Honda Elevate Vs Honda City: The Complete Familial Feud Comparison

Honda has just launched the Elevate in India. The compact SUV at its core, takes the platform of the Honda City and gives it an SUV flavour, thanks to the boxy, squared-off silhouette and the obvious jump in ride height. So today, we take a look at how similar or dissimilar the two Honda offerings are, and we’ll begin with the biggest factor, price. 

Price talk

The biggest shock came in the form of the Honda Elevate’s pricing, which is aggressive, yes. But it is soo aggressive that it even undercuts the Honda City in both base-spec and top-spec guises. 

The difference in the base-spec variants of the two is Rs 57,000, while it narrows down to just Rs 5,000 between the top-spec variants. The Honda City also comes with a hybrid powertrain, which isn’t offered in the Elevate. 

Design

In a day and age where carmakers are trying new things to make their vehicles stand out, both the Honda Elevate and City design follow a rather sophisticated and classy styling language. But while the ideology behind their designs come from a similar place, the implementation is anything but similar.

Of course, being an SUV, the Elevate stands out from the City, especially with the flat nose and squared-off elements. The silhouette is of a traditional SUV with a big grille at the front flanked by sharp headlights, sitting just below the bonnet line. Even the profile and rear are straightforward, with no unnecessary cuts or creases.

In comparison, the City looks sleeker and a tad sharper. The small honeycomb grille is flanked by sharp headlights connected by a chrome strip outlining the bonnet. Its sedan silhouette is apparent in profile, while the rear is a bit sporty, thanks to the carbon fibre diffuser-like element on the bottom of the bumper.

Inside, both the Elevate and City follow a clean and simple layout. In the City’s case, the infotainment is part of its dashboard, while the Elevate’s screen juts up from above the central air vents. Both offer a similar seating setup with the wide seats and headrests. While the Elevate leans on the darker side with use of brown and black, the City offers a lighter cabin experience with black and beige hues. However, do note that the Elevate’s lower-end trims rely on the same black and beige hue as seen in the City.

Overall, both follow Honda’s sophisticated styling language, though the recipe and flavour are mutually exclusive.

Dimensions

The Honda Elevate is shorter in length, but is larger in all other measurable exterior parameters, thanks to its boxy proportions and SUV stance. But it does fall a tad short in terms of boot space, with the City boasting an additional 48 litres of stowage.

Features

The Honda Elevate and City are indistinguishable on the features front. That said, the 10.25-inch infotainment unit in the Elevate runs on a new user interface and feels better to use compared to the City’s touchscreen. 

Even in terms of safety, they are nearly identical with kit like six airbags, ABS with EBD, TPMS and ISOFIX child mounts. However, while the City features ADAS in three trims, in the Elevate, it’s limited to just the top-end. 

Powertrains

Both the Honda Elevate and City share the 121PS 1.5-litre petrol engine under their respective hoods. Even the transmission options are mutual with the same 6-speed manual transmission or an optional CVT, both sending power to the front wheels.

That said, the disparity here lies in their fuel efficiency figures. The Honda Elevate returns a claimed 16.92kmpl and 15.31kmpl with the CVT and MT, respectively. The City, on the other hand, boasts slightly better numbers with a claimed efficiency of 17.8kmpl for the manual and 18.4kmpl for the CVT.

The City also gets a self charging strong hybrid variant, while the Elevate will get an all electric derivative sometime in 2026.

Verdict

It really is hard to set the Elevate and City apart, save from their obviously different body styles. With the same list of features and powertrains on offer, the distinction becomes even harder and the last call will come down to your preference. 

Also Read: 2023 Tata Nexon Facelift: Variant-wise Powertrain Options Detailed

Yes, the Honda Elevate offers better road presence with its boxy exterior and taller ride height, but the sophistication and appeal of a sedan has its own merits. So if you’re one of the older City owners looking to upgrade in the Honda family itself, know that the Elevate will offer you a similar experience – just with different packaging. 

The only thing that the City boasts over the Elevate is the option of a hybrid powertrain, but that comes at a significant cost premium over the Elevate’s pricing. Ultimately, what we can say is that the Honda Elevate and City are alike in more ways than they are different and you won’t go wrong with either of them.