[sajivkk]

Hi All, I have last week purchased City ZX CVT, Blue. I currently own a Isuzu Vcross, just sold my darling Civic (india original). I had a similar dilemma when I was choosing cars that I would primarily use within the city, needed automatic to deal with Delhi NCR traffic. Following are options I considered:

Elevate: I did not like the color combination in person, I loved it in pictures and reviews but in person it just did not feel good to me.

Creta: I did not like the current Create styling. Think Hyundai will bring a radically different design, hopefully like current Tucson, which will make the current Creta look aged very soon. The last gen Creta design was safe but was not odd-ball.

Kia Seltos: I hated the ride, I asked the dealership guy whether the tyre pressure was at extreme.

XUV: It offers a perceived quality factor that very few cars do at that price range. But since I own a Vcross getting another large car that was not a 4x4 was not something I thought was practical. Also, very important since I was planning for a Petrol Automatic, XUV 700 city mileage is a joke. I have heard really bad numbers from known.

VW / Skoda: Lets just say I will never again but a german car. From my experience only German car perceived quality attention is the main aspect they focus upon.

City: Tried City earlier, then again saw City when I went to see Elevate. Lets just say I loved the interior room, the good feel factor in it. NA engine is old tech, but there is just something with a Honda iVtec engine, just rev. I love the reliability of Honda cars and frankly the ADAS features available at this price point is really something that everyone should experience for that price point. Bought it. I think it is a great purchase, the car drives like a dream on delhi road, adas worked great on the weekend trip on expressways. great fuel economy, good feel good factor.

[xja1]

It seems that Honda's value-for-money proposition that they had with the 2023 City facelift is missing in the Elevate. Looking at the feature distribution across similar variants suggests that the City might be offering more bang for your buck. Also, there's a minimal difference in the prices of the City and Elevate - especially in the higher variants.

Here's a brief overview of the feature differences / omissions that I felt were significant across variants (this is not an exhaustive list) -



Source: Honda's sales brochures accessed on 25-Sep-2023. Prices considered are ex-showroom Bangalore for Petrol MT variants.

[rajshenoy]

Voted for Honda City as it offers a better overall package at a cheaper cost(Especially since the dealers are offering discounts on city)

Elevate was much needed boost for otherwise sleeping Honda to bring more customers to their dealerships and translate into better sales figures. While elevate does make a strong case for those looking for simple NA petrol + cvt at a competitive price, Honda have cut corners too. I am not keen on owning one so I am yet to have a test drive but if I were to go by those who have, Elevate does offer the same typical Honda handling characteristics.

If we ignore the top end ZX of elevate, Honda City is a better package when it comes to V or VX variants. ADAS is offered and so is basic feature such as cruise control. So apart from the "bigger" ground clearance, touch screen and tyres(compared to city skinny ones) there is nothing much to talk about here.

Honda City might be cheaper by a lakh or more(hence VFM) but I am afraid it will fade away in the current pseudo SUV craze and the elevate owners might recover that extra 1 lakh easily during resale. I would still be 50-50 for the top end ZX variants though !!

[needforspeed88]

City is a slick choice for an "ideal" city without speed breakers while Elevate would be the one to own in a speed breaker city like Namma Bengaluru. Honda has to "ELEVATE" the City a tad for it to make sense here.

[haridsv]

Originally Posted by theturbogirl

Elevate and City belong to different segments and cater to distinct customer preferences. Comparing them would be akin to comparing apples and oranges. I think apart from the fact that each car has its unique features, each type of car caters to a specific set of requirements and expectations.

A discerning customer, looking at Elevate, typically considers other cars within that SUV segment, such as Creta, Taigun, Seltos. Similarly, a potential City buyer would likely be comparing it with cars like Verna, Slavia, or Virtus, which fall within the sedan category.

I am not sure if a customer with Elevate requirements would take City home and vice versa. Even if requirements are shifted, in my view this will be fractional (reasonable customer assumption, which may deviate fractionally).

So Elevate v City is akin to comparison of Creta-Verna or Taigun-Virtus or Ciaz-Brezza. Question is have we done that before?

Call me an exception but I am actually torn between City ZX CVT vs Elevate ZX CVT. I am leaning towards City while my family members are strongly in favor of Elevate as they want the SUV form factor. I am leaning towards City because of the following reasons:
- better mileage, especially in the city
- better stability
- better space and safety for 5th passenger
- well established and proven
- headlights auto-off timer, follow-me-home & lead-me-to-car functions (not mentioned in Elevate brochure)

The reason I can't make up my mind is because of the following +ves on Elevate:
- more ground clearance and better handling on bad roads
- better driving visibility (SUV form factor)
- 10" infotainment touch screen vs 8" outdated (non-touch?) screen
- led projector headlights
- like the tan coloured interior (didn't really like the beige colored interior in City)

I am looking for inputs to weigh these points and help me make better decision.

[MotorDev]

Originally Posted by haridsv

I am actually torn between City ZX CVT vs Elevate ZX CVT. I am leaning towards City while my family members are strongly in favor of Elevate as they want the SUV form factor.

If you prefer extra boot space and sedan-like seating position over an SUV, the City is a great choice. It offers a more premium experience compared to the Elevate. If ground clearance is crucial for you, then consider the Elevate, although it doesn't seem to offer significant advantages over the City. Ultimately, choose the one you like the most, especially considering you'll be the one driving it most of the time. Your personal preference and comfort matter the most in this decision.

[haridsv]

Originally Posted by haridsv

- headlights auto-off timer, follow-me-home & lead-me-to-car functions (not mentioned in Elevate brochure)

I asked Honda sales guy about this and initially he too weren't sure but after talking to his team members, he called me back and said that the head auto-off timer does exist (same as follow-me-home) but not sure about the lead-me-to-car function and said it probably is not there.

I then did my own research by opening the owner's manuals for City and Elevate. Surprisingly, I couldn't find any references to "follow-me-home & lead-me-to-car" in City manual, so apparently this is just marketing speak. If you search for the keywords "timer" and "dark", you would find the below two references, which apparently are describing these features (from City manual):

The headlights, all other exterior lights, and the instrument panel lights turn off 15 seconds after you set the power mode to VEHICLE OFF (LOCK), take the remote with you, and close the driver’s door.

You can change the headlight auto off timer setting.

The headlights come on when you unlock a door in dark areas with the headlight switch in AUTO.
Once you lock the door, the headlights will go off.

When I looked for these in Elevate manual, the wording is almost entirely identical, so I can conclude with confidence that there is no difference in this safety feature offered by both City and Elevate, though not sure why they would exclude this from the brochure and cause confusion.

[haridsv]

Both models have rear AC vents for passenger comfort.

One difference to call out here is that City has 2 USB charging ports while Elevate doesn't. I have attached screenshots from brochure.

[haridsv]

Another difference is in the rear ventilation. City has a vents in the ceiling along with reading lights that can be adjusted on the other hand Elevate just has a regular single cabin light. See the screenshots.

[haridsv]

Originally Posted by haridsv

One difference to call out here is that City has 2 USB charging ports while Elevate doesn't.

However, Elevate has a 12V adapter below the vents which can be converted to a dual socket USB charging adapter.

[haridsv]

Originally Posted by haridsv

Another difference is in the rear ventilation. City has a vents in the ceiling along with reading lights that can be adjusted on the other hand Elevate just has a regular single cabin light.

Oh, I mistook the front lights to be that of rear. The rear lights look like this with no vents, sorry about the misinformation:

[lsjey]

Context:

We want a fuss free and reliable car for mostly city usage with occasional highway drives. We already have a 5th Gen City in Chennai. Our initial thought was to take this car and use temporarily in Bangalore for about six to nine months before buying a car. We decided against it as there are issues with other state registrations in Bangalore. So we need a new car in Bangalore ASAP.

Our Requiremets:

1. Should be a safe car. No compromises. Minimum of 6 airbags, ADAS, ESC, TC, EBD, ABS are appreciated much.
2. Car should be from either Toyota, Honda, Hyundai or Maruti only. Reliability of the product and service are very important for us. Looks and performance interest my son though.
3. No BEVs for us as we are not convinced on buying a tech that is changing fast. We do not want to be tech pioneers.
4. Should be able to seat 5 people in reasonable comfort.
5. Primary use will be inside Bangalore for commuting to office and home (KR Puram- Marathahalli- Bellandur - Whitefield). This will be approximately 18 KMS daily roundtrip.
6. There will be occasional highway drives ~ 500 KMs a month.
7. Should be automatic transmission.
8. Believe that hybrids are the best option, but are open to pure ICE drivetrains.
9. Budget is 20 - 25 lakhs. We cannot stretch beyond this.
10. My son will be the primary driver for this car. He is a newbie driver.

What have we shortlisted:

1. Honda Elevate top spec CVT: This was selected just because we already own a Honda city. Hyryder hybrid was eliminated as it was more expensive than hybrid City.
2. 5th Gen Honda City ZX CVT: Ticks all boxes. I love it. Better looking car compared to Elevate.
3. EHEV City top spec: Will be great for city driving and returns great fuel economy. I’m fully sold on this.
4. Top spec Verna with DCT: Looks of this car did not go down well with my son. I’m not a fan of DCT. All other Hyundai cars were rejected by my son.

Now the proverbial wrench in the works:

My son loves the VW Virtus GT with the dreaded/loved DSG. I’ve somehow managed to convince him otherwise. Will we be wrong in choosing the Honda over Virtus? It will be my son who will do the bulk of the driving.

Well there goes the question? Which car should we choose?

Elevate top spec CVT or 5th Gen City ICE top spec CVT or the 5th Gen City eHEV top spec? If other car makes sense for our requirements, do let us know.

We are also looking at suggestions on dealers as well. Thanks folks.

Regards,
Lsjey

[07CR]

Originally Posted by lsjey

Context:

We want a fuss free and reliable car for mostly city usage with occasional highway drives. We already have a 5th Gen City in Chennai. Our initial thought was to take this car and use temporarily in Bangalore for about six to nine months before buying a car. We decided against it as there are issues with other state registrations in Bangalore. So we need a new car in Bangalore ASAP.

Our Requiremets:

1. Should be a safe car. No compromises. Minimum of 6 airbags, ADAS, ESC, TC, EBD, ABS are appreciated much.
2. Car should be from either Toyota, Honda, Hyundai or Maruti only. Reliability of the product and service are very important for us. Looks and performance interest my son though.
3. No BEVs for us as we are not convinced on buying a tech that is changing fast. We do not want to be tech pioneers.
4. Should be able to seat 5 people in reasonable comfort.
5. Primary use will be inside Bangalore for commuting to office and home (KR Puram- Marathahalli- Bellandur - Whitefield). This will be approximately 18 KMS daily roundtrip.
6. There will be occasional highway drives ~ 500 KMs a month.
7. Should be automatic transmission.
8. Believe that hybrids are the best option, but are open to pure ICE drivetrains.
9. Budget is 20 - 25 lakhs. We cannot stretch beyond this.
10. My son will be the primary driver for this car. He is a newbie driver.

Since you are open to Hyundai, you can also check out the Kia Seltos. DCT issues are fewer than VW/SKODA (with addition of ISG and Auto hold, it might be even lower) and your son can enjoy the sporty setup of Kia vs the soft Hyundais. Fuss free maintenance and reliability is another given and shared trait between the Korean duos. I might be a little biased towards Kia as I own a Seltos Facelift GT Line DCT and Sonet Turbo iMT. Both have been absolutely niggle and rattle free (touchwood!).

Hyryder is another option, if you can bear the wait timelines and relatively drab interior quality.

Of your shortlisted cars, I will prefer the Verna DCT, purely because of the 1.5Turbo's performance and excellent DCT. Value proposition is also great.

Second in line would be the Hybrid City. Would avoid the petrol City and Elevate, as I feel both cars are pretty outdated by 2024 standards.

[shiv11bhargava]

I voted for the City as it is the complete sedan more than two decades after coming to the Indian market! If one wants the GC, Elevate it is!
The PHEV City in Blue looks lovely and is a great package! A turbo-petrol City would be 22.5-25 lakhs now and I understand why HSIL never got the powerplant to India. Time to reconsider the same? The Civic was a let down due to the flat 1.8 and the City surely needs a newer petrol powerplant for variety? 1.2P, 1.5 T-P?

[shortbread]

Is Honda India planning any more launches? Or is this the complete lineup for the foreseeable future?