Pros & Cons of Honda Elevate over Creta after a 5 km test drive.

After considering all the points and weighing the pros and cons, we rejected Creta and booked a Red ZX CVT Elevate.

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Yesterday, I could lay my hands on the new Honda Elevate (2023 ZX MT) and was able to test drive it for about 5 Kilometers( 1 Km in the city with very broken roads and 4 Km on the highway), also sat in the back seat for another 5 Kilometers. Previously, I test-drove Creta (2023 SX MT) on the same route and in the same style. Here is what I think about Elevate:

Positives:

• 1. The ingress and egress was easy and the doors had good aperture plus opened wide.
• 2. The rear seats were comfortable and supportive, there was no lack of under-thigh support once I placed my ankles on the inclined footrest (am 174 cm). However, The front passenger seat could support my thigh only when I pushed it halfway back but was comfortable after that.
• 3. There was ample space in the cabin and it felt very airy and cozy, the fit and finish were good. The buttons didn't feel flimsy, quite to my surprise, not even the temperature and blower controls. The infotainment system was very smooth and easy to operate, music system was good.
• 4. The Engine was very smooth and I couldn't feel any noise or vibration in the cabin. The rev-happy engine when tickled above 3k, became audible but it wasn't bothersome.
• 5. The driving visibility was good, the full perimeter of the hood was visible and it felt as if I was driving a proper SUV. The lane watch camera eliminated the blind spot created by the passenger side C pillar. The ORVMs were good and provided a good view.
• 6. The driving dynamics were good, the steering gained proper weight at highway speed (unlike Creta) and I felt no body roll.
• 7. The brakes were very good and confidence-inspiring, while I was cruising at 70 Kmph, had to apply emergency brakes when out of the blue a dog appeared in my lane. The vehicle stopped in a straight line without losing composure, also the hazard light automatically turned on and turned off once I continued moving.

Negatives:

• 1. The interior was good but not to the level of the Koreans, I could especially feel this when touching the headliners and the sunroof curtain.
• 2. There was tyre noise inside the cabin once the vehicle went above 70 Kmph.
• 3. Lack of Features; I was surprised to see such a poor rear view camera and without adaptive guidelines at this price point, no ventilated seats nor a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Although the latter two are available as accessories, I feel factory fit is always better.
• 4. The hump in the rear seat is a nuisance, don't know if the third passenger can sit comfortably. Also, the lack of a headrest and three-point seat belt for the middle passenger is an annoyance.
• 5. The foot area was small for the front passenger when compared with the competition.
• 6. Not the car but the dealer network, I have no dealer in my city (Bokaro, Jharkhand). The nearest is 67Kms/90 mins away and the next to nearest is 100 km/150 mins away. This is one of the biggest reasons not many in my city even consider Honda cars, they should improve upon this. Even so, Jharkhand has only 3 Honda dealers while Maruti Suzuki has 37 dealers and Hyundai has 16 dealers.

After considering all the points and weighing the pros and cons, we rejected Creta and booked a Red ZX CVT Elevate. The primary reason for rejecting Creta was a lack of safety. The SA has told us to expect the car just before Diwali.

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