It took an unusually long time for our road test example of the Honda Elevate 1.5 CVT with one of the reasons being the fact the company sold the car originally scheduled meaning, although monthly sales of the SUV are currently around 60, it is picking up in popularity.
Perhaps not all that surprising considering it is a neat package, spacious, practical and priced – at R430 800 – into a grouping with the likes of Mitsubishi ASX 2.0 ES auto (R429 990), Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0TSI 70kW Comfortline R-Line (R430 100) and Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX auto (R436 900).
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The Elevate made its world debut in June 2023 and was developed by Honda R&D Asia Pacific and is manufactured by Honda Cars India Limited under the concept of ‘Urban Freestyler’.
The exterior of the Elevate has a fairly square body design, generous dimensions, and an assertively wide stance. It measures 4 312 mm in length, 1 790 mm in width and 1 650mm in height and stands on 17-inch wheels in the Elegance version we tested. The Elevate’s dimensions and 199 mm ground clearance make it a comfortable ride, even with five adults on board. Rear leg space is ample and rear air vents are a welcome feature.
It has LED lighting all around, with front fog lights and automatic headlights.
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Inside, the Elevate has a spacious and premium SUV feel, with high-quality fabrics – eco-friendly leather upholstery – and soft-touch materials. The dashboard has a modern, minimalist design and is equipped with a host of comfort and convenience features, including automatic air-conditioning, smart keyless entry with walk-away locking, rear parking sensors and a multi-angle reverse parking camera.
The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the Elegance model also includes a wireless smartphone charger and a 7-inch TFT multi-information display.
Safety includes front, side and side-curtain SRS crash bags.
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The Elevate is built on the same platform as the Honda Ballade and is powered by Honda’s 1,5-litre DOHC i-VTEC petrol engine. This engine delivers 89 kW at 6 600 r/min and 145 Nm of torque at 4 300 r/min, driving through a CVT gearbox.
While there is plenty to really like about the appearance, comfort, specifications, handling and overall demeanour of the Elevate, the CVT is whiny, noisy and eternally hunting to find the right slot. Other automakers offering CVT options seem to have made great strides in improving the feel and operation of their units but this one just does not make the cut.
That said, it will still propel the Elevate along at highway speeds and more and makes light work of the morning and evening traffic queues. I would suspect a good few owners buying this car for all its practical attributes would forego fuel economy and run it in Sport mode just to get a better definition of the gear selections.
During our test we averaged 7,3 l/100 km but a lower figure should be achievable with a gentler right foot. While the 1,5-litre engine might feel underpowered when fully loaded, the overall ride quality is excellent, especially around town.
With luggage space of 459 litres with all the seats in place it is better than its immediate rivals. This rises to 1 259 litres with the rear seats folded flat. Either way, it is suitable for the annual family holiday luggage or swallowing a large amount of ‘stuff’ that needs to moved.
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I am personally not a great fan of the sunroof but the Elegance has one fitted as standard to go with the large glass areas around the vehicle that make it ideal for scenic outings and game viewing drives.
Honda has always designed and built cars that are nicely settled on the road and behave in an entirely predictable manner even when being dealt with quite vigorously, and the Elevate is no exception to this despite its tallish stance.
True, there is some front-end push but this is easily managed on the throttle (and there are paddle-shifters for the seriously energetic drivers). The steering is light without being vague and the Elevate is happy to go exactly where it is pointed.
Since its local launch the price has gone up quite a lot but, if Honda can manage this, the Elevate makes a good option and is a serious contender in that mid-size SUV segment.
Colin Windell
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