I didn’t want Diesels and narrowed in on three models: Skoda Kushaq 1.5 Ambition MT, Seltos HTX IVT and Tata Nexon EV Max ZX+ Lux.
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The First car I bought: Elevate VX Automatic
Why the Elevate?
When I did the test drives for the car purchase research, I liked how the Honda City handled the urban roads and highways but unfortunately, I was not into sedans. A good SA experience also led to the Honda Elevate being booked. I booked the VX CVT variant in Obsidian Blue Pearl colour when the pre-bookings opened.
My Car Search Journey:
Till the later half of 2022, I was not a big car guy and I was content to get around with a moped or by public transportation or taxi services rather than a car. But the car bug bit me after a proper long trip between Chennai and Goa in a friend’s MG Hector in late 2022.
I was initially apprehensive about the long drive, but the Hector made it a breeze. The ride was incredibly comfortable, even on the rough roads of some of the smaller towns and villages in Karnataka that we passed through (the in-built navigator took us through some unusual routes). The interior was spacious and well-appointed. By the end of the trip, The comfortable ride and its features really impressed me and nudged me to buy my own. This further was fueled by my workplace’s new 3-day hybrid work policy. Work is a good 40-45 kms roundtrip from my home every workday on my moped.
I decided to start by doing test drives of all the cars that were available in the market. I wanted to get a feel for the different cars and see what I liked and didn’t like. I also wanted to compare the different features and prices. MG’s showroom experience was a disappointment, even after two showroom visits, I am yet to get a Test Drive! Also, I didn’t test drive any Toyota or Mahindra as their SAs were borderline rude on multiple occasions when I visited their showrooms. Not all were bad, Skoda and Honda SAs were very cordial and readily offered multiple test drives (even long) on request for the Kushaq and City.
Finally, after much brouhaha, I narrowed in on SUVs, the sedans and the hatchbacks didn’t interest me much. I also didn’t want Diesel. I narrowed in on three models,
- Skoda Kushaq 1.5 Ambition MT
- Seltos HTX IVT (Pre-Facelift)
- Tata Nexon EV Max XZ+ Lux (Pre-Facelift)
I liked the Citroen C3’s ride quality but the car didn’t feel right with me with missed features. Also, the Chennai dealership doesn’t even have a turbo for test drives, a year after launch. (too many red flags)
I booked Seltos and Nexon EV by the end of Juneafter extensive reading of reviews, maintenance posts, and ownership stories on them on Team-BHP. Both of them had a couple of months waiting period for the colour and model that I wanted and thank god they did.
I knew high maintenance would be an issue for the Kushaq but SC reviews from your friend’s circle really make an impact so I didn’t book the Kushaq. The SA did try to alleviate some of the pet-peeves while I appreciated his efforts, I didn’t go ahead with a booking.
I cancelled the Nexon EV booking after the SA failed to provide proper responses or any updates after a while. The Seltos booking was cancelled for its facelift.
The Hyundai Exter, Honda Elevate, and Seltos Facelift launched at the start of July, and I booked all of them.
Why not Exter? (I know Exter is an odd shortlist of my search; I myself ask the same but it just is) I booked the Exter as it was feature-packed and appealing to an extent, I test-drove it before booking, and was good within the city. My family also liked the car. I cancelled the Exter booking by the end of August after multiple requests for a delivery date were answered within a couple of weeks which never came. Also, paying a premium for a potentially less safe car didn’t feel right to me.
Why not Seltos? Seltos HTX 1.5 NA was from the start a compromise for me as it is the only option left after eliminating the Creta, Astor, or GV. I liked the turbo petrol but the HTX IVT was already exceeding my budget and my experience with iMT was not good earlier so the HTK+ iMT was eliminated. So I cancelled the Seltos booking after confirming the Elevate PDI. Kia SAs were okay and did follow-up for feedback. (which all companies should do)
Why Not Elevate the ZX CVT variant? I didn’t really feel the need to get everything the top variant offered (based on that screenshot of features across variants that were going around). I have also felt the ADAS a bit intrusive when driving on the highway at speed in the City (I won’t trust a camera-based system on Indian roads by taking my hands off; nor should you), so was content with not having ADAS. If your budget permits go for the top, I feel ADAS would be greatly useful in traffic.
The Elevate delivery experience:
A test drive and the PDI were done during the second and third week of September, and full payment was made for the car with a delivery by 23/24 September. I went with Honda Insurance because the quotes from outside were just a little less than Honda’s quote. I also took some accessories and the basic kit.
SA also conveyed they are planning a mass delivery event and will keep me informed about it. The mass delivery event was fixed on the 24th, and the car registration was completed on the 22nd. I decided to go ahead and take delivery during the event.
The organized event was good but did feel I was rushed with the documents. They didn’t have a copy of the insurance and payment receipts. I only shared the digital copies in the subsequent days and have yet to receive the documents in person.
I checked the car briefly for any damages. the ordered accessories were all installed except for the floor mats which were just in the boot in their plastic covers. The SA also didn’t have space or time for the demo of the car during the event and assured me of a detailed demonstration at my house. The SA didn’t fulfill their assurances even after the request, I did receive a demonstration when I visited their showroom later in the week.
It has been a long week after delivery and I really like driving the Elevate. The car has already been driven nearly 400 kms. I have driven it 50:50 on the highway (took the long route to the office) and the city, and here are my thoughts on the car,
What’s great:
- Elevate’s front stance is good, and it is a looker. The Obsidian Blue Pearl colour really shines during the daylight. (In some lighting angles it looks purplish but still good) If I were to select a colour then I would go with the orange which looks better in person.
- The car handles speed (within 100kmph; haven’t exceeded 100 kmph yet), turns, and bumps really well, family, friends, and colleagues all felt very comfortable in the seats both front and rear. The car does not seem to like my office’s parking speed breakers, even at slow speeds the car gets unsettled when crossing it at an angle. (when crossed straight it is fine, but these speed breakers are placed just before/after turns)
- I have made tight turns without much effort and the short turning radius really helps.
- Left Lane watch camera is a boon, eliminates that big blind spot on the left. Even with proper ORVM position, the thick C Pillar creates a big blind spot. I was shamefully surprised, too many times than I could count when the lane watch camera showed a two/four wheeler in that blind spot better than my judgment. I now activate the lane watch camera before even considering a left turn/lane change.
What’s okay:
- VX Interiors are okay. There is some flex on the panels on the door when leaning on it.
- The Sunroof is just there to justify the price not much utility.
- Lack of cruise control on the VX variant, It would have been good if it had the normal cruise control option. (maybe retrofit a CC if I really needed it later on) I will definitely miss it in the longer highway runs.
- The driver seat is a little cramped for me (I am 6’1), but is still comfortable and needs some time to get used to.
- The ORVMs are bigger than usual even when folded. I unfortunately nicked a couple of people, the side of a truck and the orvm of another car in a narrow street (with it closed). Thankfully all were at very low speeds and no injury or damage to the other party was caused (I profusely apologized). All were with the left ORVM, The chrome accessory took some scratches. (could just be me still getting accustomed to the car)
- The fuel efficiency – MID gives 8-10 kmpl reading when driving in the city and 10-15.5 on the highway (55-65 gives 15+ reading); with mixed the total MID mileage has been 9.4. Using the tankful-to-tankful method, I have a reading of 10.1 kmpl. The SA did convey 10-11 kmpl would be the norm and may increase after the 1k km service. A 5 occupants with some luggage 110 km roundtrip on the highway gave a MID reading of 11.5 kmpl.
- The engine sound – Pushing anything above 2.5k rpm gives an unpleasing grunt but one could get used to it. Highway noise also filters into the cabin above 70-80 kmph. Maybe some damping will alleviate these issues a bit. (Did find a thread where a bhpian put damping on the doors in his new city; haven’t acted on it)
- Paddle shifters – in my limited use they seem to work okay, they tend to upshift or downshift in a few seconds of taking my foot of the accelerator
- Sports Mode – gives that extra punch for easy overtaking and is very responsive. While D mode seems to hold between 1-2k rpms and S mode pushes that to around 3-4k rpm (I haven’t floored the pedal yet to cross 4k rpms)
- Steering feedback could have been better but it is just par for the course in the Elevate
- Closing the Bonnet requires a higher drop than what I have seen.
- Honda Connect experience – The app is Basic; The status of the car is not automatically updatedit records that I turned the engine OFF but doesn’t record that I locked the car and I have to refresh to update the status. The status of the car is also not fully reliable, more than once it has falsely shown me that the doors are not locked and lights are on when they were not (even after multiple refreshes). Users can only activate one option at a given time through their phone, either Unlock the doors/Turn on the AC. If I turn on the AC, I cannot unlock the doors. If I unlock the doors I cannot turn the AC on. (maybe a safety feature or a hardware limitation). Also, the App advertises the RSA status expiring in a year every time I open it which is stupid.
What’s not okay:
- The VX variant NOT getting 4 or 6 airbags, a rear center arm rest, or even a driver-side grab handle.
- The door-closing experience – it is not good either audibly or physically. Judging the closing force seems difficult for me, sometimes slow closing works sometimes it doesn’t. Multiple times I could hear the rear doors closing hard but it didn’t lock and passengers had to retry an even harder closing which pains me (new car blues).
- The driving seating position puts the IRVM right up on my face level, which hinders some visibility
- The rear door has nearly a finger width panel gap on the top side. Every time I open the rear door there is a large amount of dust collected in the door frame areas
- A lap belt for the rear middle passenger, is neither comfortable nor safe
- Not having a TPMS (at least it is there as an accessory)
What’s next? (Besides long pleasant drives)
- Get through that 1k kms service soon to rev that engine higher
- Installing a dash camera (Viofo seems better but costlier, yet to pull that trigger)
- Installing a Treel TPMS (have not asked around for the cost & installation)
- Ceramic Coating (maybe)
- Exploring damping options
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
