Honda just refreshed the Elevate in India, and the most interesting thing about this subcompact SUV has nothing to do with what’s under the hood. That remains untouched. The real play here is ventilated seats in both rows, a feature Honda claims no competitor in the segment offers, starting at a base price of roughly $12,200.
The Elevate launched in 2023 and shares its platform with the Honda City sedan. It has also been shipping to Japan as the WR-V. Three years in, Honda clearly felt the pressure from a crowded Indian SUV market that includes the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, and the recently revived Renault Duster.
So what did Honda change? Not much mechanically. The 1.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder still makes 119 hp and 107 lb-ft of torque, still drives the front wheels only, and still pairs with either a six-speed manual or a CVT. No turbo, no hybrid, no all-wheel drive.
The styling updates amount to a new grille with a honeycomb pattern, a relocated Honda badge on the hood, and segmented LED position lights tucked between the headlights. The front bumper carries over. So do the sides and the rear.
Inside, Honda ditched the faux wood inserts for extended leatherette padding on the dashboard and added ambient lighting. The 10.25-inch infotainment screen stays put. Power front seats, rear climate vents, touch-sensitive reading lights, and remote engine start are now available on higher trims.
The ventilated seats in both rows are the feature Honda is hanging this facelift on. In India’s brutal heat, that’s not a luxury item. It’s survival gear. The Skoda Kushaq counters with rear massaging seats, but Honda is betting that cool air trumps a rubdown when it’s 45 degrees Celsius outside.
Safety-wise, all trims get six airbags as standard, and the upper models carry Honda’s Sensing ADAS suite with adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. For a vehicle at this price point, that’s a competitive package.
The lineup tops out with the ZX+ Black trim, which gets black 17-inch alloys, leather upholstery, and a darkened appearance. Priced at about $19,000, it’s more expensive than the outgoing ADV special edition. The base SV manual holds steady at the same price as before, but everything in between has crept up slightly.
Honda also offers optional accessories including protective cladding for bumpers and doors, plus chrome and dark chrome decorative inserts. The kind of dealer-installed stuff that pads margins and lets buyers customize without waiting for a factory order.
The broader context is that Honda’s position in India has narrowed dramatically over the past decade. The Elevate and the City are all they have left, while Korean, Japanese, and now Chinese brands keep flooding the segment with more powertrains, more tech, and more aggressive pricing. A facelift with ventilated rear seats and a new grille pattern isn’t exactly a counteroffensive.
These updates will almost certainly migrate to the Japanese-market WR-V, which rolls off the same production line in Tapukara, Rajasthan. Whether Honda has something more substantial planned for the Elevate’s next generation remains an open question, one the company has so far declined to answer.
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