The second-row knee space is slightly limited for tall people when you compare it with the Mahindra XUV700, Tata Harrier and Safari, Skoda Kushaq and the likes.

BHPian pms recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I was using a Honda City V MT 2012 model and the itch to upgrade kicked in from last year. Honda ownership has been pretty stress-free, and the car served me well for 11 years. i-Vtec engine has been a gem and the vehicle has never let me down barring minor cosmetic niggles. I would have kept the City for some more time had there been one more driver in the family.

Plan was to buy an SUV, an automatic for the ease of driving, getting in & out for all, better ground clearance to tackle the broken roads and lastly a good interior with some of the latest features. We are a family of 4 who do quite some long drives, especially to Kerala and use boot space to the max. Honda City has kept us very happy in this department and this too became one of our selection criteria.

With this started our search for the one that fits our needs and wish list. It finally ended up in the Hyundai Alcazar. Went ahead with the Turbo Petrol variant as I found it fun to drive, powerful, refined, and feature-loaded with attractive interiors. On the downside I was prepared for bad mileage, but to my surprise it wasn’t that bad, maybe I kept the expectation very low.

Took delivery on 13th July and so far, it has run ~4400 Kms with two 1200 Kms long drive & rest within the city, mostly in B2B traffic.

• Model: 1.5 Litre Turbo Petrol, DCT
• Variant: Signature (O), Starry Night shade
• Dealership: Trident Hyundai, Indiranagar, Bengaluru

Key Handover

First drive to CCD near Hoskote

Front and side profile

Rear Profile

Will try to pen down my initial ownership experience with the vehicle. Most of the Pros and Cons listed below are in comparison with the Honda City I had.

Pardon shortcomings and oversights.

Pros:

• Smooth & refined Engine: Very silent throughout the rev band. Powerful and responsive with no signs of struggle.
• A very silent cabin with no road & engine noise creeping in. This was a major highlight compared to Honda City and other cars I test drove.
• Very smooth shifting gearbox that one doesn’t feel the shifts at all. This combo of DCT and Turbo Petrol delivers a power of 159BHP that will put a smile on your face once you hit highways and low traffic.
• Though it comes with 3 drive modes (Eco, Comfort, Sport) all you need is ‘Comfort’ to manage City and Highway traffic alike. By default the mode is set to ‘Comfort’ every time you start the vehicle, something to my liking. Though I have driven it with 4 passengers and luggage, never felt the vehicle struggling prompting me to switch to manual or Sport mode.
• Nimble and easy to drive in the city. I could pretty much drive through and park in all the places I took my Honda City.
• Body roll is well contained, vehicle feels planted & stable even at speeds of 120Kmph. Till now didn’t feel compromised moving out of a sedan. I don’t do high-speed cornering anyways.
• Loaded with safety aids & features some of which are not available in much expensive cars.
• Steering wheel is superbly designed, good to hold and ooze quality. Very light at low speeds and gives a sense of heaviness at higher speeds. In Honda, I felt the steering to be light even at higher speeds.
• Fit and finish of the interiors is one or two notches above its competitors. Though it doesn’t provide any soft touch experience on the dash, it does make up for the finish, quality, ergonomic layout, and sheer number of feel-good & useful features. Colour theme of brown and grey on the dash, door pads and seats really stand out and gives an overall luxury feel. Will be easier to maintain as well compared to beige.
• Boot Space is a healthy 180 litres with all 3 rows up, we can easily place 2 cabin bags. With the 3rd row folded you get 570 litres of space which is more than adequate for our needs.
• Ground clearance of 200mm is more than sufficient to manage any bad roads.
• Personally, felt the overall build quality to be impressive let it be the heaviness of doors, bonnet, sheet metal thickness, switches, gear lever, steering wheel, aircon vents, sunroof blind etc. Of course, can’t comment on the crash ratings, but the vehicle gives a sense of safe and secure feeling inside out.
• Suspension is stiffer than Honda City; road undulations, joints on the flyovers, small potholes, humps etc are not felt inside at most speeds. Plus there is no bounciness that was prominent in Honda City. But for bigger potholes one needs to be slow and careful else the impact will be felt inside.
• Comfortable front & rear seats with spacious interiors. My mom and mom-in-law are very happy. They feel easier to get in and seated, more of a walk-in experience.
• Excellent visibility all around, nothing really hampers. A-Pillars are similar to those of Honda City and will have some hindrances while taking sharp turns.
• Sidestep comes standard with the Signature variant and is useful only for really short people. But it will hamper the rest as it brushes against the calf while getting in & out. Ideally speaking this car doesn't require one. But it adds to the overall looks.
• Alloys look very attractive to me and the 18’ inch wheels fill that wheel well perfectly.
• I get 9-10KMPL in city traffic and 14-15 on Highways. This was a surprise as I was expecting it to be lower than this. Post first service am getting a mileage of 10KMPL consistently in the city though I haven’t changed my driving style or routes. The best mileage I got is 16.5KMPL during the Kollam to Thenmala section (~90Kms) on my way to Bengaluru during an early morning drive.

Cons:

• 3rd row seats are only for small kids. In my car, it's always folded and I use the space for luggage.
• Electric boot should have been provided; the door is very heavy to operate.
• Headlights should have been better, though it's trio beam LED, the throw and focus is not great. I found no major difference between High and Low beam. Feel the halogens are more effective than these LEDs which look good only from outside with no purpose.
• There is a slight turbo lag below 2K RPM. In B2B drives, one might feel small jerkiness but it's just a matter of getting used to. This 1.5 turbo picks up speed in no time!
• Sport Mode: I felt this to be an overkill and the driving experience is not so pleasant esp in City drives. Engine keeps revving in the power band even when you slow down ready to accelerate again. Not so pleasing experience for me. Maybe during a steep incline and for those split-second overtakes it might help. Otherwise, Comfort mode is more than enough for me.
• Lumbar Support should have been provided as I felt it lacking.
• I liked the earlier front grille as this facelift one looks more subdued and can be mistaken for a Creta. Except for Turbo Petrol, older grille is maintained in all other models, don’t understand this logic.
• Alcazar exterior is more of love it or hate it design. In my opinion, it looks better sidewise and from the rear.
• Fuel Switch and its placement under the driver seat is carried over from decades old Santro! This is poorly designed in an otherwise quality cabin.
• Only driver side window has auto up and down feature.
• Driver side power window switch alone is illuminated, can’t digest this. When you are providing ambient lighting on all doors with 64 colour option, come on, Hyundai!
• 2nd row knee space is slightly limited for tall people, when you compare it with XUV, Harrier, Safari, Kushaq and the likes. This is primarily due to the tray table behind the front seats that eats up some space. I felt it to be unnecessary and its opening & closing isn’t that easy as well, overall an ergonomic flaw. 99% of the owners might not use it as well.
• Missing ADAS: Am not a big fan of it, but yes when Seltos and Creta (soon to be) are going to have it, would have been good if it was in Alcazar as well. Probably the next version might have it.
• Missing auto wipers, not sure why Hyundai omitted this.
• Passenger seats should have been powered as well.
• Fuel efficiency of Turbo Petrol engine is very sensitive to the way we drive. Efficiency drops drastically if we use the Sport mode or do sudden bursts of acceleration frequently.
• Auto Start Stop must be switched off every time you start the car. There is no way to disable it permanently. But in Alcazar, I felt it is not overly sensitive and annoying.

Alternatives Considered:

We did TD of the below cars, before finalizing on Alcazar, these are just my personal observations, not to undermine any of them.

• Jeep Compass: +ves: Sturdy, excellent stability, interior fit & finish, looks. -ves: Cramped space, Boot capacity, slow gearbox, not-so-inspiring service network & support.
• Kia Carens: This was a good competitor but somehow didn’t like its interior as compared to Alcazar, plus the absence of a panoramic sunroof, whether we use it or not, the family was clear.
• XUV700: Liked it, but the waiting period of 8-10 months quoted was disappointing. Also, we weren’t sure about the overall fit & finish, after sales support etc. Plus I felt it's not so nimble or easy to drive in the city traffic. Also in terms of refinement and cabin noise insulation, Alcazar is way ahead.
• Tata Harrier/Tata Safari: Didn’t venture out due to the not-so-encouraging feedback from some of my owner friends.
• Creta/Seltos: Though I liked both of these products, boot space was a compromise for us. Somehow didn’t feel as an upgrade from my City.
• Skoda Kushaq/VW Taigun: Really liked the drive, engine and gearbox! But the interiors, fit & finish were a letdown and above all the attitude of the Raja Skoda dealership folks. I felt the same attitude from TAFE Access as well a couple of years back when I went to check the Karoq. If you go to their dealership in an Uber or auto, you can forget any attention leave service.
• MG Hector: Liked its interiors, fit & finish. But decided to look past due to the not so inspiring petrol automatic. Diesel manual on the other hand was pretty good! Family was impressed with the space, features and cabin quality.

Decision:

Finally, we decided to go with Alcazar as everyone liked it and it was a jack of all trades. I feel it's an under-rated product that lost prominence in front of its more popular siblings Creta, Seltos, Carens, and the barrage of SUVs from Tata and Mahindra which are more popular & butch-looking. Also, Alcazar is an MUV with no 4-wheel drive option. Alcazar Turbo petrol might excite those who need that luxury & refined feeling, plush drive, occasional use of 7 seats or luggage space, exciting & powerful turbo engine with less worry on the mileage and lastly the Hyundai Service. For me, it's a miniature Tucson minus ADAS at a much lower price.

It's not a looker compared to others and doesn't stand out with this new grille now! Some of my friends and family didn’t even know that Hyundai has models named Alcazar & Tucson.

Booking & Dealership Experience:

Both me and wife had decided (I influenced) on the new Tucson and had booked it as well (Signature 2WD Diesel Variant) in Nov-2022 though it was above our budget. After 5 months of waiting, we decided not to shell so much and decided on Alcazar as we felt it meets most of our needs at half the price. We felt the vehicle to be value for money. My wife was more than happy as she was not completely aligned with spending so much and rather invest rest of the money. A wise decision indeed and no wonder, they are called the ‘Better Halves”. In fact my family got more impressed with the interiors of Alcazar than Tucson. That aside Tucson Diesel is a very good vehicle in its category but I felt it's overpriced for a Hyundai tag and for what it offers!

Same time I also came to know that they are stopping the 2.0ltr one and launching the new 1.5Ltr Turbo, this was a bit concerning for me as I wasn’t sure how the vehicle would perform considering its weight plus the DCT gearbox. Also, I had taken TDs on the 2.0ltr ones and was happy with that. I still went ahead and changed my booking from Tucson to Alcazar Turbo in May.

Apart from the new engine & gearbox, the facelift came with some additional features like Idle Stop & Go (ISG), gear indication in the MID, seat belt indicator for all 5 passengers (on the roof), Alcazar logo projection, new front grille, Turbo badging (rear) & DCT badging (driver side), 3-point seat belt from the roof for the 2nd-row middle passenger.

There were no TD vehicles despite so many follow-ups with multiple dealerships and I was clear to my SA that I would cancel my booking if I was not happy with the turbo model. He was perfectly fine with it and reassured me that all Kia/Hyundai Turbo ones are going be replaced with this new engine to comply with BS6 Phase 2 RDE (Real Driving Emissions) emission norms.

Finally, in the month of June, he got me the new Verna Turbo petrol for a TD. I was really impressed with the drive and performance, also got me thinking about whether to change the booking to Verna. Mind keep playing games. At this point, my wife put her foot down and said it’s going to be Alcazar, or we keep the Honda City for another year or two. All settled!

Still my mind was wavering about how would this engine perform on a heavier vehicle. Strangely there were no credible reviews on YouTube or any other media to get clarity. And just a week before the delivery, SA got me the new Alcazar for TD and all my doubts were put to rest. The vehicle performed smoothly with 3 people on board, didn’t experience any struggle.

I had opted for Trident Hyundai Indiranagar dealership as it was closer to my place. Overall, it was a good experience right from the booking to the delivery and I must mention Mr Santhosh M who was my Sales Rep. He worked with me patiently to answer all my queries, arrange multiple test drives, documentation and making sure the delivery was smooth.

Delivery was fixed on 13th July, evening.

Dealership gave me a chocolate box and an instant photograph of the ceremony which was nice. I distributed a sweet box to the dealership folks and gave a small gift to Santosh.

Soon after delivery, heavy rains started. My first drive home was through those rains in B2B traffic, and it was indeed a task. This was the first automatic I was driving, plus I was lost in all those controls, features, and alerts! It took me a while to control & operate the intermittent wiper speed, rear wiper, and experience the auto start stop function in the midst of the maddening traffic.

On-Road Price & Discounts:

I took the car via ALD Corporate Lease which had a tie up with my company. On-road price was 24.56L. I got floor mats, perfume, mud guards, Ganesha idol as freebies.

Features and Safety Equipment:

There are lots of feel-good and useful safety features, will mention the ones that stood out for me and my family. In this regard, Alcazar was a major upgrade to us from our humble Honda City. In terms of features, it was a giant leap into the future.

Thankfully, all the features work as expected.

• 360 Camera: One of the best safety features and works flawlessly. Clarity of the visuals along with adaptive guidelines really stands out. Can choose multiple camera angles as well.
• Blind Spot Monitoring: Useful while taking turns, side camera visuals get projected on the MID based on the right or left indicators and the clarity is good. Though at slow speeds and narrow roads, I would any day prefer activating 360 Cam. This covers the whole perimeter of the vehicle.
• Auto Hold: God send feature, no need to keep my foot on the brake pedals anymore. Driving has become more relaxed.
• Paddle Shifters: Haven't tried it much, never felt the need for it. But the levers provided are of good quality.
• Digital MID: I can safely say that it is one of the best digital instrument clusters in this side of 50L that is also shared with Tucson. Crystal clear display with lots of information. Directions from onboard MMI maps, compass, TPMS are displayed in MID. Dials changing colour with drive modes is cool. It also showcases a host of driving information and one can easily toggle through the info via the steering-mounted switch.
• Loaded with 6 airbags, Hill Assist, Electronic Parking Brake, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, auto dimming mirrors, auto headlights, Idle Start Stop.
• Panoramic Sunroof: family loves it, and we used to keep the blinds open during the monsoon drives in Kerala.
• Rear Sun blinds: no need to put towels on sunny days.
• Ambient Lighting: This really makes a difference to the interiors and adds up to the luxury quotient. I didn’t observe or give importance to it during my test drives or showroom visits. But once we started using the car, realized it made a lot of difference to the cabin experience at night, it was more than a gimmick for me. My friends & family are in awe of that.
• Ventilated Seats: Again, a boon and should be there in all vehicles sold. Works very well.
• Electric Driver Seat, Tilt/Telescopic Steering: Super useful and helps in finding the right position quickly. Good range as well.
• Bose acoustics is good, and the infotainment screen is neatly integrated into the dash, I love it more than the ones that stand out like a tablet and block the vision. Kudos to Hyundai for making it super intuitive and lag-free.
• Connectivity: You have 1 fast charging USB type A port, a 12V socket and a wireless charging pad in the front. There is a type A USB port for mobile connectivity (Android Auto, Car Play) as well. You have 1 USB Type A mobile charging port for 2nd row passengers and 2 of them for the 3rd row. All of them are illuminated as well. Bluetooth and Android auto connect seamlessly. I extensively use Android Auto for GMaps and YT music.
• Bluelink App: Remote engine start/stop, lock/unlock and a host of features can be accessed via this mobile app. I really like the ‘My Trips’ section of this app that shows day wise information about our trips, Kms traversed, Max and Min Speeds, Idle time, start and destination details. It’s a good log of our trips and very accurate.

Usage Pattern:

Primary usage is home to office and back. A total of 25Kms commute through heavy traffic. Once in a quarter to my native in Kerala (1500 Kms to & fro).

Build Quality, fit & finish, paint quality and panel gaps:

Really good and hope everything ages well! Yet to observe any uneven panel gaps. Fit & finish overall is top notch.

Wheels & Tyres:

The wheels are of specs 215/55 R18 and it came with JK UX Royale tyres. Have no complaints so far.

Driving Position & Ergonomics:

Due to the powered driving seat and tilt/telescopic steering, one can easily nail down the best driving position. Once set, Alcazar gives a good all-round view from the driver’s seat, front seats itself are very ergonomic and comfortable.

Handling, On-Road behaviour:

Very planted with excellent grip, I find it more stable than Honda City at all speeds.

Niggles:

• There was a rattling sound coming from the front left wheel well while steering left or right. Took it to the service centre and it was basically tire hitting the loosened mud guard. They immediately found it out, tightened the mud guard and the sound was gone!
• Now this one is slightly tricky: Post 1st service, I feel the brake bite has gone down. Earlier, effectiveness was pronounced even with a short press of the pedal but now I had to go for a long press, and I feel the pedal has become a bit spongy. I tried in vain to correct it with SC folks, but to them it is normal. With my insistence, they kept the car with them for 2 days to check the brake pads and ABS. They also did brake bleeding, but still the issue is there. Am planning to take it to a different SC and see. This has slightly dented my confidence in Hyundai Service Centre folks.

Other than that, we are happy with the purchase and pray & hope for a good long term ownership experience. Will keep updating here as the journey goes on.

Have attached some snaps below, not all are of good quality, sorry for that.

3D Camera - Front View

Boot Space with 3rd row seats folded

3D Cam - Night View, feed is good even in low light conditions

3D Cam - Side Camera Angle

3D Cam - Top View Angle

Blind Spot Activation

Blind Spot feed - this mobile snap doesn't do justice, in real, it is very clear

'Alcazar' logo added in the facelift

Comfort Mode in MID - white color is very appealing

Eco Mode - Green color of dials

Sport Mode - Red color dials. Also displayed are the various terrain modes

Interesting one, I like this cube type display

Ambient lighting, some 9 pre-defined shades are already there, in case you aren't happy with that, pls choose something from the 64 palette range.

Tray Table, not so useful, as it eats up some knee space plus is made of hard plastic. This seems to be an ergonomic flaw to me.

Ambient lighting inside the cabin

Front view of the dash and controls

Charging and Connectivity ports. Wireless charging pad as well

Power window controls

Compass displayed in the MID

Trip details since refuel

TPMS details, it shows the figures once you start driving only

2 Keys - Leather cover is aftermarket. Buttons in the key are for remote lock, unlock, engine start and boot open respectively.

Bluetooth audio connected.

DCT badging on the driver side

Side by Side with Creta, Alcazar facelift doesn't look imposing

Continue reading pms' ownership experience for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

I have also shared my opinions on the car's engine, handling, driveability and a couple of issues.

BHPian Phantom 510 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I would like to share my Honda Elevate MT test drive experience. It was a drive of around 7 kms which included bad traffic, bad roads and a bit of winding backroads.

Pros

• Engine - The 1.5L i-VTEC is a gem, it's revvy, refined and extremely tractable. It would respond with enthusiasm from the word go and it felt lively enough. No waiting for the boost like in the turbo cars, just a pleasant linear response. And what was even more impressive was its tractability. It could pull from as low as 30 kmph in 5th and 15 kmph in 3rd gear with the A/C on. There was neither shuddering nor protest from the motor even with three people on board. The gear ratios for Elevate have been shortened and that certainly has made a difference. Tractability of the motor was very very impressive for me at least. This makes for a very relaxing car to drive in our chaotic Indian driving conditions with minimal gearshifts.
• Ride/Handling- The ride quality (comfort over bad roads) and handling balance is spot on. It rode really well over the bad roads and was comfortable inside the cabin. It did not crash through potholes and ride quality was not jittery. On the handling front, it did quite well in spite of not being an outright sporty car. It maintained its line admirably well through a corner when hustled on a winding road (which is not at all recommended) with enthusiasm. The steering felt well weighted and was doing its job well.
• Fuel efficiency- I reset the trip meter and fuel efficiency meter to zero at the beginning of the test drive. I got an average fuel efficiency of 14 kmpl (displayed) at the end of the test drive with A/C on throughout and the drive was a mix of 80% city traffic (a mix of bad to moderate traffic and some really bad patches) and 20% winding backroads (which had traffic too). I believe it should return 12- 13 kmpl during the city commutes (upshifting early) and an easy 17 kmpl plus is possible on highways if driven with restraint (75/80 kmph in 6th gear).
• Ergos- Ergonomics were spot on and all the controls were within easy reach. The seats in the front and rear were comfortable, supportive and well-padded.
• Visibility- Outside visibility is really superb with the entire bonnet being visible. One could place the car exactly where he/she wants to.
• Ground clearance- The ground clearance is just amazing. It clears huge speed breakers with absolute ease and is very handy if someone has to tackle bad roads littered with craters.
• Ease of driving- Responsive engine, light controls and excellent visibility make it a very easy car to drive.

Cons

• Rear seat - The rear seat although a very nice place to be in sadly lacks headrests and a proper seatbelt for the middle occupant and that sticks out like a sore thumb to me. Honda should add a headrest and a proper seat belt soon for the middle occupant too. I don't get why car makers try to save money on things that matter.

N.B.- The observations during the test drive were personal and shouldn't influence anyone's buying decision. One should check out their shortlisted vehicles in person and go for a proper test drive (not 1 or 2 kms test drives) before putting their hard-earned money down, IMO.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

My family is also happy with the back seat comfort after bouncing in the Mahindra TUV300 for the last 6 years.

BHPian dieselburner recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Got delivery of my ZX CVT lunar silver a week back. Initially, I got the Blue colour booked but the dealer was saying that the blue colour would take at least a month to deliver & was pushing for the golden brown colour.

Just to get the car delivered early I agreed to the golden brown colour but I saw it in person on the road & didn't like the colour or thought that this colour was not doing justice to the looks of the car, also maintaining dark colour is troublesome.

Finally, I have to change the dealer & get one unallocated silver colour available for delivery. One thing I noticed is that most of the dealers have ready availability of golden brown colour, which I didn't understand why.

Overall have driven around 1200 kms, mostly on highways & mountains. FE turns out to be around 14-15 in plains & 11-12 in hills & this is as shown in MID.

Overall quite happy with the performance & comfort of the car. My family is also happy with the back seat comfort after bouncing for the last 6 years in the TUV300.

Features for me are more than enough & are in fact more if you compare with the Korean twins in the same price band.

Headlight throw is very good & the auto high beam feature is a boon for the driver & oncoming vehicles as well.

I am not an audiophile but still I find the audio quality to be good, don't compare it with the Bose setup of Korean twins as they come with the top model only which costs appx 22-23 lac on road which is good 4 lacs more from the Elevate top model.

Few things missed are:

Sunglasses holder, cornering lights, extendable armrest, rear seat sunshades, backlit buttons in doors.

Reasons for not looking at other options & as many say that we can get a starting level 7 seater also in this price range:

I personally didn't like the looks of Creta & the safety concerns. I somewhat liked the looks of the Kia Seltos but the trim which costs appx 19 lacs on road missed features like ADAS, adaptive cruise control, wireless AA & carplay. What they are showcasing is ventilated seats & panoramic sunroof which are of no use to me.

Thought of Mahindra Scorpio N Z6 costing 19.90 on road in Uttarakhand but after driving a Mahindra for the last 6 yrs didn't want to buy it again as initial niggles are well known with Indian manufacturers, though Scorpio N is good, I didn't want a 7 seater, diesel car so opted out of Mahindra as well.

Some pics of Elevate near my homestay in Uttarakhand:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Here's a list of 13 museums every auto enthusiast must visit.

BHPian JDMBOI recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Here is a list of museums & factory tours every petrol-head must go to, so fasten your seat belt and grab some drink because it's going to be a long ride.

• Porsche Museum.
• Nissan Heritage Collection
• Mercedes Benz Museum.
• Honda Collection Hall.
• BMW Museum.
• Koenigsegg Factory Tour.
• Museo Ferrari Maranello & Museo Casa Enzo Ferrari.
• Museo Lamborghini & Museo Ferruccio Lamborghini.
• McLaren Technology Centre.
• Museo Horacio Pagani.
• Museo Mille Miglia
• Museum of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
• Silverstone Museum.

Porsche Museum

The Porsche Museum is an automobile museum in the Zuffenhausen district of Stuttgart, Germany on the site of carmaker Porsche.

History

The original Porsche museum opened in 1976 in a side-road near the Porsche factory. It was a relatively small works museum with little parking space and it was only big enough to hold around 20 exhibits (in rotation).
Porsche built the museum as a kind of "rolling museum" with rotating exhibits from a stock of 300 restored cars, many in pristine condition and still in full driving order. Originally there was discussion that the new museum would be built alongside a new Mercedes-Benz museum on former trade fair grounds in the Killesberg area of Stuttgart. After the new Mercedes-Benz Museum opened in the east of Stuttgart in 2006, Porsche went ahead with plans to upgrade and extend its museum in the northern district of Zuffenhausen next to the company headquarters. Originally costs were set at 60 million euros but days before the official opening ceremony on 29 January 2009, it was confirmed that the actual costs hit 100 million euros.

The new museum

The new Porsche museum stands on a conspicuous junction just outside Porsche Headquarters in Zuffenhausen. The display area covers 5600 square metres featuring over 80 exhibits, many rare cars and a variety of historical models.

Guided tour

Museum Tour

Discover the company’s history with all its milestones from its beginnings to the present day in an approximately one-hour guided tour of the Porsche Museum that is tailored to your individual wishes.

Public museum tour :

• Max. 25 people
• € 6.00 without entrance fee
• Duration approx. 60 min

Private museum tour

• Max. 25 people
• € 180.00 including admission price
• Duration approx. 60 min

Awareness Tour

Book a guided tour of a very special kind. The awareness tour enables participants to experience the company's history from a different perspective. It's not just about imparting knowledge, but also about the topic of self-awareness. We invite you to a change of perspective with aids such as blindfolds, wheelchairs and earplugs. In this way, interested parties are made aware of how to deal with people with disabilities. This tour is perfect as a team building measure.

Private awareness tour:

• Max. 10 people
• € 100.00 including entrance fee
• Duration approx. 60 min
• Age: starting at 12 years of age

Historic Walk

Accompany us on a journey through time along historical and modern buildings from our more than 80-year old history. Find out how the Zuffenhausen site developed from a design office to one of the most modern automobile plants in the world. Using historical images and documents from the company archive, we will show you the change and growth of our production facility, without entering the buildings.

Private historic walk tour:

• Max. 15 people (participation aged betwenn 8 and 14 years only with an accompanying person)
• € 150.00 without entrance fee
• Duration approx. 120 min

Factory tours

Take a look behind the scenes, where the heart and soul of the brand are at home: at the headquarters in Zuffenhausen. Accompany a sports car on its way through production and experience the perfect symbiosis of tradition and modernity.

We show you how the vehicles of tomorrow are made. In addition to the 911 and 718 models, the main plant has been producing Porsche's first full-electric sports car, the Taycan, since 2019.

Let yourself be captured by the fascination of Porsche and take a look behind the scenes at the headquarters in Zuffenhausen. Accompany a sports car through the production process on a guided tour of the plant and find out what drives us and it: a perfect symbiosis of tradition and modernity. The new Porsche Production 4.0 - smart, lean and green. You can choose from three different factory tours. Children from the age of eight can take part if accompanied by an adult.

911 / 718 Tour

Together with one of our guides, you will visit the assembly line for the Porsche 911 and the 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman model series. Where possible, we will show you selected production areas such as vehicle assembly or upholstery. Depending on the prototype construction, there may be short-term adjustments of the tour. The start and finish is the foyer of the Porsche Museum. You can book a private tour or an open tour with other visitors. Of course you can choose another language besides German or English. We will be happy to check whether a guide can lead you through our plant in your preferred language on this day.

Open 911/718 factory tour:

• max. 5 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 10.00 per person
• 8 – 13 years free (with accompanying person)
• 14 – 18 years 6,00 €
• Duration approx. 120 min

Private 911/718 factory tour:

• 1 – 15 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 150.00
• Duration approx. 120 min

Taycan Tour

Visit the assembly line of the first full-electric Porsche Taycan and the paint shop. The start and finish is the foyer of the Porsche Museum. The route between the museum and the paint shop on this tour is covered by bus. You can book a private tour or an open tour with other visitors. Of course you can choose another language besides German or English. We will be happy to check whether a guide can lead you through our plant in your preferred language on this day.

Open Taycan factory tour:

• max. 5 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 15.00 per person
• 8 -13 years free (with accompanying person)
• 14 – 18 years € 6,00
• Duration approx. 120 min

Private Taycan factory tour:

• 1 – 10 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 225.00
• Duration approx. 120 min

Powertrain Tour

Get exclusive insights into the three assembly lines of the boxer, V and electric motors. We explain to you what distinguishes the different motors. The start and finish is the foyer of the Porsche Museum. The distance between the museum and the new engine assembly is covered by bus. Of course you can choose another language besides German or English. We will be happy to check whether a guide can lead you through our plant in your preferred language on this day.

Private powertrain tour

• 1 – 10 people (from 8 years with accompanying person)
• € 180.00
• Duration approx. 120 min

Barrier-free museum

There is lots to discover. You can join a guided tour or you can look around the museum alone. We have almost 100 vehicles more than 200 small exhibits interesting information about Porsche The Porsche Museum is barrier free. Lifts take you to all floors of the museum. We have accessible toilets on the ground floor and on the third floor of the museum.

Price List

Entrance fees:

• Adults: 10 €
• Reduced price: 5 €

This price (Reduced price) applies to:

• Schoolchildren
• Students
• Persons with a voluntary social year pass
• Senior citizens
• People with disabilities
• Unemployed persons
• Porsche Classic Card holders
• Porsche Club members

Free entry for: Children up to 14 years. Children may not visit the museum without an adult. Person who accompanies people with disabilities. (mark "B" in the disability card)

Evening tickets from 5 p.m.

Price List

Entrance fees:

• Adults: 10 €
• Reduced price: 5 €

This price (Reduced price) applies to: Same as Above.

Continue reading BHPian JDMBOI's review for more insights and information.

The manual seems to be the driver's car as the automatic does not allow you to savor the famed 1.5L NA engine in its truest form.

BHPian shibujp recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Got a chance to check out the Elevate a few days back. On display was the manual top spec version in Golden Brown Metallic. The colour looks quite good but kind of dulls the expanse of the black grill and the fog light enclosures. I like the contrast better so perhaps a lighter colour.

The overall design is non-polarising, typical Honda India - elegant and classy. I actually loved the design of the Elevate in the launch pictures itself. The SUV may seem to have limited road presence externally but offers a completely different perspective behind the wheel. More of that later.

What I really like about Honda interiors is the seats, especially in the City and now the Elevate. The way the seats are shaped, designed and contoured will make a car from the luxury stables proud. The rear has good legroom and the upward slanted floor is a very nice feature. However, I was not too convinced about the H point and felt that the backrest could be a little more reclined. Didn’t spend too much time so it is just a quick inference.

I loved the upholstery and there is always a certain class and finish to these kinds of things in a Honda. The dashboard by current standards is a bit plain but the ergonomics are spot on. The gear knob in the manual though is that small golf ball-like knob in the Honda. Something more substantial would have been good. 6-speed manual.

Providing buttons for the HVAC control is a welcome comeback. I am not a fan of screens jutting out of the dash but that seems to be the order of the day. Did not spend much time on the screen so don’t know how slick it is. Boot space too was very substantial and built up from the Honda City.

The variant available for a test drive was the automatic. Visibility too was very good all around. Inside behind the driver's seat, the vehicle feels substantial. The upright bonnet means that the whole expanse of the bonnet is visible to you and it feels a much wider vehicle than it actually is. Gives you a feeling of piloting something pretty substantial.

The automatic gearbox was not very enthusiastic and my attempts to poke it into life by punching the accelerator only resulted in the typical rubber band effect and a free-revving engine before it selected the right ratios. What is good though is that the paddle shifts are very helpful in smoothing out the shifts and are very intuitive to use. One thing though, I noticed that they don’t turn with the wheel so that caught me out a couple of times mid-corner. If you dial back things a bit it does translate to a very smooth and efficient affair silently going about its business. The manual seems to be the driver's car as the automatic does not allow you to savor the famed 1.5L NA engine in its truest form.

Overall I liked the Elevate for what it offers. Is the 1.5 NA a bummer among the current crop of turbo-charged petrols and what you have? Yes, possibly, but I now happily cavort around in a 1.5 litre NA Jimny and just love the experience. So performance will be any way better. However, before a final verdict, I need to drive the MT as I feel that that will be the true driver’s variant.

Features are not as plentiful and flamboyant as the competition but it does come with ADAS. However, the feature of the camera view when you put in the indicators is implemented on the central screen rather than on the instrument cluster as in the Seltos which I felt was a bit of an anti-pattern. Somehow it feels more intuitive to glance at your mirrors. Overall at 18 lakhs on road for the MT top spec in Trivandrum, I think it is one of the best-value SUVs on the market today.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The MID seemes to be grossly overestimating the fuel efficiency of the car.

BHPian haridsv recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Here is my quick review with the hope that others find some useful tidbits (sorry, no pictures, but there are plenty out there anyway).

I got my ZX CVT Materiod Grey delivered on 1/11 with 17km on the odometer. On my way home, I filled the tank at an HP bunk. However, I noticed at the time of payment that they had filled the premium version without asking me. My Figo is diesel, and I'm not accustomed to seeing different qualities offered, so I didn't pay attention to this. On the next day, I had a short city drive and observed a maximum of 12.4kmpl on the MID.

We took the car for a weekend drive from Hyderabad to Vijayawada (3 people with light luggage), covering about 670km back and forth. I initially limited the speed to 85kmph, and observed that the MID peeked at 18.4kmpl. Later, I turned on cruise control (set to 90), but by that time the traffic increased. This made the cruise control less effective but I continued using it.

After reaching our destination, the mileage on MID decreased a little to 18. Though I am sure increased traffic had a role to play, I feel ACC made it worse (see below). The actual mileage at the time of the next fill turned out to be just 15.75 (520.3km for 33.04l), so the MID seemed to be grossly overestimating.

I actually used premium petrol so I wonder what my mileage would have been with regular petrol. On the return journey, the traffic was heavy, but I pushed it a little harder to reach 100kmph whenever possible. At the end of the trip, the trip mileage was 677.6km with 16.7kmpl on the MID, so I expect the actual mileage to be less.

Overall, we enjoyed the drive, and it brought back my memories of driving a 2004 Camry automatic in the US (not sure if it was CVT). What I loved the most about the car:

1. The smooth steering and ride
2. Headlights
3. Large side mirrors
4. Collision warning system

I was disappointed with:

1. Bluetooth doesn't automatically reconnect. After a manual connect, Android Auto needed to be toggled on through the device BT options, sometimes 2 to 3 times. This was a significant inconvenience every time we stopped the car. I even had Android Auto crash and act like there was never a trip. I'm not sure if it's an integration issue or bugs in Android Auto itself. Also, using multiple phones is a hassle, even basic BT audio became a pain to use and there are many odd things that I have noticed that I don't want to get into now. My 10-year-old Figo is so much better in this regard, though it had no display or Android Auto. I can pair with multiple devices and the last device automatically reconnects.
2. Some buttons, like the passenger window controls, lack lighting, causing me to fumble for them in the dark.
3. Mileage

I purchased the following accessories from the dealer after studying the recommendations here:

• Mud guards
• Cover
• Cargo tray
• Step illumination
• Door handle protector
• Tailgate entry guard
• Dashcam

I purchased the dashcam even though I wasn't very satisfied. I had expected them to do hardwiring and even confirmed with them a few days ahead. However, right before the delivery, they said they couldn't hardwire it as the kit didn't come with any wiring. I asked if they could still do it with additional wiring, but they were doubtful about not voiding the warranty. If I had known that they would just plug it into the 12v adapter, I would have purchased something better online. However, I didn't have time to get one for my upcoming trip, so I decided to go ahead. It is a very basic device for the price paid and doesn't even have an emergency button to preserve the current clip.

I also opted for ceramic coating for 20k+GST, but I haven't noticed a significant difference in the paint appearance or feel. I will have to pay closer attention to the perceived benefits.

I also bought the below per an earlier recommendation on this thread:

• Floor mats (really nice!)
• Screen guard (yet to come)

The ACC feature shows promise, but I found it to be overly sensitive or pessimistic about the distance from the preceding vehicle and applying brakes too soon. When the vehicle is cleared, it accelerates too aggressively to reach the preset. I couldn't locate a specific setting to tweak the sensitivity, so I assume the "Preceding Vehicle Proximity Warning Distance" is also applicable here. This setting defaults to the middle value of "Normal", so I will try the lower "Near" value to see if it is to my liking.

In general, I feel ACC is most usable in light traffic only. In medium traffic, it can be used but will not be fuel-efficient and will be unusable in heavy traffic. The lane departure warning is helpful when it is on, but I'm not sure why it switches off sometimes. The auto-dimming on the rearview mirror worked well, but the auto-high beam seemed to lag behind. I can literally count the number of times it was switched on using my fingers and it never stayed on for more than 1 or 2 seconds.

Even if you discount the genuine reasons such as street lights, oncoming traffic and vehicle proximity, there were plenty of other opportunities where the high beam was desirable but it didn't turn on. Even when there was a solid plantation in the median, a little bit of light does leak through the gaps in the branches and leaves and that was enough to turn off the high beam. However, the high beam itself is very effective and I am satisfied with the horn as well. The collision warning activated a few times when there was nothing that I could notice, but it wasn't bothersome.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The highest fuel efficiency that I have seen so far on long drives is a commendable 22 km/l. Even with age, she can still surprise us with her performance.

BHPian AnnaRocks recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My Dearest Kids,

It's been two years since I last wrote to you about How I met your mother Catherine - our beloved Honda City. On the second anniversary, I feel it's time for a follow-up to our love story.

Just like any enduring love affair, our relationship with Catherine has continued to evolve, with each day bringing a new chapter to our saga. As the odometer edges closer to the 20,000-kilometer mark on the 2nd anniversary, let me paint a picture of how our lives together have unfolded.

Catherine has been a rock in my life, a partner who has never failed to impress. Much like a loving spouse, she understands my sedate driving style and offers me the gift of linear acceleration, always there when I need it with the paddle shifts occasionally coming into play while overtaking. Whether it's our family road trips, late-night drives, or daily commutes, Catherine has been the steadfast presence that holds it all together.

Catherine has not had any cosmetic changes during these 2 years. The changes done were detailed in the previous letter. The 7D mat, although of average quality, has served its purpose by complementing the beige interiors and keeping the dirt away. The dashcam installed has lived up to the usual Chinese standards, working occasionally and staying disconnected from the mobile app. For the most part, like a silent observer of our escapades, it used to faithfully record every moment of our travels.

But, as in any enduring relationship, quirks and peculiarities have made themselves known. In this love story, we've discovered that love can thrive even with quirks and imperfections. Catherine’s paint makeup has this uncanny ability to attract minor scratches. Much to my surprise, her build quality leaves a bit to be desired, unlike those Germans, Skoda and VW, who appear to be the epitome of perfection in build quality. The quality of some parts really appears substandard like these rubber beadings.

Catherine's infotainment screen, akin to an outdated playlist, leaves much to be desired. And her rear camera, well, let's just say it's like watching an old VHS tape in an age of 4K streaming.

On the outside, we've taken precautions to ensure Catherine's well-being, much like caring for your partner's safety. A 3M underbody coating serves as armor, protecting her from the perils of the road. It's like ensuring your loved one has the best possible protection as they navigate life's challenges.

Unlike some of her sisters, she has never made the usual rattling noises that many complain about. The NVH levels are a bit of a challenge, much like dealing with a noisy spouse who insists on recounting every detail of their day when all you want is some peace and quiet. It's a minor inconvenience, but one we've learned to manage. She is on the stock tyres which most probably will be given an upsizing when it is due. I sometimes feel it should have been done at the start itself.

The horn debate among family members was also never something I fully grasped, as I rarely used it, reserving it for communication mostly with bikers zig-zagging or sleeping in the 17 lanes they drove ahead of me. Even though my dream is to go totally honk-free someday, I know it is near impossible on our roads, not till they make road safety a mandatory subject in schools. I guess a few lawmakers rushing on our roads with multiple escort vehicles would have to be part of road accidents for any changes like that to happen.

Considerations about the ease of getting in and out of the car, especially for your grandparents, were always on my mind. The graceful act of ingress and egress could either be a charming dance or a comedy sketch gone awry for them, depending on the day.

The highest fuel economy Catherine's achieved so far on long drives is a commendable 22 kilometers per liter, much like a marathon runner hitting their stride on the scenic TN highways. It's proof that even with age, she can still surprise us with her performance. The usual average during drives on the Kerala roads is still in the 11-15 kmpl range depending upon the traffic.

One thing that's puzzled me in this journey is the obsession with audio systems. While some of my brother-in-laws appear to be on a mission to create the loudest orchestra on wheels by upgrading the sound system, I have embraced the quiet moments. I am happy with the music output which I feel is sufficient. Any louder music would just serve as a distraction during the drives.

Catherine has made all the timely visits to the beauty parlours for her maintenance, which mostly has been Vision Honda at Kochi. Although the service experience has been great at Vision, the paint job for a minor accident work was very shoddy with fingerprints and paint marks on panels.

The recent visit was just okayish as the SA aggressively tried to push additional services which wasn't the case earlier.

I once took her to Muthoot Kollam for a service where they did an overall disappointing job. I sometime wonder what some of these centres must be doing with the car and would really appreciate it if we could watch the service being done, at least on camera for transparency. I think some other car companies have introduced this feature.

Muthoot service centre guy checking the bumper quality of the car

But, my dear children, here's the essence of it all - our time-tested Catherine has been a "no headache" partner. She's been reliable, comfortable, and a steadfast part of our shared journey. Much like the devoted partner.

As life evolves, so do preferences. If we were making this choice today, the options available would be tempting. Catherine would still be a strong contender, but the allure of new companions on the road might turn our heads.

And speaking of age, like a loving partner who continues to grow, I'm at peace with the general issues that come with the territory. Before committing to her, I was well aware that Catherine's quirks and charms are all part of the package, a reminder that love isn't about perfection, but about embracing the journey together. As I write this letter, I am flooded with a deep appreciation for the reliability, comfort, and steadfast presence that our car brought into our family story.

So, here's to the car that's been a constant in our lives, the one that's been with us through thick and thin. Our Catherine may not be perfect, but she's our car, our partner in this enchanting dance of life. It's been 2 years now and every time I park the car for the day, I turn around and admire the beauty that she is. That, I think is never going to get old.

Love,

Dad

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Honda's aim with the e-MTB concept is to combine motorcycle and bicycle experience in a single product.

Honda could soon be entering the electric bicycle segment, after unveiling the e-MTB concept at the recently concluded Japan Mobility Show.

The new Honda e-MTB concept is the first-ever electric bicycle from the automaker. Unlike other concepts, the design of the new electric bicycle isn't far-fetched but rather looks almost 'production-ready'.

Reports suggest that the bicycle uses existing e-bike components, including a Brose mid-drive motor. This is said to have allowed Honda to focus more on the bicycle's appearance, while the mechanical components are borrowed from various established companies. This includes an SRAM EagleAXS drivetrain, hydraulic brakes from Shimano, front and rear suspension setup from Fox, RockShox Reverb dropper seat post, DT Swiss XM 1700 wheels, and Maxxis Minion DHF tyres.

Honda's aim with the e-MTB concept is to combine motorcycle and bicycle experience in a single product. The company explained, "The Honda e-MTB Concept expands the field of mobility in nature. Easily going uphill with electric assistance, this bike offers a new riding experience that combines the fun of motorcycles and fun of a mountain bike. It is being developed to enable anyone to enjoy riding mountainous trails more freely."

Source: Electrek

It was clear to me and my wife that we needed a sedan. I have nothing against a proper SUV, but the compact SUVs failed to impress me.

BHPian harikr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My Titan Grey Verna SX(O) IVT

Hello BHPians,

I got the delivery of my Verna SX(O) IVT, Titan Grey on Oct 12 from Kundan Hyundai, Pune. Let me give a brief on the buying decision and process.

Reason for purchase:

I was using a pre-owned 2014 Honda City SV CVT which had crossed 1.15 Lakhs km in August. The car had a perfect powertrain but was facing multiple issues with suspension, steering, starter motor etc. Had replaced the complete suspension setup in March from GoMechanic, Coimbatore (I was in Coimbatore for almost a year). They did a pathetic job and even after multiple visits to various garages, the issues were not resolved to my satisfaction.

Afterwards, I encountered a dog hit at ~90kmph on a one-weekend run to Kerala which destroyed the front end. Had to replace the radiator, front cross member, bumper, fog lamps etc. The insurance claim from Acko was a pain which demands another whole write up, which I will do in the insurance section. Repair took two weeks and the car was back on the road.

One month down the lane, my cousin took the car for a drive and rear-ended a Slavia. From outside, it seemed like the rear bumper of Slavia took most of the impact, the City had some damages too (broken ambient temperature sensor, slightly bent body panel etc). Coming to August 2023, one fine day the car began to refuse cranking even though the battery was charged. Got stuck on the road 2 times for almost half an hour. It was diagnosed that the key cylinder had some mechanical issue which prevented it from engaging the starter motor. Solution was to replace the complete key set. Initially thought of getting it done along with steering rack replacement (it was giving the cracking noise at times, once it got stuck at the left end position). But I was a little sceptical about spending again on a pre-owned car which was giving me one issue or the other every time I drive it for the past year. So, I finally made the decision to drop it and go for a new car.

It was clear to me and my wife that we needed a sedan. I have nothing against a proper SUV, but the compact SUVs failed to impress me. It is my opinion; everyone has their own. We needed a proper boot space, as we drive around a lot, and we are not light packers. I was happy with my Fiesta as well as City in the long drives. I have driven around a lot in my friend’s Ecosport, my sister-in-law’s Brezza, and my cousin’s Creta. All of them failed to connect with me. With the conditions already good or improving on most of the roads I frequently drive, I feel a sedan will be good for me.

Cars Considered:

Honda City:

I was in love with the no-nonsense ownership experience with Honda in general (other than the last 1 year when multiple accidents and my foolish decision to go with Go Mechanic at Coimbatore). Honda cars in general have good reliability too. Contacted Deccan Honda and Garve Honda in Pimpri. Deccan Honda was too slow in response. Took their sweet time to arrange a quote and a TD.

Garve Honda was prompt in their responses and arranged a test drive for the car. Liked the car in general, it was spacious, the drive was reasonably good, and almost like my old City. ADAS and a few other features were good additions. The tyres were too narrow, it was always the same with City. The ICE was pathetic. Cannot see properly on a sunny day due to its positioning and orientation, and it lacks the premium feel for a ~20 lakhs car. Still, the car was a strong contender in my list.

VW Virtus:

What a drive! The car was so nice to drive. Seating position was optimum, the drive felt so placed. But the interior plastics, what was VW thinking? I could see plastics like the one that was in my first family car M800 long back. Also, there were squeaks and rattles on a 3000 km run car. Never expected it from a VAG car. I was part of the VAG group for almost 6 years in my career. I know how well they monitor quality control in most parts of the world, but with India 2.0 they have adopted some new ways. Somehow the overall VAG feel didn’t come in the car. I felt that the servicing is still a hit or miss, especially if you go out of the major cities.

Skoda Slavia:

Took the quote, but never took a TD as the car was almost the same as Virtus. Servicing was again a hit or miss.

Hyundai Verna:

I was a little worried about the front look when I saw the pictures. But I liked it once I saw it in the flesh. It is futuristic and kind of grows on you. Drive was almost like City but liked Verna slightly more. TD was offered on a Turbo DCT which I didn’t want. I asked around all the dealerships in and around Pune for an IVT version for TD but couldn’t get one.

Garve Hyundai said that they would check if they could arrange a customer vehicle for TD. I was really surprised by this offering and said no. I cannot do that to another person as I hate someone doing it with me. Kundan Hyundai had a display car for IVT. Visited their showroom and liked the car in the first look.

The all-white interior (They call it beige, but it is whiter than beige) was a little concern as I have a 5-year-old kid who loves keeping his feet on the seat with his shoes on for most of the time. Took a TD in the DCT version. Man, what a drive. It really felt nice. I even considered going for it. But my driving style doesn’t need a DCT. And the DCT system in its various names, has always had a troubled history in India.

However, other aspects like Level 2 ADAS, Bind spot assist, powered driver seat (albeit powered height adjustment), a wonderful 10-inch display, ambient lights etc were really wonderful. Boss speakers failed to impress me, but still, it is better than others. The ADAS worked like a charm. The option for a 7-year extended warranty was a cherry on top. Front parking sensors are also good for such a long low-slung car.

Suzuki Ciaz:

Took a TD, but I didn’t like the car at all. It feels aged, and lacks most things offered by the competition. Only points in its favor are the lower price tag, and proven trouble-free ownership. But when you see five or six years down the lane, Ciaz will feel so outdated. Hence dropped it.

So, the true comparison was between City and Verna for me. Visit to the Honda dealership was a little sad. Other than the rush in front of the Elevate, City and Amaze were not calling for many visitors. Yeah, they are established models, however, the long-term existence of the company in India seemed troublesome for me. I will be excited if time proves me wrong as Honda builds some reliable machines.

With City selling nearly 2000, Amaze in 3000 plus, and Elevate in 5000 plus (being a new launch, this will stabilize shortly) total sales for Honda is less than 10000 units. I really wonder how they will manage in the long run. I have no experience in running a company, but I am sure Honda management has some plans for this. For me, it didn’t look very promising in the long run. Whereas Hyundai is selling north of 50,000 cars in a month.

While accepting that Verna sales is peanuts in comparison to Creta, Hyundai as a company is here to stay. Since I plan and hope to keep the car for a very long period, my preference was to go with Hyundai. Better ICE, better tyres, better ADAS, powered seats etc made me and my wife take the decision in favour of Hyundai. The GNCAP 5-star rating came as a bonus. I was expecting 4 stars or above considering the safety kit offered. And in the end, your driving and basic behaviour are a lot more important than these passive safety kits.

Booked the Titan Grey SX(O) IVT from Kundan Hyundai on 22nd September. There was some confusion on Titan Grey vs Starry Night, but finally went for Titan Grey. Paid the initial booking amount of Rs 25000. They didn’t have the vehicle in ready stock, but one was in order with Hyundai already. On 26th Oct the chassis number was allotted, and the car was in shipment the next day.

Finance was arranged by SBI. The processing was quick and easy. Only issue that I faced was that Kundan Hyundai gave a quotation for normal MH registration whereas we had asked for BH registration. We had to wait for almost 3 hours at the bank to get the quotation changed and the application entered again.

My old car was exchanged at Hyundai itself as they offered the best price considering the accident history. The car was supposed to reach the dealer yard on 29th September and loan disbursement was planned for 30th September after PDI. The SA at Kundan Hyundai was sharing the tracking details for the truck daily and on 28th September evening, it was clear that the vehicle was not reaching as committed due to some logistics issue.

SA was asking me to release the loan amount on 30th as the sale was planned for September and it will be a help for him to meet his target. I was sceptical about it, however released the loan on September 30 without seeing the vehicle or even confirming the month of manufacturing as I understand the pressure on these sales people to meet the targets (Hyundai VIN does not have a month of manufacturing. It is only on the vehicle as part of the chassis number as the 19th character).

But that was a mistake. The SA went ahead and got the insurance issued the next day without even the vehicle reaching the yard. I shared my concern with the team at Kundan Hyundai, they told me that the insurance discount offered to me was valid for September so they had to process it. I did not believe it but accepted it for then as I still had almost 40% payment with me.

Finally, the car arrived at their yard on 3rd October. Went for the PDI. It was a July 2023 manufactured car. I was expecting at least August manufactured one. Was a little worried, but a detailed PDI didn’t show any serious issues. ODO reading was 10 km. Tyres was third and fourth week of July manufactured. So, car assembly should be completed in the fourth week of July too (I am hoping).

Gave the go-ahead for registration and transferred the balance payment. Now comes the surprise. I was just going through the Hyundai website to see the extended warranty terms and conditions. I was surprised to see that the price offered by my SA was much much lesser than the amount quoted on their website for the 7-year/1lakh km package. I called the SA and asked him to check it and he informed me that he would check and revert. Got a call back in 30 minutes saying that whatever he quoted was correct and I could ignore the amount from the website. I told my wife that we need to keep more money ready to be transferred as the SA is wrong.

Just as I expected, the next day he called me apologizing that he made a mistake, the amount on the website was the right one and the Hyundai dealer system was not accepting the amount quoted for an extended warranty while doing the invoicing. I told him that I was ready to pay whatever you offered in writing, and I could not pay more. Then he was literally crying saying that he would have to pay for it from his pocket and his monthly salary would not match the difference amount.

I was actually ready to pay but was really surprised at his ignorance / irresponsibility in checking the amount even after I highlighted it. I asked him to drop me an email with all the details about extended warranty; how much is the actual amount, how much difference I need to pay, why the mistake happened etc. He accepted and disconnected the call. After 10 min he called again and said that he would give a 5k discount on the total extended warranty price if we close it now. I asked him to mail me all the details and then only I will make the payment. Got a mail from his team lead this time stating the amount (discounted by Rs 5000) to be paid for the warranty. I paid for it and closed the deal.

There were some hiccups on the Form 60 required for BH registration. The form given by the office did not have “Form 60” written on the top. So, RTO rejected it. All details were there as required, but the title was not there. Anyway, resubmitted the form and registration was done on 10th October.

Delivery Experience:

We wanted to take the delivery on a specific muhurat as per our beliefs. So reached the dealership a good 1 hour before the time. I had opted for 3M ceramic coating from Hyundai itself as the rate was matching with 3M outlets. Also had asked to add a spoiler. Payments for all these were made, completed the documentation. SA said that the car is in their delivery area downstairs in the basement. So, I went with him to check the car one more time. Family waited upstairs in the waiting area. Car was all shiny from the outside due the ceramic coating. Went on and opened the door and I was surprised and depressed.a

The white (or beige) area on the dashboard was completely dirty with black fingerprints. Same was the case with the centre armrest. Driver and co-driver seats plastic coverings were half removed on the bottom part, there were dirt marks there as well. Floor was covered with muddy foot marks. Windscreens had finger marks. It was such a sad feeling. I scolded the SA. I said that I was not taking the delivery of this vehicle. Again, he was apologizing (third apology from him). He called the 3M team inhouse and asked them to rectify it. 3 people were put on the job, and they did a great job. All the dirt was removed, white dashboard became white again. Floor area was thoroughly brushed and cleaned. They checked every point in detail now and did a proper job.

Finally, the muhurat arrived and took the delivery of the grey beauty together with the family. Service advisor was introduced to and he explained the features and settings. While showing the wiper functions, it was observed that there was no water in the washer fluid reservoir, which was immediately filled with plain water. Rest all things were working well including the front crash detection.

Car was not moving forward as the flower garland in the front was being detected as an obstacle ahead. So had to arrange its height and took the car out. Bluelink was not getting activated as the sales information was not updated yet in the Hyundai server. SA said that he would follow up with the team and get it closed soon. Pleasant surprise was that the car had more than 50% fuel in it. I did see some technician filling it up after the cleaning from a large can. I assumed it was some minimum fuel they were filling. Then SA said that by mistake they added fuel that was planned for their TD vehicle, and they are not removing it now. I was ok with that.

Few pics of the delivery:

All set for delivery

The congratulations card could have been smaller. Can't see the car.

Bluelink was activated 3 days after delivery. However, the validity of the 3-year subscription starts from the date of delivery.

The irritating "Children crossing" warning was disabled the next day. It was not part of the ADAS but was part of the navigation maps.

Took the car for a weekend drive to Lavasa. It feels so thrilling to drive. ADAS is functioning as expected. Did not face too much interrupting. Handled well on the curves and the NA engine with IVT was also good to drive. Paddle shifters do respond well to upshifts. A minor lag is observed in downshifts which is inherent to CVTs. As expected, the white interior is going to be a pain to maintain, but car cleaning is therapeutic for me. So, I am ok with it.

Since Verna is still not seen in large numbers, people do turn around to look at the car.

A pic from the Lavasa trip

Waiting for running in for 1000-1200 km to take her on a proper highway run as well. I took her on a short drive to Lonavla via the express highway. Didn't rev up the engine too much and didn't keep the engine running at constant rpm for long. I got around 18 km/l efficiency. Lavasa drive gave me 10km/l. Both are values from the cluster and not measured properly. Will update once the running-in is completed.

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So far, I haven't felt any inconvenience using the ADAS features in Bengaluru traffic.

BHPian nreddy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My experience of shifting from a 2009 Hyundai i10 1.2 Sportz to a Honda Elevate ZX CVT

The first reason for looking for a new car was to get free from the clutch hold/release hassle in the city traffic.

Upgrade points

1. Definitely, the ease of driving is there in the traffic with the CVT. Auto-hold is not there in Elevate; so just releasing the brake, moves the car forward gently, without the need for pressing the accelerator. This feels effortless.
2. Hill-hold is there in Elevate; no button needs to be pressed, it seems to just detect the minor slopes and doesn't roll back for some time even though the brake is released.
3. i10 has very good acceleration in 3rd and 4th gears, capable of overtaking any truck on the highways easily. Elevate also overtakes good in the Drive mode. Not much difference when compared with i10. Elevate doesn't seem to be much of an upgrade in this regard. Maybe I have yet to experiment with the sports mode and paddle shifters more. (As of now only 367 km driven in 14 days). And I didn't experience the much talked about "rubber band effect" till now, it drives smooth for me.
4. Went to Nandi Hills during the previous weekend with 4 adults and 3 kids onboard; it was slow-moving heavy traffic during the uphill encountering oncoming vehicles at each turn. That journey was super effortless with Elevate CVT when compared to the i10, where we had to switch off the AC during the steep uphill and use all the expertise with the clutch, brake and accelerator. This situation showcased the difference of power between the 2 cars clearly to us.
5. ADAS: Just checked if the things are working: Lane keep assist is working at above 72 kmph. Adaptive cruise control is working well but disengages below 30kmph. Collision Mitigation braking system gives a warning while getting too close to a completely stopped vehicle, but does not give a warning if the front vehicle is slowly moving and if we approach it fast; didn't dare to go too close to check if the emergency brake really works after the warning. And it seems to be not recognising the bikes as a vehicle in front in the traffic. I didn't feel any inconvenience with ADAS features in Bengaluru traffic as a few people have mentioned that ADAS features are intrusive to the driving experience in Indian road conditions. If we press the brake a little while approaching the front vehicle fast, I think it's understanding that we are in control and not activating the automatic braking; if we are approaching the front vehicle fast without touching the brake, then it's activated and displayed the warning and the alerting sound.
6. I don't remember whether my i10 has 2 airbags or none, so having 6 airbags is an upgrade; hope we will never use them.
7. i10 has sufficient boot space for us now, so it would take some years to say Elevate has just enough boot space.
8. The width may be a half foot extra but it doesn't feel much of an issue during the driving; the length being 2 extra feet, no issues during the straight line driving but takes some time to adapt to the big car in tight/narrow lane turns. The driving position and looking around during the driving requires many adjustments. To say exaggeratedly, Elevate feels like a tank with technology and controls inside to look around, while i10 feels like a bike (now after adapting to Elevate) to look around with windows down & to navigate through narrow lanes.
9. Reliability - the Hyundai i10 never had a breakdown on the road till now and wear & tear parts replacement also never felt heavy on the pocket. Bought the Elevate believing that Honda is even more reliable based on the popular opinions from the reviewers.
10. Brand reputation - There are some companies like Infosys, Shell, etc, which drive the values system from the top management to the on-field employees and work heavily on maintaining their brand reputation. I thought Honda was also in the same league before booking the Elevate. But I didn't come across any experience that differentiates Honda from any other car brand till now, every thing is very ordinary and got the feeling that customers shouldn't blindly trust the brand name and need to be alert like anywhere else.
11. Service - To compare, no issues with the Hyundai service at all and some very good experiences as well; yet to go for the first service with Honda.
12. Missing features - Elevate has a lot of features missing when compared to other competing cars in its segment. But I don't care much about all those features. The really missing feature for me is the "Walk away Auto lock along with Windows and Sunroof close", which is available in Honda City. But in Elevate, only the "Walk away Auto lock" works, the windows and sunroof don't get closed automatically.

Overall, I can say that I am happy with this purchase till now.

Here's what BHPian Chrome6Boy had to say about the matter:

Great unbiased review, and also a good perspective for people looking to go up a couple of segments! My comment below is about your comparison of the acceleration between the i10 1.2 manual and the Elevate 1.5 CVT.

I think people should clearly understand that despite a decent engine, the CVT will hamper the initial acceleration. While this won't make any difference in the city, it will drastically reduce the "fun" factor on the highways.

I think most people buy an automatic because it changes the gears for you. But to have to fiddle around with the gearbox when we need to overtake on the highway is less than ideal, and for inexperienced highway drivers even dangerous.

Most of us spend most of our time in the city so this is not really a deal breaker and I understand some people like to change gears manually on the highway and use the smooth CVT in the city.

If you can make do with a manual transmission, this car is a good proposition. The manual will be a good upgrade over the i10's performance too.

Here's what BHPian CentreOfGravity had to say about the matter:

Congratulations on the new steed!

The Honda City doesn't close the windows and sunroof automatically, they close only when you press and hold the lock / unlock button on the key.

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