Our Elevate CVT Black Edition arrived with 4921 km on the odo — so still minty — and instantly set about making life easier for us motorcycle boys. I’ve driven it from Mumbai to Pune and back thrice, ferried friends home from the airport, driven it to haul books across the city and, of course, taken it along to arduous shoot days. So far, it’s been a breezy, no-nonsense affair and while I spend most of my time driving it rather calmly, on the few occasions VTEC has kicked in (usually when I shift through the 7-step CVT manually, using the paddles), it really does produce an addictive soundtrack. I suppose there’s simply no alternative to a naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, especially when it’s made by Honda, no?
I’ve also learnt a few small things about the Elevate in the 1300 km I’ve driven it, the first of which is a large, physical button behind the wiper stalk on the dash that lets you dim the instrument cluster down to a near blackout (much like its exterior, eh?). This is a real neat touch, especially since it saves you so much strain over a night drive. Another convenient bit is a shortcut on the steering controls that lets you turn ADAS functions off. Oh, how I love not having to deal with a touchscreen of any sort! In fact, aside from an initial round of curiosity and configuration, I’ve never actually used the touchscreen for anything; the steering-mounted controls take care of most essential functions.
On a different note, the all-black exterior has been a bit challenging to keep tidy in the monsoon although it sure jazzes up the Elevate’s clean and understated design. Of course, there’s more to come from our Elevate so stick around, will you?
