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Upgraded to the Honda Elevate MT from a Vitara Brezza: A quick review

6th August 2024, 10:57 by Ananth Iyer

It's like a time machine that transports me back to 2009 to the carefree days of my final year in college - pure nostalgia!

BHPian captain.torque recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It was the summer of 2005 and high school had just got over. One fine evening, I was chatting with a dear friend from the other gender when out of the blue, she told me about a former classmate proposing to her.
She was somewhat reluctant to start dating but since I knew the lad well, she sought my advice to help her decide. Without much consideration, I gave her the green light, and she said that she would sleep over it.

That night, as I settled into my bed, shut-eye eluded me. There was an odd feeling, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was. Hours passed, and eventually, as the sun started to peek over the horizon, it hit me – I was in love…I had fallen for a girl whom I never considered more than a friend till that point in my life. And now, the thought of “losing” her to some other guy was gnawing at me.

I chose the term “losing” because our bond was so strong that we would spent hours chatting on the phone nearly every other night. And no boyfriend in the world would like that.

So, Did I reveal my feelings to her? Did we end up together? And what in the world has this got to do with buying a Honda Elevate?

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Fast forward to 2024, I was in the market for a compact SUV with a budget of around Rs 18 lakh on the road and just three conditions:

A naturally aspirated (one thing less that can go wrong) petrol engine (Delhi resident)
Manual gearbox (I am old school)
Japanese or Korean (low maintenance = peace of mind)

The only contenders were -- Grand Vitara (Alpha), Creta (SX), and Seltos (HTX) – in that order of preference.

I must mention here that while the Skoda Kushaq and VW Taigun manual variants are a safe bet as compared to their DSG variants, the duo was dropped because of the limited cabin space and the overall smaller dimensions (no offence to anyone).

The Elevate was not even in contention at the beginning because, in today’s day and age, social media plays a crucial role in our buying patterns. And whenever I opened YouTube and Instagram, my feed was full of videos of the Grand Vitara, Creta, and Seltos getting either delivered or modified.

The videos titled “base to top” in particular caught my attention as despite having a budget of Rs 18 lakh, I could get a base Vitara modified with 80 percent of the Alpha variant features and still save a whopping Rs 3 to 3.5 lakh.

Hours and hours of research on YouTube and Instagram only left me confused with no clear winner. The million-dollar question was whether I should go for the Korean cousins’ superior interiors and features or Suzuki’s reliability and better mileage.

Checking out the Vitara and the Korean cousins in person:

Grand Vitara: This was the one that really left me disappointed although it was on the top of my list. The Vitara just felt like a slightly bigger Brezza that I got in 2016. It did not really feel like an upgrade. Moreover, I am 6 feet tall and after setting the driver’s seat to my driving position, there was hardly any space left at the back. This was exactly the problem with my Brezza -- lack of rear leg space. This was a major deal breaker and I decided to drop the car right then and there.

Creta: The showroom wasn’t offering walk-in test drives as per a “new policy”. A potential customer is taking out time to visit a showroom but he should share his phone number and e-mail ID so that the car can be sent to his house for a test drive. Makes no sense to me.Anyway, I checked out the car and quite liked it. The only failing -- the ice grey interiors with fabric seats which in some way felt cheap and with a 5-year-old at home would be tough to keep clean.

Seltos: Similar to the Creta, I liked this one too but in addition to the white interiors, the HTX variant had metal grey, non-diamond cut alloy wheels which looked hideous. My neighbour has a Seltos HTX and two kids and I’ve seen his struggles to keep the car interiors clean. I can live without ventilated seats but not soiled seats which need dry cleaning every few months. Enough said.

To summarise, the Grand Vitara was ruled out while the Creta and Seltos didn’t really tug at my heartstrings. Still, the Creta had moved to the top of the list by default.

Meanwhile, the infamous Google algorithm got active and videos of the Elevate started popping in my suggestions on my social media accounts. Although I had seen a few Elevates on the road, the sublime design language didn’t excite me. It just didn’t look like a brand-new launch.

Having said that, the silver lining for the Elevate was its trusted engine and gearbox combo. And this opinion is based on my ownership experience of a 2009 Honda City that was with me till 2021. Thanks to the City, the brand Honda continues to hold a special place in my heart.

After watching at least, a dozen review videos of the car, I started appreciating the Elevate for I was familiar with the 1.5 i-VTEC and the design with its clean lines like that of a German started to grow on me. The interior colour combination, cabin space, boot space, and ground clearance further tilted me towards the machine from the land of the rising sun.

I think journalist Kartikeya Singhee, in one of his YouTube videos, best described the Elevate – “It’s a German SUV made by a Japanese company”. I couldn't agree more.

As I dwelled deeper into the technical specs and the offered features at the given price point – around Rs 17 lakh on the road for the ZX manual variant – I realised it was the perfect car for me.

The love for Honda, dwelling in a corner of my heart unbeknownst to me, was rekindled. And just like that, I fell for the Elevate and it was 2005 all over again.

The Elevate was like that girl from high school whom I was in love with but did not know. Back then, it took me a phone call to acknowledge my feelings, but in the case of the Elevate, the realisation happened gradually, over a few weeks. History repeated itself 19 years later.

The sole distinction between the two tales -- the girl NEVER said “Yes” and the Elevate COULDN’T say “No”.

My Honda Elevate ZX Manual in Platinum Pearl White colour

Booking Process:

I zeroed in on three dealerships in the city with the best Google reviews -- Ring Road Honda in Connaught Place, Courtesy Honda in Wazirpur, and Cherish Honda on Outer Ring Road. Although I had planned to purchase the car in June after getting my finances in order, the hunt for the best deal began as early as March.

The first visit was to Courtesy Honda. Saw the car in the flesh for the first time in the 'Phoenix Orange' shade with all the Honda official accessories -- none of which I was besotted with except the illuminated door sill guards.

A quick test drive of the Elevate CVT -- no manual available -- and I was convinced that I was on the right path. At the risk of playing the devil's advocate, I quite liked the sound of that i-Vtec filtering in the cabin -- it brought back so many memories.

A week later, I landed at Cherish Honda and this time got my hands on a manual. Believe me when I say, the manual Elevate was a hoot to drive as compared to the CVT.

The excitement, however, was short-lived as all the dealers suggested that I contact them at the end of the first week of June as they could not guarantee any discounts three months in advance.

Several videos on deliveries, long-term ownership, and accessorising of Elevates on YouTube later, June arrived.

Now I must mention here that both Courtesy and Cherish Honda outlets were quite far from where I put up while Ring Road Honda is the closest -- just 20 minutes. Also, it was the same outlet from where I got my City in 2009. Yet, for some reason, I did not visit them even once despite taking quotes on WhatsApp.

So, on the first day of the month, I landed at Ring Road Honda and after half an hour of negotiations got a good deal. I wanted to take a test drive again but there was no manual available. They offered a test drive at my home the next day but my wife and five-year-old daughter wanted to visit the showroom to relish the "new car-buying" experience.

The very next day on June 2, despite no let-up in the blistering heat, the three of us reached the Honda showroom. As luck would have it, the manual Elevate was in the 'Platinum Pearl White' shade. My wife and I both took turns driving the car and to put it mildly, she was floored.

The munchkin meanwhile loved the acres of space at the back seat and of course -- the sunroof!

It's pertinent to mention here that I showed walkaround videos of the Creta, Seltos, and Grand Vitara to my daughter and despite the panoramic sunroof on offer on all three cars, she chose the Elevate, insisting that it was the prettiest. The obsession was such that even the mention of getting any other car would leave her on the verge of tears.

Once back at the showroom, immediately got the paperwork started. After fifteen minutes and poorer by Rs 21,000, the booking was done with June 16 being decided as the delivery date.

I can describe my overall experience with Ring Road Honda in just two words --- thoroughly great!

Right from day one when I first visited them to D-Day when I got the car, they made every effort to act in a friendly and calm manner and not come across as someone desperate to make a sale -- the latter being the case with some other dealership that I wouldn't like to name.

For starters, they gave me the best deal (of all three dealerships), matched the insurance quote I was getting from outside without any drama, kept me updated at all times, and had no qualms with a third-party PDI (although I did it myself).

Also, they never pushed for any accessory, coating, or insurance add-ons. Basically, If I said no to something just once, that was it. They didn't try to convince me to shell out some extra bucks from my pocket and this is a trait I truly appreciate whenever I go shopping.

The Pre-Delivery Inspection:

The car landed at the showroom on the morning of June 14. Armed with a Team-BHP checklist, I reached the showroom in the afternoon. It took me around an hour and a half to complete the PDI. The buttons clicked, the headlights dipped and the throttle blipped without any trouble. To put it simply, everything looked good.

Shot a video of the car and also took some pictures, including that of the plate with the VIN and engine numbers, gave the thumbs up to the sales adviser, and out I went with the promise of returning two days later.

Jab We Met for the first time!

D-Day:

The delivery experience was smooth and the entire process was over in around an hour. The only grouse -- there was no cake-cutting ceremony which my daughter was looking forward to. When asked, the SA profusely apologised and told me that a cake is arranged only if a customer asks for it.

Well, I was in no mood to let a cake or lack thereof spoil the moment so I took my daughter to the McDonalds outlet next door and all it took was a happy meal to turn the frown upside down.

The munchkin's excitement knew no bounds. She was the first to hop in and check out the new car.

After taking delivery, bought sweets on the way back home and went straight to the local temple for the puja ceremony and then to my in-law's place. This is when I got to stretch the car's legs for the first time as I drove on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.

Checked the adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist and everything worked perfectly and the car felt futuristic. I was truly happy with my new ride especially because it was a Honda.

My City and Elevate clicked at the same spot 19 years apart:

Accessory from the dealer:

Illuminated door sill guards: I’ve always had a thing for illuminated sill guards as I find them classy and useful at night. This is the only accessory that I purchased from the dealer.

Accessories from Amazon:

1. Backseat headrest grab handles: I had similar handles in my Brezza and these are extremely useful for elderly passengers.

2. Tissue paper holder on the visor: Again, had one in my Brezza but got an updated read more expensive version for the Elevate. The earlier design had elastic bands that had to be unclipped if the co-passenger wanted to use the vanity mirror on the sunshade. This doesn’t. Also got a Baseus sunglasses holder clip fixed on the driver-side visor.

3. Utility bag for knick-knacks in the boot: I keep my umbrella, tyre shiner, windshield washer fluid, electronic tyre inflator, wax and polish, basic tool kit, and some carry bags in this.