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Buying & owning a Honda Elevate after driving a Maruti 800 for 25 years

2nd January 2024, 13:04 by Dev Shah

I like the car's boxy look and the aggressive front design. It offers a good road presence and grabs a lot of attention.

BHPian SKT210 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Namaste BHPians,

]My family's main and only car was Maruti 800 STD which we purchased brand new in 1998, But after my father retired and had to let go of his company service car, a 2022 Suzuki Swift, returning back to M800 made us feel a lot of shortcomings compared to any modern-day car. So, it was time to upgrade. The budget set to a maximum of 20L (on-road) and my father wanted a crossover-SUV. Hence, our hunt began in August 2023 and we started narrowing down cars. My father only had three constraints; the car must be reliable, must be a petrol ICE and the car must be comfortable. I added two constraints, next car must be an automatic and safe. After filtering in the budget and considering the cars which had showrooms in my city, we could narrow down on these cars:

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara:

The showroom visit was a good experience. SA showed us the car and explained all the features patiently and helped us decide the suitable variant but the interior of GV reminded us of our Swift and couldn't make us feel the premium of another 10 lakhs we are paying. So, we rejected it.

Hyundai Creta:

The showroom visit was quite shocking. There wasn't even a single car on display and only one SA in the showroom, upon enquiry the SA, with some pride and ego, told us "Sir, Hyundai cars are in high demand. The showroom has cars, only when to be delivered. No Test-Drive cars available now. Give your details in the register I will bring Creta to your home ". Still surprised we wrote our details and left. After a week, we were given test drive of a manual car (SA's stance was automatics are in low demand, only difference would be no clutch pedal, drive experience would be the same) and that too of a car which was to be delivered to a customer, dad and I reluctantly drove the car. My father already had a good image of this car, since many of his colleagues owned it. We were amazed by the interiors and the panoramic sunroof. I also enjoyed the car, the touch and feel was amazing, ride was comfortable but the handling at highway speeds was not so confidence-inspiring. Upon asking about the waiting period for SX IVT, we were told 6-8 months but if we paid 15L upfront, we could have the keys in a month.

Tata Nexon:

The SA was very friendly, automatic wasn't available to test drive but was promised a test drive of a customer's automatic. Now since our main purpose to test the Nexon AMT was defeated, we decided to just sit in the manual Nexon and feel it. We were shown all the features with special emphasis on the JBL sound system. We found the car comfortable but we wanted to wait for the facelift Nexon which was 20 days away. Only reason to consider Nexon(a Compact SUV) instead of a bigger (C-segment SUV) was the 5-star safety it offered, but on the facelift launch day, we decided no to settle on it as it will be a small car for the given budget.

Now in the first round, only Creta seemed to meet all of our requirements but it wasn't a safe car. So, We expanded the circle and started looking for cars in our neighbour city Dhanbad, which had Honda, Toyota, Kia, SKoda and an MG showroom. Since we wanted a reliable car, Skoda and MG were ruled out.

Kia Seltos:

I think it is a good car but I couldn't feel it was a safe car, especially since 8 months back my friend lost his father (driving a seltos) in a car crash. So, I decided not to pursue this car.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder:

As GV, it also felt poor in the interior and had a too long of a waiting period(8 months).

Honda Elevate:

We were initially impressed by the YouTube reviews and wanted to test drive it but it was only available for display and test drives hadn't begun then, later on local dealer informed us the car was now ready for display, so we went to the showroom for the first look. Dad and Mom liked the car, so SA was informed that we were interested for a test drive. Many days passed but the car wasn't available to test drive. Seeing many Youtube recommendation and considering the stereotype of reliability, comfort and safety that Honda cars offered. I booked the ZX CVT Metallic Red on 28th September through HCIL website with Libra Honda, Dhanbad. On 8th Oct, finally, the car was brought to my home for a test drive. Dad and me drove it for 5 kms(4 KM-Highway & 1 KM-City), we liked the car and couldn't find any major problems with it and it met all our constraints. So, we decided to keep the booking and the SA told us to expect the car before Diwali.

PDI turned delivery:

Eventually, in the second week of Oct, we were informed that our car would arrive on 15th Oct (Sunday) SA was pushing for a 4-5 Lakh payment but since already I had discussed no Payment before PDI so, SA conceded and no payment was made. I was provided the VIN no, to my surprise it was a October manufactured car. On 18th October(Wednesday), we were called to do PDI of the car, after an hour and a half drive from my home, we reached Dhanbad by around 1400 hours. My Mum and Dad rested while I started with the PDI. After two and a half tiring hours, the PDI was complete, the car was perfect, Odo stood at 3KM, and everything was pristine. It raised a few eyebrows, especially the GM was very surprised with all the PDI I did with such an extensive checklist, he said "Never in my 23-year career have I seen someone do such PDI.", He was thoroughly impressed with my enthusiam. Now, we started with the payment, but we hadn't decided on the accessories and the insurance. I was going to purchase insurance online and even talked to the Body shop manager to find which 4 companies are his top recommendation, but as per advice and wish of my father we went with the showroom's Honda Assure (HDFC Ergo) which cost us around 67K(no add ons, only zero depreciation) his reason being since showroom will have earned some commission they will be helpful and (hopefully) take interest in the insurance claiming process. Since the difference was 11k between online and showroom quotation, I agreed. For accessories, I wanted bucket mats, mudguard and cargo mat but bucket mats weren't sold separately but only with the basic kit and cargo mat wasn't available. So, we only got the mudguard and the normal mats installed.

The total amount(including booking amount) was :

Ex Showroom-1599900
]TCS(1%)-15999
Registration(Bokaro)-152413
Temporary Registration-5000
Insurance-67137
Accessories-3500
Total- 1843949

The payment was completed by 1900 hours and SA told us if we wanted we could take delivery by today itself. It being Chaturthi of Durga Puja, after confirming muhurat with Pandit ji, Mom and Dad decided we should take delivery, the car was quickly prepared and we were treated with an amazing delivery experience even at such short notice. Excellent work by the Libra Honda team, It left an impression with all the cake-cutting, pooja thali and the box of chocolates. Then, off we drove to our home. I would like to appreciate the special efforts put in by Mr. Amit, GM.

After sales experience:

Contrary to the delivery experience, I was really upset with their service and things improved only when I lodged a formal complaint with HCIL. On the delivery day, I was only given insurance and owner's manual for the documents and was promised all the rest including temporary registration (TR) would be delivered to my home the very next day and a permanent registration was promised after a month. Even after two days had elapsed I only receved the TR that so after reminding the GM twice. Documents were promised to be delivered after Dussehra but even after Dussehra and numerous calls, WhatsApp messages and fake promises they failed to deliver the documents(not even online). Frustrated, I decided to register a formal complaint with HCIL on 10th November 2023, the very next day I received an apology, activation of Honda Connect and all documents(online). On the day SA delivered the documents to my home, he asked for payment of a Honda Door Protector Accessory which was installed but not billed. I had never wanted that accessory, it ended on my car because of someone else's mistake. Anyhow, It's only human to make mistakes and I believe in resolving them. So, I was ready to pay but when he started blaming me for this mistake, I became very angry. Next day, I had a talk with the GM, eventually they realised their mistake and never asked for payment again. Anyway, after these incidents, I received the registration number and HSRP quite fuss-free but still it was delayed half a month from their promised deadline. After Sales Experience has a major scope of improvement. I didn't expect this service to be associated with the name "Honda".

On the flip side, my 1st service experience has been excellent. I had an issue where a strange sound was audible when sitting in the rear seat, they successfully identified it and promptly resolved it (The name plate was hitting the body). I was handed over a (my) sparkling car within 3 hours, which also included a lunch break

THE CAR:

I have driven the car and been driven in it for 52 days now and covered 1065 Kms, 60% of it in the cities and 40% of it in the highways, based on this I have a short list of pros and cons of the car below, followed by in detail review:

Pros:

Boxier and aggressive front design for a distinctive look and good road presence.
Flat and high hood enhances visibility and psychological perception of size.
Highly comfortable seats which offer good support and leatherette finish on doors, dash, and seats feel premium
Sturdy and quality feel of buttons, switches and perfect ergonomics
Spacious cabin and boot with good fit and finish, no rattling noise as of yet.
Well-tuned suspension for a smooth ride, impressive braking, and agile cornering.
Refined engine with minimal noise, seamless gearbox, and impressive driving dynamics.
Effective LED projector headlamps for night driving.

Cons:

Front grill feels flimsy and appears too large from certain angles.
Concerns about thinner panels compared to competitors.
Limited adjustment range for front seats, affecting under-thigh support.
Cabin becomes noisy at highway speeds
Lack of under-bonnet paint and no three-point seatbelt & headrest (for rear-middle passenger) are cost-cutting measures.
Lack of a 360 deg camera is a very evident omission
CVT best suited for gradual acceleration, too noisy when throttled suddenly.
Inconsistent performance of Auto High Beam and no Adaptive Cruise Control below 25 kmph.

Exterior:

I like the car's boxy look and the aggressive front design. It offers a good road presence and grabs a lot of attention. The clean lines and the conventional headlight in body(not bumpers) makes me think it will age well. The hood is flat and high which offers full front perimeter view from inside and psychologically enlarges the vehicles size. The proportional body cladding also adds to a good image. Panel fit and finish is good, paint quality is good too, it shines under sunlight. I like that the vehicle doesn't unlock when I approach it (unlocks when hand is kept on the handle), hence the car doesn't keep locking and unlocking when I roam around it with keys (typical in ground floor home or villas).

But the front grill feels a little flimsy and feels a little too big from certain angles. Only time can tell about the quality of paint. The panels feel thinner than of Hyundai's but better than the Maruti's. No paint under the bonnet is another weird cost cutting that I despise.

Front View:

Rear quarter view:

Rear view:

Wheels:

Night front view:

Night rear view:

Interior:

The interior is simple (some might find it too simple, I like it though) and the ergonomics are sorted. The seats are the strong points, it offer good support and are comfortable, the mix of black, brown and beige in the cabin makes it feel airy. The buttons and switches are sturdy and feel of good quality(even the HVAC blower and temp switches). In several short highway trips of 80KMs I did, I have had no fatigue in the back seats. They are very comfortable. The leatherette finish on the doors, dash and seats also feel premium. There is no rattling noise whatsoever and the interior fit and finish is good. The cabin and boot is very spacious and am very happy with it. The hump in the rear middle seat which quite puzzled me initially, is so that the shoulder of middle passenger stay a little higher and doesn't touch/interfere with shoulder of the side passengers(told by SA).I tested and found it to be true plus the hump didn't feel uncomfortable to sit (atleast for sub 100Km runs).

The range of adjustment(back and forth) for front seats is limited, and floor is little high which causes lack of under thigh support in front seats, am 174 cm and to get perfect under thigh support I push the front passenger seats halfway back, height needs to be increased in driver seats for better under thigh support. Thereafter, it is very comfortable. The front armrest is useless for driver, it should have been adjustable. I feel the sunroof useless and would have opted it out(had been offered a chance). The interior feel is better in the korean competition and Honda should definitely improve it. The cabin gets a little noisy at highway speeds and I feel damping will be required in future. Also, a cooled glove box and sunglass holder would have been nice.

Wide Angle Interior View:

Front seats:

Rear seats:

Door:

Gear stick:

Glove box:

Driver side switch:

Boot:

Infotainment:

The infotainment system is very basic and has limited features but all the offered features function well. The blind view camera is also good to have and works flawlessly, activates while left indicator is on or when button on indicator stock is pressed. The infotainment also supports wireless Apple Carplay and wireless Android Auto(AA). I use Android Auto, it usually connects wirelessly under 3 minutes (sometimes its a hit or a miss), if it doesn't connect, manual initialization is required by pressing the AA button in the infotainment system. The AA activates and functions even when my phone is kept 10 m away in the house. The system display quality is okaish but is welcome if improved. I am very satisfied with the 8-speaker Alpine system, it is well balanced and has good bass (I find vol 29 or above offers the best sound experience). I have fine tuned the speaker after learning from youtube and will share the image below. However, I wish a 360 deg camera and the rear view camera with adaptive guidelines was included otherwise, at least front parking sensors is a must because the high bonnet blocks the front view, so parking or driving in narrow roads is very tedious. Also, the rear-view and blind-view camera quality is decent but will be better if improved. Also, I find it sad to see the passenger window switch and many others are not illuminated, at this price bracket I want them to be illuminated.

Infotainment:

Infotainment setting:

The Drive:

"This car feels easier to drive than to ride a scooty" first reaction from my father and it holds quite true. The engine is very refined, barely any engine noise can be heard inside. Engine and Gearbox work unanimously in perfect harmony, no gear changes are felt (only when driven aggressively the changing engine noise reminds of gear changes). The car takes on corners with impressive agility, maintaining a stable and grounded feel that gives confidence. I don't feel any body roll even at 100-120 Kmph the car feels at home. The suspension is brilliantly tuned, at slow speeds it gracefully absorbs bumps and at high speeds, it just glides over them. The brakes are impressive and the car maintains composure and stops in straight line when braked hard. The steering feedback is great too, steering is light in the parking lot and gains weight at highway apeed, returns to dead centre after turning. This revv happy engine becomes vocal above 3000 rpm, it bothered my father a little in the beginning, but as he munched more miles in it, it stopped, not sure if you get accustomed or the engine becomes smoother gradually. I have a sedate driving style(70% of the time) and I have yielded 12 Kmpl(approx) in the total drive of 1065kms. I achieve 16.5 Kmpl on the highways and 12 Kmpl in the city. When driven with very light foot and using engine braking I have achieved 13.5-14Kmpl in the city (In all the above cases, AC is always set to 24 C and Auto). The tyres grip the road well and couldn't find any issue with it till now, except the road noise. The LED projector headlamps are very impressive, road is lit up nicely and evenly at night. The headlamps have 7 total leds, outer 4 LEDs glow in low beam and all seven glow at highbeam. Only negatives, I could find in terms in driving dynamics is that vehicle becomes a little unsettled when speed brakers are approached slowly at an angle and as in nature of CVT, when throttled hard, the acceleration is not sudden but builds up gradually. Also, a bigger fuel tank would have been nice.

Steering:

Fuel economy:

ADAS:

Almost All ADAS features work well. I have left all the features on and as set by default. Here is what I learned from my short experience with Collision Mitigation Braking System (CBMS), it provides you a warning when it feels a collision may occur and applies brake when it thinks an accident will occur. CBMS only warns but doesn't initiate, when either the accelerator is pressed or the brake is pressed or the vehicle is steered (if it feels the driver is aware and has taken some reaction to the warning). I have realized that CBMS will never brake out of the blue but just in case it may happen, I follow this rule - I cover the brake pedal when I am off the accelerator when I see some obstruction (vehicle or person) I just tap the brake lightly even when the vehicle will just stop with engine braking. By this method, I have never faced any problem, only once in 1065 kms has CBMS kicked in when I was actually about to touch someone (The person suddenly decided to take a left), I was at around 8 kmph looking to park. The Adaptive cruise control works well but I dislike the fact it disengages below 25kmph, it should stop the vehicle fully in case front vehicle comes to full stop.

I think 'Lead car departure notification' is not useful with context to India. The 'Auto High Beam' function fails to work many times, I feel it should be calibrated further.

Additional accessories:

I did purchase a few additional accessories (outside the showroom) which I think are extremely useful and would recommend:

Spartan Shield Touchscreen Guard:

I use screen protector for my phone, so getting it for new car was next logical step. The fit is perfect and clarity is good.

Spartan Shield Touchscreen Guard:

Honda Door Sill sticker:

Often, I would accidently step on the door sill while getting in or out. The Honda offered step-silll accessory was over priced and didn't offer full protection. So, I decided to get this-

Honda Door Sill sticker:

Gailo Door Guard Protector:

I saw fingernails already started scratching the paint. So, decide to get this, as it was subtle.

Gailo Door Guard Protector:

Now, after owning the Honda Elevate for almost 60 days. Upon introspecting, I realise it is a suitable car for me and my family, it fulfills all our expectations, requirements and aspirations we had built for a new car after two and a half decades. As of yet, I haven't found any problem which bothers me. Driving this car always leaves a smile on me and my father's face. That's my biggest tell of a correct car purchase.

800 and Elevate: