Honda South Africa has made a strong statement with the release of its new Elevate compact SUV. This model stands out for its exceptional packaging, build quality, value-for-money, and efficiency in a hotly contested segment in the local market.
Honda started 2024 with a bang, launching the 6th-generation CR-V in South Africa followed by the more affordable Elevate compact SUV.
In terms of trim levels, customers can choose between Comfort and Elegance. The Comfort is equipped with a six-speed manual and the Elegance makes use of a CVT transmission. Serving as the source of power is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that has outputs of 89kW of power and 145Nm of torque.
Honda claims fuel consumption figures of 6.7-litres per 100km for the manual and 6.1-litres for the CVT, on a 40-litre tank of fuel. The unit we had on test was the flagship Elegance and comes with all the bells and whistles, like a wireless phone charger, six airbags, reverse camera, automatic headlight functionality, six-speaker sound system, LED foglights and sunroof. The Comfort trim comes with LED headlights, keyless entry and automatic climate control.
Rivals
The Elevate will have to make good use of its proverbial boxing gloves because there’s plenty of competition locally, including the Haval Jolion (R348 350), Hyundai Creta (R458 500), Suzuki Grand Vitara (R347 900) and Toyota Urban Cruiser (R342 500).
It might be (slightly) pricier than most of its main rivals, but that's because of what you get as standard for the R369 900 starting price. The entry-level Creta, for example, doesn’t come with LED headlights (and daytime running lights), has a smaller boot (416-litres) and has no automatic air conditioning with rear ventilation. The Creta costs almost R100 000 more as well, though no one can top their 7-year manufacturer warranty.
Inside and out
Lunar Silver Metallic, Phoenix Orange Pearl, Meteoroid Grey Metallic, Radiant Red Metallic, Platinum White Pearl and Obsidian Blue Pearl are the body colour options to choose from. The Elegance also comes fitted with roof rails, 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels and a gloss black front grille.
The interior is well-packaged and doesn’t give you any inclinations that Honda skimped on anything – like build quality, for example. The dash section is comprised of primarily hard plastic but not the squeaky or brittle kind. Also fitted is an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen that comes complete with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality, a 12V socket and two USB ports.
The interior is covered in artificial leather while rear seat space is generous and can comfortably accomodate three adult passengers, even those with slightly longer legs. This is one of those cars that might look small on the outside but proves otherwise when you get inside. Also, the Elevate has the largest luggage capacity in its class, at 458-litres.
Behind the steering wheel is a 7-inch TFT multi-information display with menus that can be accessed via the steering wheel. A cool feature is the ability for the driver to dim or brighten the instrument cluster with ‘-’ and ‘+’ indicators. While the infotainment screen interface is basic, it is so simple to connect a smartphone with prompt inputs.
The drive
The CVT transmission is not everyone’s favourite due to the infamous drone sound, but it drives smoothly and keeps the fuel consumption down. At one point, our lowest fuel consumption figure sat at 5.6-litres, which is well lower than the claimed figure. The CVT drone becomes audible under hard acceleration.
If there was a downside to the Elevate, it is that it doesn’t have cruise control to give the right foot a temporary break on those often-boring long highway drives.
On the 40-litre tank, I managed to drive a total distance of 560km before I had to find the nearest petrol station. The 1.5-litre engine is a fuel sipper and brings full circle the three important factors that most customers look for, with the other two being affordable and good build quality.
Spec pricing and aftersales
Elevate 1.5 Comfort Manual - R369 900
Elevate 1.5 Elegance CVT - R429 900
Included in the price is a 5-year/200 000km mechanical warranty, inclusive of roadside assistance for the same period, and a 4-year/60 000km service plan.
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