Cars

Honda Elevate SUV hopes to elevate its occupants

By Sagar

Posted on June 6, 2023

This Honda Elevates you. Literal or otherwise.

Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) has taken the wraps off the Elevate SUV—which is expected to be sold in other markets as well following its launch in India. The company also said that a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) based on this SUV is planned to be launched in India within 3 years.

The design of the Honda Elevate is.. I would say clean and simple, when you compare it with new Hyundai designs, for example. The headlight placement is traditional as opposed to the bumper placement seen in SUVs lately. It is almost as if the design team is trying to target both young and old buyers with a neutral design language. But anyway, key exterior features include a two-tone paint job, dual-pod LED headlights, LED taillight signatures, and 17-inch Diamond-cut alloy wheels.

The Elevate has been developed by Honda R&D Asia Pacific center located in Thailand with inputs from the folks at the R&D center in India. The crossover measures 4,312 mm long, 1,790 mm wide and 1,650 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,650 mm. Which means, it’s not a sub-4 meter SUV, and you can expect a package that is similar to (or better than) the Creta-Seltos duo. The ground clearance of 220 mm is claimed to be the highest in its segment, which should help tremendously on water-logged and/or battered Indian roads. Boot space is claimed to be 458 litres.

On the inside too, things have been kept relatively simple; I mean, there are no crazy curves and swooshes. Key highlights include a 10.25-inch central touchscreen with Optical Clear Adhesive (OCA) for high contrast and visibility; a 7-inch MID; a wireless smartphone charger; smartphone connectivity via wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Weblink, Bluetooth and USB; electric sunroof with one-touch operation and pinch guard, and rear AC vents.

#HondaElevate pic.twitter.com/Sd3YAvN2uG

— Sagar (@autodevot) June 6, 2023

In addition to passive safety such as 6 airbags, the Elevate also boasts the Honda Sensing suite of active safety and driver assistance systems—which include Collision Mitigation Braking System; Adaptive Cruise Control; Road Departure Mitigation; Lane Keeping Assist System; Lead Car Departure Notification system, and Auto High-Beam.

Moving on to the juicy bits of the story then, the Elevate SUV is powered by a 1.5-litre (1,498 cc) 4-cylinder petrol engine that offers 89 kW (121 metric hp) and 145 Nm (107 lb-ft) of torque. The engine can be coupled with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a CVT.