We all know what a brand like Honda can do in whatever Automotive market it steps. But, Since past few years, Honda was literally losing almost every other car it had in its line up. And ultimately the condition went so bad that a brand like Honda Motors, so reliable, so trusted, and so much better than its rivals, had just 2 cars on sale in India. All there was left in Honda’s India line up was the City and the Amaze.

But, recently Honda again rose up and unveiled its all new SUV, the Honda Elevate. This SUV’s unveiling event was the most anticipated, as Honda clearly stated that the Elevate has been made for India. And In fact it is! The Honda Elevate is an all new SUV from the Japanese brand and it will be launched in India first and later globally.

Though during the unveiling event Honda just shared the Mechanical & Technological details of the Elevate and not the Price or the Launch date. But, recently Honda has officially released the launch date of the Elevate, and it is 4th September 2023. 

On 4th September 2023, Honda will be launching the Elevate and also be disclosing the price bracket it would lie in. Which tells us that a total of 14 days (as of 21 August 2023)  are remaining for the Japanese SUV to go head on with its rivals.

I know, we already have learnt a lot about the Elevate, thanks to the media reviews. But, let us know more about this SUV, by discussing it in a format of questions.

Who are the competitors of the Honda Elevate?

The Honda Elevate lies into the C-1 segment or the Midsize SUV segment of cars. So, it will rival with the likes of -

• Hyundai Creta 

• Kia Seltos

• Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

• Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

• Skoda Kushaq

• Volkswagen Taigun

Who dominates the Midsize SUV segment?

To talk in detail, this segment is dominantly ruled by Hyundai’s Creta. And it is very evident for it to be on top, as it carries some practical and logical packages in all of its variants. It overall results into a good buy for the consumers. Adding more to it, Hyundai has also commenced the testing phase of the 2024 Creta, which is presumed to be more brutal in terms of giving competition.

Can the Honda Elevate beat the Hyundai Creta?

If you think that the Honda Elevate will have a nightmare being in this segment, then you are wrong till some extent! Because, before Honda brought in the Elevate, it was selling the City. And the City being a sedan was actually doing, and still is doing great in terms of sales. So, the Elevate ultimately being based on the City, we expect it to do pretty good in terms of sales too, as people don’t buy Honda’s just for features, they buy it for its reliability.

Will the Honda Elevate be reliable?

Well, we will have to wait for the future to prove it. But, if I were to give my opinion, then I would say yes! Let me explain why. As said, the Honda Elevate is based on the sedan Honda City and we all know why people still love the City, the premium cabin experience, the smooth drive, decent but a very useful bag of features, and at last, we cannot forget that it runs on the epitome of reliable engines. Yes, the 1.5 L I-Vtec engine which is going to be used in the Elevate as well, it is also the most reliable engine you could buy in India today, and all this is being spoken of by my own experience. 

I have been driving a 2010 Honda City which runs on the same 1.5 L I-Vtec engine and man-o-man, that engine still drives like a gem. It is so smooth that sometimes you will not even know that it is actually on and more to it, it is still so punchy that I just love driving it. 

Therefore, we can strongly presume that the Honda Elevate could also be a great reliable car from Honda.

When will the Honda Elevate Hybrid launch?

If you think that you could get to buy a Hybrid version of the Elevate like in the sedan City, then from Honda it is a hard no! Because Honda has clearly put their statements on the table that they will not be launching a Hybrid variant of the Elevate like they did in the Honda City. Instead, they have proposed their other plan for the Elevate to us that they will be launching an electrified version of it very soon, most likely till 2025.

How many Variants & Features will the Honda Elevate get?

Honda Elevate is to be launched in a total of 4 variants. All the information regarding its Key Features as per every variant has been shown in the tables below.

What will be the price of Honda Elevate?

Unfortunately, we are not yet told the price bracket where the Elevate would sit. But, we expect it to stay somewhere between ₹12 - 17 lakhs, as it could bring a convincing thought in a buyer’s mind. Anything more than ₹12 lakhs would definitely sway away all the consumers from the Elevate. Though we expect Honda to price it well, as they have already done it with their sedan City, it provides a great package within every variant of it in terms of price.

By the way, you can also book it now with a token amount of ₹25,000.

What is the Mileage of Honda Elevate?

This being the most asked and most valued question, I purposely kept it for the end. The Honda Elevate will deliver a mileage between 12 - 15 Km/L. I know, it is comparatively less, but it is explainable - Honda Elevate runs on the same 1.5 L I-Vtec engine used in the City, and the Elevate being a big and heavy car, it is very obvious that it would need a slightly bigger engine to put out good efficiency numbers.

And secondly, it also depends on the driving style, where the efficiency number which I just told you is shared by other Auto journalists, who have driven the Elevate in almost every kind of manner you would imagine. So, this contains rough, smooth, and average drives which affects the mileage of the car, plus, they also have to keep the car ON in a still position for long due to filming reasons which further affects the average of the car.

Hence, the point I want to prove here is that the Elevate’s mileage could be increased and could be taken above 15 Km/L as well.