The Indian mid-size SUV market has grown a lot in the last few years, with a lot of competition from both Indian and foreign carmakers. Honda is well-known in India for its dependable sedans and hatchbacks. In 2023, the company entered the competitive SUV market with the Elevate. In 2025, the updated Honda Elevate comes out with small design changes, improvements to the interior, and special editions that are meant to make it more appealing to buyers who care about style and want more features.
Let’s take a closer look at the 2025 Honda Elevate, including its design, performance, features, price, and how it compares to other cars in the same class.
New design and style updates
The 2025 Honda Elevate still stands tall and proud, but this year Honda has made the SUV look more expensive and unique. The new “Alpha-Bold Plus Grille” is the most noticeable change. This new grille has nine vertical slats and a thick chrome surround. It replaces the old horizontal grille that was on older models. It gives the front of the SUV a more aggressive look. It’s standard on the new Signature Black Edition, but it’s an option on other models.
Honda has added Crystal Black Pearl to most trims’ exterior colors, giving customers more choices. But this color choice isn’t available on the base SV trim. The Black Edition and Signature Black Edition make the car look even better by adding blacked-out parts like alloy wheels, grille accents, roof rails, and dark chrome badging. These changes make sure that the Elevate stays up to date with style trends seen in competitors like the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta.
Updated Interior: Comfort with a Touch of Luxury
The 2025 Elevate has a more polished and comfortable cabin when you step inside. Honda has added new upholstery and color schemes to improve the look and feel of the interiors, even though the basic layout is still the same. The top-of-the-line ZX model now has a classy Ivory interior with white leatherette seats and soft-touch surfaces on the dashboard and door pads. The cabin looks bigger and brighter with this color scheme.
The V and VX trims now have black fabric seats instead of the old shadow beige ones. They also have soft-touch dashboard materials that match. The Signature Black Edition goes even further by adding ambient lighting in seven colors, which gives it a modern luxury feel, especially at night.
The layout is still useful and easy to use, but the overall quality of the materials, touchpoints, and dashboard design has gotten a lot better. This makes the Elevate a more appealing option for both city families and tech-savvy drivers.
Performance: The i-VTEC engine keeps going strong
Honda still uses its reliable 1.5-liter i-VTEC naturally aspirated petrol engine, which is also found in the Honda City. This engine makes about 121 PS of power and 145 Nm of torque. The Honda engine may not have the same outright performance as some competitors’ turbo-petrol engines, but it is known for being smooth, delivering power in a straight line, and being reliable over time.
People can choose between a 6-speed manual transmission and a 7-speed CVT automatic. Both work well for driving in the city and on the highway. The CVT is very smooth and makes driving easy, especially when there is a lot of traffic.
The Elevate is said to get 15.3 km/l (manual) and 16.9 km/l (CVT) under ARAI test conditions, which is pretty good for fuel economy. These numbers may change in the real world, but they are still good for a petrol-only SUV in this class.
Well-Balanced Offering of Features and Equipment
The Elevate comes with a lot of great features, especially in the higher trims. Some of the most important features are a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, automatic climate control, push-to-start, connected car technology, and a 7-inch digital driver display.
The top-of-the-line ZX version has more high-end features, such as a 360-degree camera, a lane watch camera, LED projector headlights with DRLs, six airbags, cruise control, and ambient lighting. But it’s important to note that some of these features are only available on the highest trims and not on the base or mid-level trims.
Honda has made sure that the Elevate meets modern safety standards by adding features like Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist, ABS with EBD, and six airbags on the top trims. However, it doesn’t have ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), which are becoming more common on competitors like the MG Astor and Honda’s own City Hybrid.
Space in the trunk and how useful it is
The Honda Elevate has a great trunk space of 458 liters, which is one of the best in its class. The back seats can be folded down in a 60:40 split, which makes it easy to carry luggage on long trips or fit big things in the car. The car’s everyday usefulness comes from things like its ground clearance, door pockets, center console storage, and rear AC vents.
The back seat is pretty comfortable, with enough legroom and headroom for three adults. However, the middle passenger may find the seat a little hard because of the center hump.
Prices and a breakdown of options
Honda has set the price of the Elevate so that it appeals to a wide range of customers. As of 2025, the prices in India for the ex-showroom are about:
- SV (Base) – ₹11.91 lakh (only for manual)
- V – ₹12.39 lakh (CVT or Manual)
- VX: ₹14.14 lakh (Manual or CVT)
- ZX: ₹15.51 lakh (Manual / CVT)
- ₹15.59 lakh for the ZX Black Edition
- ₹15.71 lakh for the ZX Signature Black Edition
The Elevate is a good deal in its class because of its low maintenance costs and the fact that the brand is known for being reliable.
Competition and Positioning in the Market
The 2025 Honda Elevate is up against a lot of other cars in its class, like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, and MG Astor. Honda has a long history of making high-quality cars, and the Elevate has a smooth petrol engine. Now, it has new styling and interiors that set it apart.
That being said, other companies have more powertrain options, like turbo-petrols, diesels, and even strong hybrids. Some of them also have ADAS and panoramic sunroofs, which the Elevate doesn’t have. People who want performance or cutting-edge technology may prefer other brands, but people who want a reliable, no-nonsense SUV will like the Elevate a lot.
In conclusion, a small change that makes it very appealing
The 2025 Honda Elevate doesn’t come up with a whole new idea, but it does improve on the one that made the SUV popular in the first place. Honda has made sure the Elevate stays competitive in a tough market by adding tasteful design touches, making the interior more comfortable, and releasing special editions.
The Elevate doesn’t have a lot of different powertrains or some high-end features, but it makes up for it with its smooth ride, usefulness, and brand trust. This is the best choice for people who want a dependable family SUV with modern features, a stylish look, and everyday usefulness—all backed by Honda’s well-known service network.