Honda Elevate to debut today: 5 things you should know about the Honda’s first midsized SUV

Honda is finally entering the midsized segment with the unveiling of the Elevate on June 6. While they may be late to the game, there is still a lot to be excited about. Currently, Honda has only two cars in its portfolio, namely the Amaze and City. The Elevate will finally fill in the sports utility vehicle (SUV)-sized hole left behind by the discontinuation of the CR-V back in 2020. The SUV segment has been seeing some stiff competition with as many as seven models already in the market and one more coming in from Citroen. So, Honda has their work cut out for them. With the global debut scheduled for 12 noon tomorrow, here are five things you can expect from the Honda Elevate.

Styling

Now, there have been a number of spy pictures of the Elevate being tested on the streets. This, coupled with the teasers coming straight from Honda gives us a fair idea of what to expect in terms of design. The first thing you will notice is that the Elevate has a fairly imposing stance. While not overtly boxy, Elevate’s SUV presence can be felt. In fact, the SUV’s styling cues are expected to be in line with other SUVs from Honda’s global portfolio. The front features a fairly flat nose with a large front grille. Flanking this is a pair of sharp LED headlamps and daytime running lights (DRLs). The sides feature prominent wheel arches and body cladding that accentuate its muscular stance and a set of multi-spoked wheels. At the rear, we expect to see LED taillights connected by a full-width lightbar.

Powertrains

The Elevate is based on the Honda City’s platform and as such, it also gets the sedan’s powertrain options. At the moment, Honda is expected to debut only the Elevate with the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine. On the City, this engine is capable of producing 121 PS of maximum power at 6,600 rpm and 145 Nm of peak torque at 4,300 rpm. Expect these numbers to change slightly. The City also has a 1.5-litre hybrid-petrol engine, but this one is expected to be made available at a later date. For context, this engine produces 126 PS of maximum power and 253 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options should include both, a six-speed manual as well as a CVT automatic gearbox for the naturally aspirated engine and an e-CVT gearbox for the hybrid.

Features

Features are expected to drop straight out of the City’s cabin and into the Elevate. Expect things like an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a semi-digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone charging and connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ventilated seats, USB fast-charging points as well as connected car tech through Honda Sensing. A full set of safety features including ADAS is also expected to be available on the top trim levels of the car. And finally, but slightly disappointingly, the Elevate gets only a single-pane sunroof, unlike most others in the same segment.

Rivals

As we have already mentioned, the Honda Elevate has a big competition in front of it. The Hyundai Creta has dominated the sales charts in the midsized SUV segment for a number of years now and the new Grand Vitara and Hyryder from Maruti Suzuki and Toyota have been doing well on their own, too. The Volkswagen Taigun already has an assortment of engine options in the line-up and with the latest update, the transmission options are being rejigged on the various trim levels. Kia’s Seltos is all ready for a mid-life update, too, with a new turbo engine and new features. French manufacturer, Citroen, too is getting ready to launch the C3 Aircross with three rows for seating.

Price and Launch

Now, while the SUV is set to debut on June 6, the full launch and price reveal are expected to take place only around August. As for what we expect, we could see the Honda Elevate priced at anywhere between Rs 11 lakh on the lower end to Rs 17 lakh for the top-spec trims.