Honda Elevate vs Hyundai Creta: A Hot Rivalry

As you may know, the compact SUV segment is currently the most popular market in the country. The Hyundai Creta and the Kia Seltos are the segment leaders, plus, they are among the bestselling vehicles in the Indian four-wheeler market.

Moreover, many carmakers keep this segment active by introducing new products despite being saturated, and the Honda Elevate is one of those offerings. That said, the Japanese automotive manufacturer is pretty late to make a foray into this segment.

Besides that, the deliveries of Honda Elevate will commence from September onwards. This SUV, however, has been unveiled by the manufacturer. The Elevate’s price will be similar to its direct rivals, such as the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Volkswagen Taigun, and the Skoda Kushaq, to name a few.    

So, let’s begin weighing these two vehicles and see how they stack up against each other in features and specifications. In addition, the launch of the Hyundai Creta facelift is also around the corner. It may launch in India by next year.

Specifications

Before jumping straight to the figures, let’s talk about the underpinnings of these two vehicles. As for the Honda Elevate, this vehicle is based on Honda’s Global Small Car platform that underpins other Honda cars, such as the fifth-gen Honda City, Jazz (fourth-gen) and the HR-V (third-gen).

On the other hand, the Hyundai Creta (second-gen) is based on the Hyundai-Kia K2 platform that underpins the Hyundai Alcazar, Kia Seltos, Kia Carens, and the internationally-sold Hyundai Stargazer. 

Now, as for the figures, the Honda Elevate will be launched with a petrol engine, first followed by a hybrid version, which is not confirmed yet. As per Honda India, the Elevate will borrow its powertrain from the Honda City. Having said that, the upcoming SUV will be powered by a 1.5-litre i-VTEC, naturally-aspirated petrol engine, which is tuned to churn out 119 bhp at 6600 rpm and 145 Nm of peak torque at 4300 rpm. This engine can be had with a standard six-speed manual and an optional CVT gearbox.

As per sources, the Honda Elevate’s price might start from Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards.

In contrast, the Hyundai Creta can be had in petrol and diesel versions. Under the hood of the petrol version, you will find a 1.5-litre MPi, naturally-aspirated petrol mill that can generate 113 bhp at 6300 rpm and 144 Nm of peak torque at 4500 rpm. At the same time, its diesel version is powered by a 1.5-litre U2 CRDi, turbocharged engine that can pump out 113 bhp at 4000 rpm and 250 Nm of peak torque at 1500 rpm.

This vehicle has a standard six-speed manual, while the CVT and six-speed torque converter are exclusive to petrol and diesel versions, respectively.

In addition, if you want to take the zero-emission route, check out the list of Hyundai cars that offer EVs in India. In parallel, Honda India doesn’t offer any electric cars, as of now.

Let’s now talk about the fuel efficiency of these two vehicles. The Honda Elevate’s mileage ranges between 15.31 km/l and 16.92 km/l. On the other hand, the Hyundai Creta’s mileage ranges between  17 km/l and 20 km/l. These are ARAI-certified mileage figures. The real-world mileage can vary with various factors, such as the engine and transmission combination, individuals’ driving styles, and local traffic conditions.

Keeping their outputs aside, let’s now jump to the suspension setups offered on these two SUVs. As for the Honda Elevate, it stands on McPherson Strut with a coil spring at the front and a coupled torsion beam axle with a coil spring at the rear. The same suspension setup is on the Hyundai Creta.

In the Honda Elevate, the braking duties are taken care of by disc-drum brakes, while the Hyundai Creta boasts all-disc brakes. It is worth mentioning that the brake setup might vary with variants. Considering the Creta price, which you can check on the autoX website, it has a good number of offerings.

Features

In terms of features (comfort, convenience, user engagement, and safety), the Korean carmaker has always been ahead. Speaking of features, the upcoming Hyundai Creta facelift is also expected to boast the Level-2 ADAS suite, as seen on its sibling, the Kia Seltos facelift.

Now, let’s start with the Honda Elevate’s offerings. It will have a floating 8-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (all wireless). It will also feature a single-pane sunroof, a wireless charger, voice command, GPS navigation, connected car technology, and USB and auxiliary ports. Other features include one-touch up/down power windows (all), electrically adjustable ORVMs, rain-sensing wipers, an electric tailgate release, a rear windshield blind (manual), and leather upholstery. Last but not least, it has a semi-digital instrument cluster.

In addition, you can check out the Honda Elevate review on the autoX website.    

The Honda Elevate will, however, miss out on a cooled glove box, ventilated seats, a sunglass holder, an electrically adjustable seat (driver’s side), ambient lighting, a fully digital instrument cluster, etc. These can be had in the Hyundai Creta.

Further, both SUVs have six airbags, a tyre pressure monitoring system, ABS with EBD, traction control, hill-descent control, hill assist, and ESP, to name a few. Speaking of safety, the upcoming Honda Elevate will be ahead of the Hyundai Creta, as it will boast a Level-2 ADAS. It will comprise features, such as automatic emergency braking, high beam assist, lane departure prevention, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and forward collision warning.

Prices and Variants

The Japanese automotive manufacturer will offer the Honda Elevate in four trims: SV, V, VX, and ZX. As mentioned earlier, it might be priced similarly to its direct rivals.

On the other hand, the Hyundai Creta is offered in seven trims: E, EX, S, S+, SX Executive, SX and SX(O). The Knight Edition is exclusive to the S+ and S(O) trims, while the Adventure Edition is exclusive to the SX and SX(O) trims. It has a total of twenty-seven variants. The Hyundai Creta’s price starts at Rs 10.87 lakh and it goes up to Rs 19.20 lakh.

All are ex-showroom prices in Delhi, as of August 2023. Please note that these prices are subject to change without any prior notice to the customer. You can, however, visit the autoX website to access the latest location-based price list for your dream vehicle. For more, visit our website or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. So, stay tuned!