[M00M]

Originally Posted by yogesh498

Prices for Elevate have increased as prior news.

base SV MT variant now costs Rs 11,57,900. That’s an increase of Rs 58,000. Usually top specs gets the increased but this is quite opposite! ��
Though SV was the most VFM model in old pricing.

Prices for the base model has gone up by 58000. Prices for all the other variants has been increased by 20000.

Still the most VFM.

[autonmus_drivr]

Originally Posted by amandal1810

Hi folks. Really happy with my Honda Elevate ZX CVT (in meteoroid grey color). Got matte PPF done, and it has completely transformed the look of the car. Now it looks exactly like Kia's X-Line paintjob! ❤️

That sounds great. Can you share a picture ?

[yogesh498]

Originally Posted by M00M

Prices for the base model has gone up by 58000. Prices for all the other variants has been increased by 20000.

Still the most VFM.

I think the gap between the SV and V models is reduced now, people will find the V model a little more worthy now than before.

[rajivr1612]

The brochure shows that cruise control is available only on ZX variant. Is this correct? In City, it is available from V variant onwards. I am looking at the Honda siblings for this year purchase. Presently have the City V in radar as it ticks all boxes. The only reason preventing me from seriously looking at Elevate is absence of CC in lower variants. Looking at CVT variants only.

[amandal1810]

Purchasing the Honda Elevate: Our Journey!

Hi all. This is my first long post in Team-BHP. I wanted to share our complete experience with deciding and purchasing the awesome Honda Elevate.

About us

My wife and I live in Bangalore. We own a scooter which suffices for short distances. For longer distances within the city, we prefer Ola/Uber. We wanted a new car primarily for long road trips. The car will be driven both by me and my wife. We've spent tens of thousands of rupees on Revv/Zoomcar and it was time to uninstall these apps. We have mostly driven hatchbacks so far. I've driven our 2016 Tata Tiago XZ manual back in my hometown, and my wife has extensively driven their 2008 Suzuki Swift manual in her hometown.

Decision making

• Purpose of car: primarily road trips; so 70% highway and 30% city.
• Budget (on-road price): we started at 10L but soon realized that there are no cars at this price point with the features list we want. We stretched it to 15L which would only suffice for mid-variants of B2 segment cars. We finally capped it at 20L where we get a fair list of options to choose from. Note that the prices are with BH registration (more on this later). Moreover, we had considered an additional 2L for accessories - PPF (about 1.2L), sunfilm (30k), dashcam (about 10k) being the biggest expenses.
• Timeline: I started researching about ten months back. This included researching topics such as mechanical, financial and maintenance aspects. I was also looking out for upcoming cars from the rumor mill and spy shots. We finally started test driving in September. And finally booked it in December first week.
• Car Segment: We preferred the SUV body styling but did not want 4x4 (or rather we did not have the budget for it). So we needed to stick to B2 and C1 segment SUVs.
• Our required feature list: Automatic transmission only; no AMT; no electric. Driver comfort, visibility and ride comfort were on top of the list. My wife is 5 feet tall, so finding a car with good visibility was going to be quite tricky. We wanted a car with a lot of tech - the more the merrier. I wanted a car with ADAS - the Youtube videos left me drooling. Some of the items that were lower down in the list: outright performance, mileage. GNCAP ratings were also considered but we decided to keep it somewhere in the middle of our requirements priority order.
• Contenders: we explored and test drove almost all cars in B2-SUV and C1-SUV segments. Here are more details about them:
  

  The Maruti Suzuki cars (Brezza and Grand Vitara) were an immediate thumbs down because of their super basic interior quality and feel. It did not feel like a vehicle that costs 15L+. The Grand Vitara had some weird quirks like the fishnet sunroof liner which only partially blocks sunlight (unlike the one in Creta/Seltos). A noteworthy point: Brezza was the only B2 segment car where my wife (5ft) immediately felt comfortable in the driver seat. She could see the bonnet edge properly, which is confidence inspiring.

  The Hyundai cars were great. The Venue and Creta are chock full of features. Interior fit and finish felt great. Performance of the Venue with the turbo petrol engine and the DCT were superb. BUT: Venue felt like a hatchback, both from the inside and while driving. We hated the exterior design of Creta, so it was dropped. Moreover, we decided not to wait for the Creta facelift.

  The Kia cars were mesmerizing. The Sonet is a very well-made product, but the hard suspension was a major turn down for us. We were floored by the Seltos facelift. The connected screens in conjunction with the panoramic sunroof made us feel like we were inside a BMW or something similar. The Seltos wins straight against the competition if you consider only with feature list and spec sheet. Unfortunately, the NA petrol engine with IVT (CVT) is not offered in the top variant. And the top variant with ADAS, turbo petrol engine and DCT crosses our budget by about 3L.

  I had high hopes from the Volkswagen Taigun. We test drove the Taigun 1 liter turbo petrol. The swapped turn indicator stalks were an immediate thumbs down from the wife. The interiors felt only average (better than Maruti but lower than Korean twins). The interior space was quite low and felt like a B2 segment SUV. The mileage is quite bad, at least as per reviews. However: the Taigun's performance was outstanding. It was one of the only cars where I was pushed into the seat on fully slamming the accelerator pedal. Only the Seltos 1.5 turbo petrol has better performance than this. I loved the Taigun's European exterior design.

  The Honda Elevate entered our list much later. It was launched in July and media drive reviews were available in early August. Honda's strategy seemed different: get the basics right, don't give an exhaustive list of features, which will help keep prices down. Notably, it was the only the C1 segment SUV where my wife felt immediately comfortable in the driver seat. She could see the entire bonnet and was the highlight for her. We also found the front seats to be the most comfortable of the lot. The interiors felt premium but not as premium as that of the Koreans. The NA engine and CVT were known to be reliable. The suspension felt mature and compliant. However, the Elevate had a long list of major misses: TPMS, ventilated seats, 360 degree camera, rear seat window curtains, height adjustable seat belts, rear center passenger does not get a head rest and does not get a 3-point seat belt. The hump in the rear seat middle is weird.

  We did not test drive the MG Astor (due to brand value after sales service concerns), Skoda Kushaq (had already driven the Taigun), Toyota Hyryder (same as Suzuki GV).

• Final shortlist: Kia Seltos HTX IVT and Honda Elevate ZX CVT. I agree that a panoramic sunroof is a not a useful utilitarian feature like many say but the feel-good factor and premium feel it provides is priceless in our opinion. Seltos' interior feels more premium than Elevate. I wanted ADAS but we did not have the budget for Seltos' top variant, so one point for Elevate. If Seltos' NA+IVT was available in the GTX+ trim, we would have definitely finalized it. We further assessed that some of the missing features of the Elevate, such as TPMS and ventilated seat (add-on cover), can be an aftermarket fitment although it might not provide the same experience as an OEM one. The problems with Elevate's rear seat did not matter much to us - we are a family of two. All said and done, we finalized on the Elevate ZX CVT. We loved the blue (imperial blue) and dark grey (meteoroid grey) colors, and would select one based on waiting period.
  

Purchase experience

• We wanted to get BH registration primarily for the much lower upfront road tax costs. The difference was about 2.5L when compared to KA registration. KA road tax is the highest in the country. But Karnataka government (and Telangana as well) is currently not allowing BH registration for private company employees. So our options were to purchase from either of our hometowns: Delhi or Kolkata. The price quotes were almost the same. Only the transportation costs (DEL to BLR vs KOL to BLR) differed by about 20k. So we finalized to get it from Kolkata.
• We spoke to Shree Honda (Newtown, Kolkata) and Pinnacle Honda (Ruby, Kolkata). Shree Honda tried to force push their insurance whereas Pinnacle Honda told me directly that I can bring my own insurance if I don't like their quote. Shree Honda's SA was coercive and dodgy whereas Pinnacle Honda's SA was straightforward and more open for negotiations. Shree Honda was insisting 50% payment after VIN allotment but Pinnacle Honda was okay with full payment only after PDI. We finalized with Pinnacle Honda.
• The waiting period was similar at both the showrooms. The blue had a long waiting period of four months, and the dark grey was at one month. After some more negotiations, Pinnacle Honda promised to deliver the vehicle (in meteoroid grey color) within the month of December if I booked immediately. This would protect me from price increase in Jan.
• After some research on new car insurance, I decided to get it from the dealer. Their quote almost matched the external insurance quotes. I decided to pay the slightly additional premium to avoid the hassle of external insurance. Note that its not Honda Assure but rather a one from Tata AIG.
• We took the basic kit (12k). After much negotiation, they agreed to throw in a free car cover (original one), which costs about 2k. They were absolutely unwilling to negotiate on ex-showroom price - which I expected.
• Both Honda showrooms were charging "documentation charges" of 6525 INR. I assumed this was the infamous logistics charges which folks in this thread have gotten removed by emailing official Honda customer care. I did the same, but I got a response saying that it is a legitimate charge. I did not fight further and continued with the transaction.
• The entire purchase process was telephonic. Signing of documents were via soft copies. Pinnacle Honda sales team were very supportive through the way and kept me informed. Nevertheless, I made it a point to call my SA once a day.
• We had planned to visit Kolkata for PDI and delivery but flight prices in December were through the roof. Paid PDI services (like Zekardo) are not available in Kolkata. We were a bit worried about this but finally decided to get PDI done by a friend. I sent my parents to take delivery of the car.
• We plan to keep the car for at least ten years, so we did not care about buying the car in December (and not next calendar year).
• We booked on 4th Dec with a booking amount of 11k. VIN allotment was done on 6th Dec. PDI was done on 13th Dec. Affixation of number plate took three days. Delivery was done on 19th Dec. It was sent off for transportation on the same day. After a nail biting five days, we finally got the car in Bangalore on 25th Dec.

We have only driven about 250 kms so far. I will make a separate post about ownership experience after driving it more. We are in love with the car. Its a joy to drive. We got PPF applied and bought a bunch of accessories. I will make a detailed post about this soon.

[goushank]

Originally Posted by rajivr1612

The brochure shows that cruise control is available only on ZX variant. Is this correct? In City, it is available from V variant onwards. I am looking at the Honda siblings for this year purchase. Presently have the City V in radar as it ticks all boxes. The only reason preventing me from seriously looking at Elevate is absence of CC in lower variants. Looking at CVT variants only.

Yes, Adaptive Cruise Control is only available in the ZX variant.

[rayjaycleoful]

Originally Posted by A_Abhiraam

Yesterday, we had a quick look on the Elevate again (This time together as a family, in Kerala, and everyone seemed to be impressed with the car, but the Front seating position felt very awkward and set very low and didn't feel very comfortable, especially for my brother who is taller than the rest of our family.

These observations were precisely given by BHPian 'Mayjay' as well, and after reading his post, I felt the seltos felt better too. The extra 60-70k premium over the Elevate seems to be justified as the Kia feels like a more premium offering overall.

Originally Posted by mayjay

On completing the drive I sat in the car for some more time, trying to re-evaluate how comfortable the seat position was - my conclusion was that given the limited seat travel, it could be ok for short rides but over long distances, it would cause fatigue as the legs don’t get a chance to rest.

The feeling of roughness and lack of a premium touch that was there in the Elevate was not felt in the Seltos. Stalks were nicely damped and the gear lever movement also had some weight to it. The only part which felt a little lacklustre was the top of the dashboard which looked and felt scratchy.

Overall, the Seltos felt more refined than the Elevate, and though it is priced higher by Rs 60k, seemed to be good value for money. If you are slightly on the taller side, the Seltos will definitely feel more comfortable.
Where the Elevate could make up the gap is probably with the ADAS and perhaps the higher safety levels (to be tested), which would be useful if you do highway drives frequently.

Both of you have summarised exactly what I felt about the Elevate. It feels like a segment lower than the Seltos and has a major ergonomic issue for anyone around ~5'9 and over/ anyone with long legs.
I was so disappointed by the seating I did not even test drive it; the front two seats are placed extremely low in an otherwise "high car" (also mentioned by someone else in this thread but couldn't find the post). This would be fine if you could stretch your legs but you can't since the travel is limited and floor slopes upwards steeply for the driver and passenger.

I was looking forward to booking an Elevate (ignoring insulation, lack of features wrt to competition, low popularity, etc.) as a replacement for my 2011 City but the seating issue didn't let me; went across to Kia and booked the Seltos IVT instead (would have done it with greater confidence if its safety were better).

OT but I sat in the latest Honda City and that felt like home . Very spacious and much more comfortable than the Elevate - would have got that instead if it wasn't for the ground clearance - it is a pain to go over speed breakers/bumps diagonally when the car is loaded.With current discounts, definitely a better option in Honda over Elevate

[venus1975]

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

I was so disappointed by the seating I did not even test drive it; the front two seats are placed extremely low in an otherwise "high car" (also mentioned by someone else in this thread but couldn't find the post). This would be fine if you could stretch your legs but you can't since the travel is limited and floor slopes upwards steeply for the driver and passenger.

I was disappointed too, when I sat on the car the very first time in the showroom. However, after adjusting the seat height and pulling the seat all the way back, I felt quite comfortable when test driving the automatic variant. I am 6 ft tall!

[goushank]

No reply from Honda Customer relation and Flimsy reply from Dealership on negating the Logistics/handling charges.

Sent the below mail to Honda Customer care(customer_relations@hondacarindia.com) attaching the Proforma invoice(which mentions the logistics charges) not CC-ing anyone.

**Ack mail for case opened, sent by Customer relation, CC'ing whitefield Honda"
**Received the attached mail from dealer**

**Case is closed by Honda**

[abhi3284]

Originally Posted by Since1980

If you haven't booked your Elevate, here's some thoughts:

I booked mine from Deccan Honda, Magarpatta (Elevate ZX CVT, Golden Brown). Right from buying to first service, experience has been sub-par to pathetic. No self insurance despite pressing hard, only waiver of the extra accessories, PDI allowed at yard after a lot of assurances. Will share the story around this someday. Leave aside everything else, their service center is in Dhankawdi - not an easy access.

I've heard good about Garve Honda - so do consider them. However even their service center is in Khadki if that impacts you.

Adding to what Anand87 said -
FE: Expect 9.5 - 12.5 in city traffic. 9.5 if your commute is from Magarpatta to Kharadi - where only an electric/hybrid can save your pocket.
It will not be single digit if you are a sedate driver (and you'd love it with any Honda). The test drive car I had seen that time had 9.5 and got me worried.. but I've mostly gotten around 12 - as I don't commute to office daily.
On highways (Expressway), surprisingly, I've clocked over 19kmpl from Pune to Mumbai.. touching 21 at the highest. Wifey's a sedate driver and I've learnt that too - it's a different pleasure altogether!

We've clocked over 2.5k kms but haven't seen ADAS/CMBS intruding.. been activated a handful times but never halted the car or even slowed it down considerably - it was just some breaking felt (if it were manual transmission, case may have been different). And 80% of the times it was right in activating - the rest 20% we are unsure if some object got our way which we couldn't see or calculate. I've never turned it off and don't plan to. Compared to the ADAS response during Seltos test drive, Honda Sensing seemed very natural. May be it's camera only and no radio - but actually works well. Safety wise though radios will be much better IMO - but if they tune it so well that people don't disable it in first place. All said, Honda should allow to remember the CMBS off setting - unless they prove with a solid reason to not offer so (the manual which doesn't offer any explanation of why it can't be disabled).
The lane departure is the only ADAS feature which feels a bit intrusive initially (haptic feedback) - but we don't drive highways regularly and I'd still keep it on to improve my lane discipline. If you turn indicators on while switching lanes, it wouldn't warn you.

ACC on highways is unmissable, CMBS still provides some assurance against distractions, leather interiors - never been a fan but love them now.. all make ZX worthwhile. Add CVT and the driving pleasure zooms high. I had booked an Exter SXO AMT for wifey and Elevate ZX CVT was a betraying switch - it was love at first drive.

Tip: Read the user manual when you take delivery - it'll open up a lot of thoughts. I had read my Alto manual back then and learnt few lessons for life - this one too - not just for safety but also for the features.

Hey Thank you for sharing your observations about your ownership experience of Elevate. Appreciate it. My experience with Deccan Honda has been lackluster so far. No one from the Dealership has bothered to contact me yet since my visit for Enquiry. Though they did promise they will call me and get a Test Drive Vehicle to my Doorstep.

I have not Test Driven Elevate yet, as i got occupied in few other things. Will be starting my new Car Hunt again now and will check out Crystal Honda in Viman Nagar, if they are any good. I also have my eyes on the upcoming new Creta. Most likely it will be Elevate vs Creta vs Seltos. Lets see who comes out trumps.

And apologies for the delay in response, as i was out of town and missed your post.

[beez]

Anyone bought a window shade for Elevate. I don't like the ones that use suction cups, so looking at alternatives.

Came across this website that lists a model. Not sure if the site is genuine and if the product will work as intended.

https://carhatke.com/automatic-side-...e-2023-onwards

If any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks

[agv2305]

Originally Posted by beez

Anyone bought a window shade for Elevate. I don't like the ones that use suction cups, so looking at alternatives.

Came across this website that lists a model. Not sure if the site is genuine and if the product will work as intended.

https://carhatke.com/automatic-side-...e-2023-onwards

If any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks

I got this for my car from Amazon. Someone gave the link in this forum only (not able to look up that post). Magnetic, Looks good and cuts the sunlight effectively (maybe a bit too effective 10% visibility). There are others similarly with other visibility levels that you can try.

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0CJHYX9L6/

[beez]

Originally Posted by agv2305

I got this for my car from Amazon. Someone gave the link in this forum only (not able to look up that post). Magnetic, Looks good and cuts the sunlight effectively (maybe a bit too effective 10% visibility). There are others similarly with other visibility levels that you can try.

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0CJHYX9L6/

Thanks for sharing your experience. I too remember this post and had kept this in my Amazon wishlist. The only thing stopped me from buying it was no user reviews on Amazon. Now that you tell it is a good one, probably will place the order.

The product I shared in my post looked more like the ones provided by Hyundai/Kia. In Hyundai/Kia cars, the slot and mechanism are from the manufacturer itself and pretty neat. I was not sure how these type can be fixed in Elevate. Didn't want to experiment by paying about 4k!

[KryptonMonkey]

Originally Posted by goushank

No reply from Honda Customer relation and Flimsy reply from Dealership on negating the Logistics/handling charges.

Sent the below mail to Honda Customer care(customer_relations@hondacarindia.com) attaching the Proforma invoice(which mentions the logistics charges) not CC-ing anyone.

**Ack mail for case opened, sent by Customer relation, CC'ing whitefield Honda"
**Received the attached mail from dealer**

**Case is closed by Honda**

One way to approach this is to mail Honda Cars India this question in general terms without naming the dealership. Then they wouldn't be able to route it to the dealership.

I've written about this issue before here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5634808 (Honda Elevate Review)

Here's a thread of a BHP-ian who fought and won a court case on this matter: https://www.team-bhp.com/news/i-file...ng-charges-won

You can read more here as well: https://www.mycarhelpline.com/index....1012&Itemid=91

Apart from educating yourself on this subject and having firm conversations, please consider approaching other dealerships. For example, Magnum Honda, Mekhri Circle didn't charge us any handling charges for purchasing an Amaze a couple of years back.

[amandal1810]

Got XPEL matte PPF applied on the Elevate (meteoroid grey) from CarsBuddy Kormangala (Bangalore). Sharing some pics below.