2026 Honda Elevate New Vs Old: Here Are The Major Changes With The Facelift
With the facelift, the Elevate now gets sharper looks inside and out, while also featuring some useful additional equipment
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The facelifted Honda Elevate has gone on sale in our market, three years after it was introduced. With this refresh, the SUV gets a better design inside and out and comes with an updated equipment package. But how different is the new SUV from the one it replaces? Here’s a closer look at what has changed and what hasn’t.
Exterior
The facelifted Elevate continues with the large grille (finished in gloss black) as the pre-facelift model, but now has a honeycomb mesh-like pattern. The older version's chrome grille slab has been replaced with a 3-part LED light bar, and the Honda logo has moved from the grille to the top of the bonnet.
Honda has not made any changes to the dual-projector LED headlights offered with the SUV that also feature the eyebrow-style LED DRLs. The triangular-ish housing for the LED fog lamps remains unchanged too, and so has the silver-finished skid plate in the bumper.
One of the most identical profiles between the older and newer versions of the SUV has to be its sides. Honda has hardly made any revisions in this case, even in the design of the 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels.
Other similar elements include silver-finished roof rails, big wheel arches, chunky black cladding, and body-coloured door handles as well.
The LED tail lights now feature a full lighting setup, unlike the older model whose central piece was just a connecting element and didn’t illuminate completely. No other major changes have been made at the rear, and the SUV continues to sport the ‘Elevate’ and ‘i-VTEC’ badges on its tailgate. The bumper, however, does get a tweak along with a silver-finished skid plate here too.
Colour Options
Honda offered the pre-facelift Elevate in a total of 11 colour options, including three dual-tone shades. The facelifted SUV, on the other hand, comes in 10 colourway choices, which we have covered in detail to help you pick the most preferred shade of your liking.
Interior
The 2026 Honda Elevate has an ivory and black cabin theme, unlike the tan and black combination that was available with the older model. Honda has also made the central AC vents slimmer, but the 3-spoke steering wheel and front centre armrest have been retained.
Just like the older model, the updated Elevate is equipped with adjustable headrests for all occupants. That said, the rear fold-out armrest is still present in the updated SUV too.
Features And Safety
With the refresh, Honda is offering the Elevate SUV with features such as a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, ambient lighting, ventilated and powered front seats, and first-in-class rear ventilated seats as well. It has, however, continued with features such as a wireless phone charger, automatic climate control, a single-pane sunroof, and a fully digital driver instrument cluster.
Its safety suite now comprises front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree camera with blind view monitor, electronic parking brake, and improved Level-2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Also, it continues to get six airbags (as standard), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), electronic stability control (ESC), and ISOFIX child seat mounts.
What About The Powertrain?
Honda has not tinkered with the powertrain setup of the SUV. The facelifted Elevate still uses the same naturally aspirated (N/A) petrol engine as the predecessor, which is offered with a 6-speed manual transmission and 7-step CVT.
Here’s a look at its technical details:
| Specification |
1.5-litre Naturally Aspirated (N/A) Petrol Engine |
| Power |
121 PS |
| Torque |
145 Nm |
| Transmission |
6-speed MT, CVT* |
| Claimed Fuel Efficiency |
15.31 kmpl, 16.61 kmpl |
*CVT - continuously variable transmission
Price And Rivals
Towards the end of its lifecycle, the pre-facelift model was priced from Rs 11.81 lakh to Rs 16.98 lakh (ex-showroom pan-India). The facelifted Honda Elevate, on the other hand, is priced in the range of Rs 11.80 lakh to Rs 18.40 lakh (introductory ex-showroom pan-India).
It competes with the Tata Sierra, Hyundai Creta, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Volkswagen Taigun, Renault Duster, Skoda Kushaq, Nissan Tekton, Kia Seltos, Maruti Grand Vitara, MG Astor, Maruti Victoris, and Citroen Aircross. It also takes on similarly sized and priced SUV-coupes such as the Tata Curvv and Citroen Basalt.
CarDekho Says…
The 2026 Elevate’s update is more of an extensive upgrade than a complete transformation. Honda has retained the SUV’s familiar proportions and powertrain, but has given it a noticeably bolder face and, more importantly, added several features that were missing from the pre-facelift model.
With the facelift, Honda has surely upped the design and worked on making the cabin look and feel even more upmarket. The features list has expanded as well, with some useful inclusions that will surely add to the overall comfort and convenience aspect of the SUV. The unchanged 1.5-litre petrol engine may sound like a missed opportunity on paper, but it was never really the weak link. With the facelift, Honda has instead focused on making the overall package more feature-rich and competitive, and that, in our books, is the more important change.
What do you feel about this update that the Elevate has got? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to CarDekho for more in-depth content on the Honda Elevate facelift.
