[GoBabyGo]

I don't think it will be easy for Honda to price it competitive. Some ex-showroom Delhi price of competition vs their sedan offering.

In my view Honda is going Maruti way in interior quality and sheet metal. The only hope we have is Elevate price will be out in July and hopefully by that time Hyundai & gang will increase their SUV prices close to 20k to 40k.

Nothing against Honda India, but they consistently break Indians expectation from them in technology, innovation & product quality.

[W.A.G.7]

While it may be a good car from certain aspects, I am a bit disappointed. I had expected a more powerful engine than the one in the Honda City. This will sell in the market because it feels like it will satisfy the buying conditions of most car buyers. But I still have a gut feeling - they will price it to bomb it and make it dead on arrival! I was excited about this launch because I was planning to replace my Ecosport with this one, but after seeing this car in pictures; I think I am better off holding on to my Ecosport for 5 more years. After all, they don't make cars like the Ecosport anymore!

[SinghShu]

While this may be a good car, Honda is definitely late to the party and brings nothing to the table to disrupt Hyundai/Kia strong hold in this segment. With Kushaq and Taigun, at least there is security and fun to drive aspect, not sure what is the USP for this Honda!

[WhiteKnight]

Good looking car. Honda being late, used the best bits from everyone else's design. Call it late mover advantage.

• Profile, front seems inspired by Nissan Magnite.
• Rear, especially tail light design is Taigun. Of course, similar tail lamp design was in the vogue during the '80s.
• Wheel well- Jeep compass
• Dashboard layout, theme- inspired from Jeep Compass. Of course, Suzuki took inspiration from Jeep Compass on the two points too.

Now, Not using the learning here?

• Puny sunroof- worried about structural integrity?
• Engine- I would admit this- I was a Honda fan boy during the early days of TBhp, where we used to have pages over pages of Honda City Vs Fiat Vs Suzuki Baleno. That was two decades before and a lot has happened since. The 1.5 is not up there with the latest engines from rivals.
• Size- Looks like one size fits two segments. It looks smaller than the Korean twins, Creta and Seltos. That will put Elevate into a confused positioning.
  

What needs to be seen:
Suspension setup: More than handling, I'd be keen to see whether Honda is able to give a robust, ready to take on rough, suspension setting. Haven't see such a setup in any Honda cars in India. If Elevate is going cringe on rough roads, it would be a big let down.
Pricing: Waiting for the same.

[Newtown]

To me the Elevate looks like a vehicle made from the parts bin of Maruti, Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan, MG, Skoda and Volkswagen. What an opportunity and somehow the output does not appeal much to me personally.

The brand recall of a Honda and its reliability, while hanging by a thread, is still prevalent in our market. I see it eating into the numbers of the Creta & Seltos.

[84.monsoon]

What is with the massive ground clearance of the Elevate? For reference, the Mahindra Thar has a GC of 226 mm, the Fortuner is at 223 mm and the Ford Endeavour is 225mm.

So, the Elevate is close to these true blue SUVs. It is way higher than ScorpioN, leave alone mid-size and full-size pseudo SUVs like the XUV700, Creta and Seltos.

This is more than what is necessary and on the flip side, will adversely affect ride and handling, fuel efficiency (due to poor aerodynamics) and acceleration.

[Arwin07]

As a happy owner of Honda Jazz, Elevate looks like a logical upgrade down the line.
What I am waiting to see is whether Elevate will score 5 stars unlike City/Jazz.
What platform is Elevate based on? City or Amaze or a new platform?

[PreludeSH]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

What is with the massive ground clearance of the Elevate? For reference, the Mahindra Thar has a GC of 226 mm, the Fortuner is at 223 mm and the Ford Endeavour is 225mm.

So, the Elevate is close to these true blue SUVs. It is way higher than ScorpioN, leave alone mid-size and full-size pseudo SUVs like the XUV700, Creta and Seltos.

This is more than what is necessary and on the flip side, will adversely affect ride and handling, fuel efficiency (due to poor aerodynamics) and acceleration.

Guess that is why its called Elevate ?
But looking at the pictures, it doesn't seem that high. I wouldn't worry about aerodynamics since they would have tested it at max speed limit. If Mahindras etc are not flying at their insane speeds they are driven, this wouldn't.

[Astargea]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

What is with the massive ground clearance of the Elevate? For reference, the Mahindra Thar has a GC of 226 mm, the Fortuner is at 223 mm and the Ford Endeavour is 225mm.

So, the Elevate is close to these true blue SUVs. It is way higher than ScorpioN, leave alone mid-size and full-size pseudo SUVs like the XUV700, Creta and Seltos.

This is more than what is necessary and on the flip side, will adversely affect ride and handling, fuel efficiency (due to poor aerodynamics) and acceleration.

Remember that GC is not the distance from the ground to the side rocker panel, it's to the lowest point of the car other than the wheels. On body-on-frame SUVs, the lowest point is usually the rear differential which hangs low.

Compared to other brands, Honda has done an amazing job at arranging the underside of their recent SUVs, especially the ones that are FWD-only. The same 220 mm ground clearance is also seen on the ASEAN market BR-V and WR-V, exceeding their rivals.

[ketan007]

I eagerly awaited this launch as I am in the market, hunting for my next car. After watching the whole session, I think this car suits most of my requirements. I want a decent family car with lots of space and reliable service. Also, I need a vehicle with high ground clearance. Features like a panoramic sunroof, ventilated seats, and 360-degree camera are indeed good to have but not a deal breaker. The only thing that disappoints me is bookings and late deliveries.

[Arun_S]

As a recent Honda City Owner, might sound selfish, was praying Honda launch some car so that it stays in market.

With Elevate, Honda Management would be more than happy if they are able to sell around 2-2.5k/month.

Their main USP might be immediate availability which some people might prefer.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by GTO

Not offering the hybrid is inexplicable. When you are carrying a loaded gun in your arsenal, why the heck won't you take it out and fire? The Koreans offer more powerful turbo-petrols, the Koreans & Indians have turbo-diesels, Maruti-Toyota have hybrids with unbelievable FE...and Honda still believes its 1.5L NA motor is the best thing since sliced bread. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the 1.5L Vtec motor & relish revving it to 7000 rpm. But why there isn't a hybrid on offer from the City Hybrid (and a turbo-petrol) is perplexing. This is Honda being lazy & complacent.

Originally Posted by HartBandit

All the people talking about Hybrids -

1. Look at what percentage of Grand Vitara/HyRyder sales are Hybrid. You don't think Honda will have an idea of how many get sold?

2. Look at the price delta between the City and the City e:NEV. That sort of a difference in price for the Elevate Hybrid wouldn't have made sense since it would not have been comparable to the GV/Hy Hybrids, so it would be dead on arrival.

It is squarely aimed at the Family audience, the more matured car buyer. People seem to forget that enthusiasts make up for a microscopic fraction of the car-buying crowd. Most people want a comfortable, reliable, well-built, feature-laden car which is (I am hoping) safe - and this has all of them.

Indians love SUVs - great ground clearance (this is class-leading), strong road presence (that massive grille) and butch appearance. Indians also love chrome so you see generous sprinkling of it everywhere. And as much as people crib about a panoramic sunroof, anywhere apart from the hills or Bengaluru, that will be a bane rather than a boon.

Honda has done its research well, and has given the majority of people exactly what they want. Just that you and I are not those people.

Great debate here! I tend to agree with Honda at the moment in shelving the hybrid motor. They very well know the proportion of buyers who go for the City Hybrid, and would have postponed the launch of the Hybrid accordingly.

The key factor deciding the success of the Elevate is going to be the PRICING. Simultaneous launch of the Elevate Hybrid would stretch the price range, giving the perception of an expensive SUV to the average buyer. The enthusiast with the fat wallet will need to wait for a bit - Honda definitely will launch the Hybrid soon.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

The current Honda City Automatic gives a mileage of 7-8 in city drving and 12-13 on highways. It is quite a gas guzzler and is expensive to run for anyone who is covering more than 30 kms a day.

Beg to differ with the mentioned FE figures. I use a City CVT and easily manage highway FE figures of 17-18 kmpl. Shave 1-2 kmpl max off those figures to estimate the Elevate's FE numbers.

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by Aditya

And red. Notice that most of the vents of the upper portion of the grille are closed. Bumper gets an air dam and a silver skid plate:
Attachment 2460600

80% of the grille is closed. Much more than latest Hyundai "SUV"s. All that 'imposing bonnet height' is pointless, really. From an engg perspective, could have saved a lot of drag, by giving an 'honest' bonnet height. Shows that today's car design is too much skewered towards form, in the form v/s function tug of war.

[SeniorC]

A bit disappointed with Honda with Elevate. The competition with established vehicles in this segment is tough. Both Hyundai and Kia are coming up with facelifted versions of Creta and Seltos which will be feature overloaded. Besides VAG twins, Maruti and Toyota have a strong presence now with fresh models.

While Honda Elevate will do everything right, other than the brand value, it has few distinguishing features to stand out from the crowd. Honda would need to price it competitively to have some semblance of sustained offtake, after the initial excitement.

[RaghuVis]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Great debate here! I tend to agree with Honda at the moment in shelving the hybrid motor. They very well know the proportion of buyers who go for the City Hybrid, and would have postponed the launch of the Hybrid accordingly.

This logic is flawed. Honda charged an unrealistic super-premium for the Hybrid version of City which kept customers away. If they take that as the customer response for the hybrid models in India, then may god help them. Just look at the waiting period for the Toyota Hybrid.

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

The enthusiast with the fat wallet will need to wait for a bit - Honda definitely will launch the Hybrid soon.

If Honda thinks enthusiasts will run towards them with a fat check to buy a Hybrid SUV, then they are daydreaming. As a sedan, City is indeed a great package, but the only reason Honda City is selling well and is a segment leader is because there is no Kia Sedan and MSIL's sudden SUV love has made them forget the Ciaz. I Hope Honda realizes that they have not a had a blockbuster car since City decades ago.