Comparing the Honda Elevate SUV to the City: My in-person impressions

When I entered the showroom, I was really keen on the City and had a modicum of interest in the Elevate. After checking them out side by side, it has swung the other way

BHPian neil.jericho recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I checked out the Honda Elevate at the Magnum Honda showroom in Kanakapura. They only have a manual test drive vehicle. The automatic test car should arrive on Monday / Tuesday and once the formalities are completed, the customer test drives should be available from the following week. The sales person was good to deal with and knowledgeable. However, I had informed him in advance about a test drive of the City Hybrid and despite having a day’s notice, the car was not made available.

Since everyone has thrown in their opinions on the Elevate, here are some of my observations as a very happy Honda Jazz owner (8 years and 42K kms),

• I was expecting the Elevate to be a logical extension / modernized version of the Honda Jazz but they are actually very complimentary products. What the Jazz does very well, the Elevate doesnt and vice versa.

• The Elevate is one of those vehicles in which the exterior looks large while the interiors are a little smaller than what you expect them to be. The Jazz is one of those few vehicles in which exterior is unassuming while the interiors actually feel a lot bigger than what you expect them to be.

• Sit in the driver’s seat of the Elevate and the first impression is that everything looks and feels premium. The tan coloured material and wood finish on the dash is really nice! The view from the drivers seat in the Jazz, is of materials that are functional and durable but one would be hard pressed to call anything premium.

• It is more of the same in the back seat of the Elevate. The seat looks nice and those tan brown inserts on the doors are lovely. It does feel like a very good 4 seater. After a few minutes, you cant help but ask yourself if the Jazz is actually a little wider and / or more comfortable?

• The high windows in the rear seat of the Elevate make it feel less airy than the Jazz.

• The boot space is pretty impressive in the Elevate. Thats one area where it is similar to the Jazz.

• Headroom at the front and rear was good in the Elevate.

• The Elevate gets 6 airbags and adjustable headrests at the rear (though only 2, it should have been 3 ). The Jazz gets 2 airbags and fixed headrests at the rear.

• The biggest difference in the design philosophy of the Elevate and the Jazz is in the dashboard to front windows layout. In the Elevate, the dashboard is at a reasonable height and the front windows are set distinctly higher. While this might look great from the outside, it does make you feel a little hemmed in, once you are seated. In the Jazz, its just the opposite. The front windows are set lower than the dash and this adds immensely to the sense of spaciousness. Why Honda didnt follow the same design philosophy in the Elevate is beyond me.

Window line is noticeably higher than the dash in the Elevate

Window line is noticeably lower than the dash in the Jazz

The Honda City feels clearly wider and more premium than the Elevate. That said, headroom in the City is scarce. At 5’10” and a bit, I cant sit properly in the back seat as my head hits the roof. While driving the City, I had to drop the seating position from the highest, so that my head wasnt too close to the roof. In terms of ingress and egress comfort for elders, the Elevate is so much better than the City.

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