The Elevate facelift uses the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. It produces 121 PS and 145 Nm, paired with either a 6-speed manual or a CVT with 7-speed paddle shift mode.

No turbo-petrol, diesel, hybrid, or CNG powertrain is available in the lineup.

ARAI-certified fuel efficiency is 15.31 km/l for the 6-speed MT and 16.61 km/l for the CVT. With a 40-litre tank, the theoretical range is around 612 km for the MT and 664 km for the CVT. Real-world range will vary with traffic, load and driving style.

The facelift brings a noticeably more upmarket feel to the cabin. A dual-tone Ivory-Black theme runs through most of the lineup, finished with soft-touch material on the dashboard and door lining on upper trims, with leatherette door armrest pads adding a step up in tactile quality. Exclusive leather upholstery comes in on upper grades.

Wrap-around Active Orange ambient lighting covers the instrument panel, all four door linings, the front footwell, and the centre console pocket, and the effect is cohesive without being overdone.

Two of the more meaningful new additions are front and rear ventilated seats. Rear seat ventilation is uncommon in this segment at this price, and its inclusion on the top grades addresses a genuine comfort gap the original Elevate had.

Power-adjustable front seats, with 8-way adjustment for the driver and 4-way for the front passenger, round out what is now a considerably more comfortable front row.

The upper trim infotainment setup centres on a 10.25-inch floating IPS touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an exclusive sub-display area with clock, calendar, and compass, and an 8-speaker surround sound system with four tweeters.

Honda Connect telematics with Alexa and smartwatch compatibility, wireless phone charging, USB-C ports front and rear, and a PM2.5 AQI display with auto clean air function are also part of the package on mid and upper grades. Boot space is 458 litres.

The New Elevate's dimensions are unchanged at 4,312 mm long, 1,790 mm wide, and 1,650 mm tall, on a 2,650 mm wheelbase. Ground clearance remains at 220 mm, which continues to lead the mid-size SUV segment. Turning circle radius is 5.2 metres.

The front gets the biggest visual rework. The Bold Mesh Grille with gloss black upper moulding is wider and more textured than the outgoing piece, and the Rugged Tri-Bar Signature LED position lights give the car a distinctive and recognisable face that the original never really had. LED projector headlamps are standard across the range, and LED projector fog lamps come in on upper trims.

Gloss black treatment extends across the lower front garnish, side garnish, fender garnish, and rear lower bumper on higher grades, reinforcing the rugged SUV stance.

Along the sides, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels in Berlina Black and dark clear finish feature on mid and upper grades, with gloss black painted multi-spoke units exclusive to the Black Edition. An electric sunroof with slide-tilt and pinch guard, automatic folding ORVMs with a welcome animation, and roof rails come in on mid-to-upper grades.

At the rear, the new full-width Connected Signature LED tail lamp is the headline change. It runs across the full width of the tailgate to give the car a considerably wider and more modern impression from behind. Lower trims carry a different LED tail lamp without the connected treatment.

Seven colours are offered: Nordic Forest Pearl (new), Obsidian Blue Pearl, Radiant Red Metallic, Lunar Silver Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Meteoroid Grey Metallic, and Crystal Black Pearl. Nordic Forest Pearl, Radiant Red Metallic, and Platinum White Pearl are available in dual-tone options with a Crystal Black Pearl roof.

The original Honda Elevate earned a 5-star Global NCAP rating, and the facelift carries over Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure, designed to disperse front collision forces across a wider area.

Six airbags covering dual front, front side, and curtain positions are standard across the entire lineup, with all five seats getting adjustable head restraints and three-point ELR seatbelts. Energy-absorbing pretensioner front seatbelts with load limiters and ISOFIX-compatible rear side seats are also standard throughout.

Active safety across the range includes ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Vehicle Stability Assist with Agile Handling Assist, Hill Start Assist, Brake Override System, and an Emergency Stop Signal. A rear camera with multiple view modes, automatic headlamps, headlight integration with wipers, and a rear wiper come in on mid-range grades.

Honda SENSING covers Collision Mitigation Braking System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Road Departure Mitigation, Lane Keeping Assist, Lead Car Departure Notification, and Auto High-Beam.

New to this facelift is Low Speed Follow on CVT models, which maintains a set distance from the vehicle ahead in slow traffic without requiring constant driver intervention.

The top ZX variant adds a 360-degree Surround Vision Camera with multi-view and front parking sensors. Electric Parking Brake with Auto Brake Hold is available on CVT models.

The Elevate facelift's three closest rivals are the Hyundai Creta, the Kia Seltos, and the Maruti Grand Vitara.

The Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos both offer turbo-petrol, diesel, and electric powertrain options that the Elevate cannot match with its single naturally aspirated petrol. For buyers whose usage pattern includes long highway runs or those in households with high monthly mileage, both rivals offer more choice.

The Elevate counters with Honda SENSING's Low Speed Follow on CVT as a segment-first addition, rear ventilated seats unavailable on either the Creta or Seltos at comparable prices, and a proven reliability track record on the 1.5-litre petrol platform.

The Maruti Grand Vitara makes the strongest efficiency argument in the segment through its strong-hybrid variant, which returns over 27 km/l in ARAI testing. It also offers CNG and an AWD option, none of which the Elevate provides.

The Elevate's 220 mm ground clearance, however, leads the segment and exceeds the Grand Vitara. Honda's 3-year unlimited-kilometre warranty extendable to 10 years is also a longer baseline ownership promise.