Cape Town winters have a personality disorder. One minute it’ s sunshine worthy of Sea Point selfies, the next, it’ s raining sideways with the enthusiasm of an overachieving car wash. This was my week with the Honda Elevate.
The Elevate doesn’ t scream for attention. It doesn’ t arrive wearing a designer suit or trying to prove it’ s the fastest SUV in the parking lot. Instead, it quietly gets on with the job, like that dependable friend who always remembers the snacks on a road trip.
And honestly? That’ s its superpower.
The elevated driving position immediately gives you confidence. Whether you’ re navigating Cape Town’ s potholes, climbing steep suburban streets, or squeezing into a parking bay at the V & A Waterfront, visibility is excellent. You feel like you’ re driving above the chaos rather than through it.
Under the bonnet sits Honda’ s familiar 1.5-litre naturally aspirated i-VTEC petrol engine producing around 89kW and 145Nm of torque. On paper, those
82 INBOUND SA / SEPTEMBER 2026