly the CVT) and have mixed feelings about the car.

Pros:
* Boot is excellent and is really 450+ ltr unlike the false claims by the Koreans
* Though it is a CVT, it was not boring. Throttle response felt crisp, especially in sports mode, it was very eagerly reacting to my gentle taps.
* Built felt better than that of the Koreans
* Great rear leg/knee room and decent under thigh support with raised foot rest.

Cons:
* Rear seat shoulder room is only enough for 2 + 1 kid. I am 5.7 and could almost touch the other door stretching from the other end.
* Sun roof is a joke, wish they did not offer one(I doubt my head could have gone out of it)
* During my test drive(simulated my typical city drive), efficiency did not look great and I got around 10.5 kmpl on MID. My corolla (manual) with 1.8 NA petrol returns 11-12 for similar stretch
* On white color door, the wierd rubber strips look so ugly and feels like cost cutting

Overall, for those looking for 1.5 NA car for urban environment(small family 2+2) and having 20L budget, I feel this is a very good car.

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Originally Posted by MoonRider (Post 5644969)

Does XP95 provide any tangible benefit in the Elevate especially before the first service?
TIA

The only tangible benefit will be your wallet feeling lighter. :D

Please only fill regular petrol as this is just a good old naturally aspirated engine that existed probably before XP95 was invented.