Honda Elevate facelift vs Hyundai Creta: how the two mid-size SUVs compare on price, engines and features

Honda and Hyundai have long had an interesting rivalry in the mid-size SUV segment. Honda has now launched the facelift of its popular Elevate, which competes directly with the Hyundai Creta.

The ex-showroom price of the Honda Elevate facelift starts at Rs 11.80 lakh and goes up to Rs 18.40 lakh. The ex-showroom price of the Hyundai Creta starts at Rs 10.91 lakh. The base Creta is Rs 89,000 cheaper than the base Elevate. However, because of the turbo-petrol and other top trims, the Creta's price range goes much higher, so it would not be right to decide on the base models alone. For a fair comparison, variants with similar engines and gearboxes should be compared with each other.

On size, the Elevate measures 4,312 mm in length, 1,790 mm in width and 1,650 mm in height, while the Creta measures 4,330 mm, 1,790 mm and 1,635 mm. The Elevate's wheelbase is 2,650 mm against the Creta's 2,610 mm, which means the Elevate's wheelbase is 40 mm longer. The Elevate gets 17-inch alloy wheels and the Creta 18-inch.

On engines, the Elevate has only one option, a 1.5-litre petrol engine that produces 119 hp of power and 145 Nm of torque. This is more powerful than the Creta's naturally aspirated petrol engine, which produces 113 hp and 144 Nm. The Elevate comes with a 6-speed manual and a CVT gearbox.

The Creta has more options. It has a 1.5-litre diesel engine that produces 114 hp of power and 250 Nm of torque, and the company claims a mileage of 21.8 km per litre for it. There is also a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that produces 157.8 hp of power and 253 Nm of torque. Gearbox options are a 6-speed manual or CVT, a 6-speed torque-converter automatic and a 7-speed DCT. Neither car offers a factory-fitted CNG option.

The Elevate was earlier somewhat behind on features, but the new update has largely closed that gap. It now gets ventilated seats in both front and rear, while the Creta has ventilated seats only in front. The Elevate also has front fog lamps and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. An electronic parking brake and disc brakes on all four wheels are given only in the CVT variant. The Elevate's ADAS system runs on a camera alone and works best in daylight. It has a single-pane sunroof, and it still does not get a panoramic sunroof, a diesel or turbo engine, or radar-based ADAS like the Creta's.

The current-generation Creta gets a panoramic sunroof, an 8-way powered passenger seat (the Elevate has 4-way), sunshades for the rear windows, a reclining rear seat, a tyre pressure monitor and a fully digital driver display. Its ADAS is based on both camera and radar.

So which should a buyer choose? The Elevate suits those who want a petrol engine, ventilated seats for rear passengers and better legroom thanks to the longer wheelbase. The Hyundai Creta is the right choice for those who want a powerful diesel or turbo engine, a panoramic sunroof or the safety of radar-based ADAS.