Honda Elevate Apex Edition Review

It is based on the V and VX trims of the car and gets a price hike of only Rs 15,000 over those trims.

From the silhouette the car remains largely unchanged but you do get subtle changes. For instance, the front end now gets chrome embellishments around the fog lamps area. You also get fake skid plates below the front bumper. On the sides, you now get ‘Apex’ edition logos to mark it as unique. The back end is similar but you do get chrome surrounds for where the exhaust would have been in the bumper area.

Other than that you get the same design which is bold and boxy. It looks god from all angles and should stand the test of time. The side profile with its 17-inch alloy wheels design also looks very cool and the ground clearance also shows from the side profile.

The interiors of the car have a major update. You now get ivory white colours for the cabin and the seats are in leatherette instead of beige fabric like on the other trims. The centre console and door pads also get generous amounts of this white ivory shade and leatherette along with black plastic inserts. The colour scheme is similar to the one found on the Hyundai Creta and lifts up the cabin experience. What buyers will also like is the ‘A’ logo embossed in the seats both in the front and at the back.

But that is not the end of the party tricks. You also get ambient lighting options to choose from inside the cabin with a dedicated button near the right side of the driver. The ambient lighting runs across the front dashboard and also on the door panels. This also lifts up the cabin ambience.

The back seat remains just as roomy as before and the car offers the best back seat experience on any car in the midsize SUV segment. The added bonus is the largest in segment boot.

While the engine remains the same for the Apex edition, we felt it was a good opportunity to check out what a brilliant motor this car has to offer. The car came to us was the CVT automatic and it was indeed an enjoyable experience. The steering is the best amongst its peers offering a very direct experience without feeling overtly heavy. The engine responds well from low rpms but as the revs mount it does tend to become buzzy. Performance is brisk and you can easily tap into the power reserve of this 118bhp engine to get the best from it.

The suspension set up is also the best on the Elevate. While other midsize SUVs feel stiff, this one has a well balanced set up offering good comfort without compromising on overall agility.

The Elevate now comes with six airbags as standard across the range. The VX trim we shot here has all the ingredients to make it a good personal choice for mobility. It is priced only at a premium of Rs 15,000 over the VX trim which makes it good value too. The Elevate is a well engineered car that promises to deliver on a great ownership experience. Check the Apex edition out at a Honda dealer.