Big ticket Honda

The much-awaited Honda Elevate is here to fight it out in the lucrative mid-size SUV segment. We find out what it offers and how it performs

- Rahul Ghosh

The mid-size Honda SUV has been a long time in the making. Not just Honda loyalists, but the country, in general, have been waiting for the SUV which Honda has named the Elevate. But apart from the Honda fans, the Elevate has to impress those who are looking to make a purchase in this hotly contested segment. That's a tough task ahead then?

An SUV is well-accepted if it looks big and imposing. Hence Honda has given the Elevate a big front grille in all black. There is a chrome line going on top which merges on sleek LED headlamps and DRLs. The fog lamps sit below in a blacked-out recess. The clamshell-like bonnet not only looks impressive from the outside, but it also is a good visual when seated in the driver's seat. In the profile, there is enough plastic cladding to make it look SUVish. The only oddity then is the 17in wheels which look a tad small for a vehicle this size. While the front end is imposing, the rear end design is kept simple. There are a pair of LED tail lamps and what seems like connected lights. But they are not. A dimension check reveals that the Elevate offers a generous 2,650mm of wheelbase and is 4,312mm in length, 1,790mm in width, and 1,650mm in height.