Honda Elevate gets sharper American-inspired restyling

Honda has unveiled a refreshed version of its Elevate SUV in India, retaining its globally-debuted design but with noticeable aesthetic enhancements. The updates remain strictly cosmetic, as the powertrain remains unchanged, still featuring a single 1.5-liter petrol engine paired with a choice of a six-speed manual or CVT transmission.

Visually, the most prominent changes include darkened headlight clusters, a redesigned bumper and fog light surrounds, restyled L-shaped daytime running lights, and an alloy wheel option up to 17 inches in diameter. The grille now aligns with US-market Honda designs, featuring a full-length LED bar and a three-slit design under a chrome-upper-section grille.

Rear modifications are more subtle, consisting of a new bumper and a full-width LED light bar connecting the main clusters. Internally, the upgrades are even more subtle; the faux wood dash is replaced with imitation leather, and the infotainment system remains at 10.25 inches, while the instrument cluster shrinks to 7 inches. However, the spec sheet sees significant changes, such as the option for ventilated front seats, ambient lighting, ventilated rear seats, and a sunroof, depending on the trim level.

Safety and driver assistance features also expand, now including a 360-degree camera system, front parking sensors, Adaptive Cruise Control, and six airbags across all trims. The base engine, a non-turbocharged 1.5-liter petrol, still produces 89kW/145Nm of power, driving the front wheels through either a manual or CVT. The Elevate is offered in six trims - SV, V, VX, ZX, ZX+, and Black, with pricing ranging from Rs 1,180,900 for the manual SV to Rs 1,840,900 for the CVT-equipped Black.

In South Africa, the facelift Elevate maintains the same power and torque figures as the Indian model, with pricing options of R373,800 for the Comfort model and R434,000 for the Elegance. Both engines are identical to their Indian counterparts, but the Elegance exclusively uses the CVT.