The mid-size SUV segment is growing rapidly in India, as several carmakers made a foray into this market. Now, as for the Honda Elevate, the Japanese automotive manufacturer has unveiled one of their important products in India. Although Honda India is pretty late to the party, the question remains: will they be able to spice up the party again?
In this competition, the competitors include the Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, MG Astor, Toyota Hyryder, and the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. It also competes with the Citroen C3 Aircross. That said, the Honda Elevate’s price will also be similar to its rivals.
So, let’s see how the Honda Elevate goes off against the Volkswagen Taigun.
Specifications
For Volkswagen India, the Taigun is an important product, alongside other VW-Group cars: the Volkswagen Virtus, Skoda Kushaq and the Skoda Slavia. These four vehicles are based on the MQB-A0-IN platform, which is made in India for India. In addition, the vehicles that are based on that platform have achieved to be among the safest vehicles in India. The Global NCAP awarded five-star ratings (adult and child protections) to the MQB-A0-IN-based vehicles.
On the other hand, the Honda Elevate is based on Honda’s Global Small Car platform that underpins other Honda cars: the fifth-gen Honda City, Honda HR-V and the Honda Jazz.
Keeping that aside, these two SUVs locally-produced SUVs are available in petrol only. The main difference is the availability of a turbocharged engine. It is confirmed that the Honda Elevate will be powered by the Honda City-sourced petrol engine. That said, it will be the 1.5-litre, i-VTEC, naturally-aspirated engine, which is tuned to churn out 119 bhp at 6600 rpm and 145 Nm of peak torque at 4300 rpm. It will be mated to a standard six-speed manual and an optional CVT gearbox.
On the other hand, the Volkswagen Taigun has two options: a 1.0-litre TSI and a 1.5-litre TSI. For your reference, the ‘TSI’ moniker used by Volkswagen Group indicates a petrol engine. All TSI engines have a standard turbocharger. All the new-age Volkswagen cars in India are available in petrol only.
The 1.0-litre (999cc) turbocharged petrol mill is tuned to pump out 114 bhp at 5000 rpm and 178 Nm of peak torque at 1750 rpm. In parallel, the 1.5-litre TSI can pump out 148 bhp at 5000 rpm and 250 Nm of peak torque at 1600 rpm. It is coupled with a standard six-speed manual transmission. But in automatic, the 1.0-litre is exclusive to the six-speed torque converter, while the 1.5-litre is exclusive to the seven-speed DSG gearbox.
As far as fuel efficiency is concerned, the Honda Elevate’s mileage ranges between 15.31 km/l and 16.92 km/l. At the same time, the Volkswagen Taigun’s mileage ranges between 17.23 km/l and 19.20 km/l. In addition, the Taigun can be very fuel efficient, especially the powerful 1.5-litre engine, as it has an auto-deactivation cylinder that functions in certain situations for improved fuel efficiency. The Taigun price, especially the 1.5-litre version starts from Rs 16.26 lakh (ex-showroom).
Please note that these are ARAI-certified mileage figures. However, it is worth mentioning that the real-world mileage figures can vary with various factors, such as the engine and transmission combination, individuals’ driving styles and local traffic conditions.
Other Mechanical Offerings
The Honda Elevate stands on a McPherson Strut with a coil spring at the front and a torsion beam with a coil spring at the rear. A similar suspension setup can be found in the Volkswagen Taigun, as it has a McPherson suspension and stabiliser bar at the front and a twist beam axle at the rear.
As far as braking duties are concerned, both have a disc-drum setup. In this segment, the Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Hyryder offer all-disc brakes. All-disc brakes offer a superior braking performance than the disc-drum brakes.
But given the Volkswagen Taigun price, the German carmaker should have offered all-disc brakes in some of the variants, if not all.
Safety Features
In terms of safety features, the most notable offering in this comparison is the availability of the Level-2 ADAS. It can be had in the Honda Elevate. The Level-2 ADAS suite comprises automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning with prevention, adaptive cruise control, and high-beam assist. It also features a lane-watch camera.
You can check out the Honda Elevate review to know more about this upcoming SUV.
However, most of the safety features are identical in both cars, such as six airbags, ABS with EBD, traction control, tyre pressure monitoring system, child-seat anchorages, brake assist, ESP, etc. In addition, both are equipped with connected car technology from which one can access the car’s live location, last parked location, geofencing, and other important features. Further, both vehicles have an auto-dimming IRVM, a reverse camera with guidance, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, and automatic headlights. But, unlike the Honda Elevate, there are active cornering lights offered on the VW Taigun.
Besides that, the Volkswagen Taigun is one of the safest SUVs in India. All the MQB-AO-IN-based vehicles have secured top ranks in the list of safest cars in India.
Other Features
The Honda Elevates gets a semi-digital instrument cluster, while the Taigun gets a fully-digital cluster. Besides that, the latter has front-ventilated seats (cooling function only), while the former misses out on that.
Further, both vehicles have a single-pane sunroof, electric ORVMs, auto HVAC, LED headlights with LED DRLs, headlight height adjuster, and voice command. Unlike the Taigun, there are one-touch up/down windows (all) in the Honda Elevate. The former also boasts a factory-fitted rear windshield blind.
The Volkswagen Taigun has a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, while the Honda Elevate has an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment unit. Both have Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (all wireless). In addition, they also boast a wireless charger, USB and auxiliary ports.
In addition, you can check out the in-depth analysis of this German SUV. Head to the Taigun review here.
Besides that, the Honda Elevate doesn’t get ambient lighting, while the Taigun does.
Prices and Variants
The German carmaker offers the Taigun in two broad trims: Dynamic Line and Performance Line. It has a total of thirteen variants. In addition, it has received a few new colour schemes. This German SUV has a starting price of Rs 11.62 lakh and it goes up to Rs 19.46 lakh.
On the flip side, the Honda Elevate will be offered in four trims: SV, V, VX, and ZX. The Elevate’s price will be similar to its direct rivals. 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!
