Honda Elevate: Which Variant Should You Buy?

Six grades, two gearboxes, one engine. Here is where the extra money (and the extra features) actually go.

Walk into a Honda showroom for the new Elevate and the first thing you notice is that there is only one engine to think about. Every grade gets the same 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol, which makes 121PS (roughly 119bhp) at 6,600rpm and 145Nm at 4,300rpm. It is E20-compliant, and Honda quotes 15.31km/l for the six-speed manual and 16.61km/l for the CVT, as certified under Rule 115 of CMVR 1989.

So the real decision is about the grade and the gearbox. The brochure lists six grades: SV, V, VX, ZX, ZX+ and the ZX+ Black Edition. Here is how they stack up.

The safety baseline is the same for everyone

This is the nicest surprise. Six airbags are standard across all variants, as are ABS with EBD, Vehicle Stability Assist, Hill Start Assist, ISOFIX anchorages, rear parking sensors and ACE body structure. Even the entry-level SV gets LED projector headlamps, LED DRLs, automatic climate control, rear AC vents, a smart key with push-button start and a 7-inch TFT driver display. If you are buying on safety alone, you are not forced up the ladder just to get airbags.

Also read: Honda Elevate Facelift launched at ₹11.80 Lakh

SV: the bare essentials

The SV is manual-only and rides on R16 steel wheels. What it lacks is the interesting part. The brochure lists no touchscreen, no reversing camera and no Honda Connect for this grade, and no surround-sound speakers either. It is a sensible, safe car, but it is a stripped one.
V: the one that makes the car usable.

The V is also listed as manual-only, and it fixes most of the SV's gaps. You get a multi-angle rear camera, a 20.3cm (8-inch) touchscreen with wired and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a four-speaker system. Next Gen Honda Connect, with Alexa and smartwatch support, also arrives here, along with two rear USB-C ports, a rear demister and a luggage cover.

VX: where it starts to feel like an SUV

The VX is the first grade offered with the CVT as well as the manual, and it is where the styling and gadgets arrive: 

• the rugged tri-bar LED lights up front and connected LED tail lamps
• R17 dual-tone alloys and LED projector fog lamps
• a one-touch electric sunroof
• a wireless phone charger
• Active Orange ambient lighting
• walk-away auto-lock and auto-folding mirrors
• a PM2.5 AQI display with auto clean air
• a six-speaker system (four speakers plus two tweeters)
• the LaneWatch camera
• auto headlamps and a rear wiper and washer

If you want the Elevate to look and feel special without chasing the top of the range, this is the first grade that does it.

ZX: the safety-tech jump

Here the car moves up a class. The ZX brings the complete Honda SENSING ADAS suite:

• collision mitigation braking
• adaptive cruise control
• lane keeping assist
• road departure mitigation
• lead car departure notification
• auto high-beam

Low Speed Follow, which helps in stop-and-go traffic, is available only with the CVT. Honda is clear that SENSING cannot replace driver vigilance.

The ZX also gets the larger 26.03cm (10.25-inch) touchscreen, an eight-speaker system (four speakers plus four tweeters), leather upholstery, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, front ventilated seats, a rear centre armrest and the premium ivory-and-black cabin with soft-touch finishes.

ZX+: the kitchen sink

The ZX+ adds the 360-degree camera, front parking sensors, an 8-way power driver's seat and 4-way power co-driver's seat, and rear ventilated seats. Honda calls front and rear ventilated seats a first in its segment, which it defines as passenger cars 4,000–4,399mm long and 1,600–1,700mm tall. The ZX+ is also the only grade with a dual-tone roof, and only on the CVT. The three combinations are Nordic Forest Pearl, Radiant Red Metallic and Platinum White Pearl, each with a Crystal Black Pearl roof.

ZX+ Black Edition: same kit, darker mood

It has the ZX+'s equipment, but with gloss black multi-spoke R17 alloys, black door handles, an all-black cabin and piano black garnishes.

CVT or manual?

Beyond the extra 1.3km/l, the CVT brings more than convenience. It adds paddle shifters, remote engine start, an electric parking brake with auto hold and rear disc brakes (the manual has rear drums). Those features are listed as CVT-only in the brochure.

So which one?

Purely on features, and without prices to hand, the ZX looks like the sweet spot. It is the cheapest way into ADAS, the bigger screen, better sound and ventilated front seats. Pick the VX if you want the sunroof, ambient lighting and wireless charging but can live without ADAS. The ZX+ makes sense only if you really want the 360-degree camera, power seats and ventilated rear seats. The SV is best treated as a stepping stone, and the V as the minimum for a car you will live with daily.
Whichever you choose, Honda backs the car with a three-year unlimited-kilometre standard warranty, extendable to seven years, plus an Anytime Warranty of up to 10 years or 1,20,000km. Honda Connect comes with a three-year free subscription.