While talking to the Sales Manager about Elevate, we got to know about an Elegant Edition model in Honda City.
BHPian niwrej recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Things I like:
- High-revving engine. Switch to second gear and drive past 100 kmph @ 7000+ RPM
- Steering is an absolute joy, tuned very well. I’d say this is my favourite part of the car.
- I love the suspension. It isn’t too soft or too hard.
- Beige treatment and the overall interior feel very premium.
- Adequate cooling provided by AC unit.
- Extremely satisfying physical buttons for infotainment, AC unit, and steering wheel controls.
- Rear seat comfort. Spacious car cabin with adequate leg room.
- Seat covers provided with the Elegant Edition model feel premium and comfortable.
- Decent underchasis protection and bonnet protection.
- BMW 3 series inspired tail lights are a beauty.
- 506L boot space.
- ADAS in V variant (unlike Elevate)
- 5 star rating by ASEAN NCAP
- Elegant Edition perks and Honda Connect app.
- Honda’s reliability and low maintenance (WOM). Fingers crossed.
Things I don’t like:
- Stock factory fitted 185/60/R15 wheels.
- Paint quality is disappointing. Tiny hairline scratches everywhere are disheartening.
- Not a fan of the front chrome bar. I will probably give the Honda City RS treatment after a few years.
- ADAS is supposed to make you feel safer, not the opposite.
- No 360 Camera or side cameras in V MT.
- No ventilated seats. Available as an accessory for 6k.
- The infotainment system needs an upgrade.
- Honda Connect app isn’t the best. If you silently rest the trunk door, the app won’t say it’s open but the car instrument cluster will detect it’s open. On the contrary, no “bonnet open” warning in the car cluster but the app has it.
- Beige fabric on the sides is hard to clean and gets dirty soon.
- 6-airbags should be standard even if it’s Elegant Edition as it’s just accessories fitted on top.
History/Prelude:
Our family owned an Alto LXI which got submerged in the 2015 floods. My dad sold that to a dealer out of frustration with an insurance agent and dealership and got us a new car. I don’t know if this dealer still exists for Maruti but it’s the most fraudulent dealer we encountered. Fast forward a few months later we got a new Swift ZXI Top model Petrol in Jan 2016. It has been through some tough times. A reliable 4-cylinder machine. We usually take our car for highway trips with family until it almost faced the same fate. Ran more than 65,000 km. Got flooded in 2023 floods. Repaired it with insurance and with own money. Got it back in working condition but we decided to sell it later for various reasons. Reviewed our car exchange options and sold the car in good running condition (not to dealer).
Car Choices:
Me and my wife started looking for cars to fill the void. We thought of getting an SUV keeping the ground clearance in mind and the high seating point for parents. We also wanted something that lasts for at least 10 years with a decent maintenance cost. So we started calling Hyundai, Maruti, Nissan, and Honda for test drive appointments. The most receptive was Honda. Hyundai took ages to contact us back but called continuously afterwards. Nissan representative didn’t care if I buy or not. Maruti representative kept routing calls to other branches until we went straight to the branch itself to talk. Honda was the only brand that valued my request and continuously followed up over calls.
(*WAR – Wife’s Approval Rating)
Honda Elevate MT – I’m not going to pretend that I’m a car enthusiast here. This was my first time driving an SUV and my first on a Honda. I had a clear view of the bonnet. The suspension felt like I was on a boat or a VOLVO bus. I felt a bit of nausea due to the suspension but I enjoyed driving the car. It was a different experience. ADAS doesn’t come with the V variant like the City. There is some speed limiter set in this machine – probably for stability reasons.
WAR – 3.75/5
Honda City MT – On the same day, we requested a test drive of City MT, as my wife wanted to see what the face-lifted sedan felt like. This time it felt a lot easier to drive and it was like I drove this car before. Steering was so loose and fluid to the point that I thought at one point there was some defect with the car. It felt peppy and the rev-sound was amazing. I loved it. (I later found out that this was my wife’s dream car) BTW our focus was on getting an SUV, so we didn’t consider this seriously even after driving and loving it.
WAR – Wife’s full teeth / 5
Nissan Magnite Turbo MT – This was my wife’s favourite car when it comes to exterior look (especially the grill). She was mighty impressed with dual tone demo car that was sent to us. All the excitement disappeared once we entered the vehicle. AC’s throw wasn’t good enough. Instrument cluster from the 1990s. My seating position felt like I was trapped in a slanted bowl inside the car. My wife was sweating on the back with sub-par seats. The representative did not care whether I buy or not. He did not even attempt to market this car. Our short ride ended and my wife was very disappointed.
WAR – 1/5
Grand Vitara Smart Hybrid Sigma model – We loved this car. Jesus Christ! This thing had to be the most VFM base variant in GV. It surprisingly had more features for a base model. DRLs, 17” wheels, Keyless entry, Sliding Armrest, Stunning rear profile, Auto start/stop button, Tilt & telescopic steering, 210mm ground clearance, Automatic AC Climate Control, Mild hybrid (~2/3 Kmpl difference)
The salesperson was very knowledgeable and explained everything clearly. Cleared all my doubts. The 30k exchange bonus was enticing. The choice became easier when we realized this doesn’t come with an infotainment system (we had a spare Pioneer 5290BT which we bought for SWIFT) but had a provision for one with two speakers already fitted (if I remember correctly). Everything about this car felt amazing….until our friends got involved XL6 and GV owners started messaging about battery drain, replacement costs, warranty woes, and started scaring us about battery concerns. We had to take a step back and contemplate if we needed a smart hybrid car (And would it last for at least 10 years hassle-free?). That path lead to us dropping plans but this car stays in my heart.
WAR – 4.8/5
Hyundai Creta – We dropped this due to high cost and lower variants did not seem value for money. SX Tech and nLine models looked good but to be honest, I never liked Creta. The front grill looked odd. The back looks sexy. Overall it was a tiny tin can moving. I have experienced a lot of bad Creta drivers on the highway and I grew a deep distaste for this car. No offence to good owners.
WAR – 2/5
Other cars that I wish I researched more:
- Hyundai Venue
- Kia Carens
- Dual-tone Breeze
Decision:
We almost went with Honda Elevate at first. Talked to SA and requested another test drive. Told him we needed to see the colours in person, so drove to the showroom and saw them. We were not satisfied with the available colour schemes. Our budget was 15L, and this car came close to 20L. We could have easily bought it but we always took one or two days to decide sensibly as all the sales people tried their FOMO tactics. Capital Honda wasn’t giving us discounts either as we were keen on getting a revised edition (6 airbags standard). At this point, we wanted to try another dealer. I have to say the dealer was prompt in replying and followed up regularly (almost to the point of desperation). Even offered to park the demo car inside my narrow parking slot to see if it fit.
A friend of mine recommended to pay a visit to Sundaram Honda. While talking to the Sales Manager about Elevate, we got to know about an Elegant Edition model in Honda City. It’s the V variant with a good amount of accessories at a cheaper cost that was introduced during the 2023 Diwali season. The value was good and our focus slightly shifted towards buying a sedan. They were very patient in clearing all my doubts. I wanted an Elegant Edition offer on top of the revised edition but they said they can’t do that (EE not applicable) and there won’t be any offers or discounts for the revised editions yet. I was arguing a little but to no avail. Negotiated and got very good discounts on the current model. Total on-road price in Chennai came to 15.3L. I haven’t applied for extended warranty yet. For reference the price was 80k lower than Capital Honda. We didn’t see other sedan options from VW and Skoda because of high maintenance and negative feedback on reliability from friends and family.
Booked the car at the end of April. Got a March month VIN. The sales manager mentioned about 5-day wait time as the vehicle is transported from Rajasthan. We postponed the date to May as Dad was out of town. I requested PDI which they didn’t mind but I cancelled it as it was too far away from town and I trusted the sales manager’s word. I’d always recommend doing PDI before purchase.
Note: Honda dealership exchange (bonus) quoted way less for the SWIFT – more than 1 Lakh less to be exact compared to the company I sold to outside. Even with an exchange discount, it was not worth it. They gave to some third party and the guy did not even spend 5 minutes inspecting.
Colour choice:
Golden brown and Meteoroid Grey – We were torn between these two colors. We wanted to see both in person. At the Sundaram Honda sales branch, there was only meteoroid grey. SA offered to drive to the Anna Salai showroom to showcase the brown color. He requested me to drive but I refused as 1) I already did take a test drive with Capital Honda and 2) I wanted to experience the rear seat comfort of the car.
We reached the destination and took a solid 20 minutes to decide between the colors. Brown looked blackish but we saw a couple of aged cars outside which didn’t look that great. I believe it’s very hard to maintain (for any dark color). Grey was giving BMW vibes with a tint of blue (Got NFS Most Wanted flashbacks) and with that spoiler it looked awesome. My wife agreed and our car search ended there.
While I was there, I looked at the eHEV model of Honda City. Elegant and beautiful engineering! Too bad it’s ridiculously priced. There was a 10 lac difference between V MT and eHEV. Even if it was near 20L, I would have bought it 100%. 26+ Lacs for this car is outrageous pricing.
Delivery:
Took delivery of the car late May with dad and wife, after confirmation of invoice and payment. Signed a couple of papers and received a lot of paperwork in the dock. I paid for the steering wheel cover beforehand which they promptly forgot and said it was out of stock. They promised they’d fit it during the first service or whenever I come for a mall visit (Express Avenue is nearby). They did not force me to buy anything or offer to look at accessories. I would have bought something if they showed me a list. I later found out that they don’t have any accessories readily available. Registration was completed for the Honda Connect app during delivery. A survey was given to rate the sales experience. We visited the showroom only once for color selection, other than that everything was done at home.
Continue reading BHPian niwrej’s review for more insights and information.
