<strong>Whoever said that the Element is "boxey" was RIGHT.
And that's why I like it. It looks like a mini H2, it has that EARTHMOVER industrial use look that I mentioned before.
But check THIS out:
I went by the dealership today and took a look at it. The salesman came out and had to move it up onto the display island but told me to hop in and come for a ride around back before he put it there.
I like the ride, it's standard Honda-style "competent". He said that it didn't feel like driving the Odyssey minivan, more like driving a Civic...just higher off the ground. That's how it felt to me too. It had that "tight" Honda feel. It's not a racecar. He said that he owned a Cobra and that he preferred a fast car, but that he was impressed with the features of the Element (what, a SALESMAN who is "impressed" with a car he has for sale? Who'd've thunk it?).
It feels van-like in the seats. You're up higher than you are in the Civic. I like the recumbent laid-back feel when I'm driving, not the sitting-in-a-chair feeling. I'm sure I could adjust though.
The way the seats swing up to the side is gimmicky and look to be potential vision-blockers. Not sure how I feel about that.
The B-pillar only occurs when front and back doors are closed. This could be a problem, I need to look at the NSTB crash results for the Element (and the others too).
He had to jump the battery because the overhead lights had been on all day because of people looking inside the car. He switched them off after he jumped the battery. That's one thing I want in my next car is a smart switch-off system. I hate coming back and finding that I've left my lights on.
The MINI has rain sensors built in, did you know that?
I had an '89 Trooper! I loved that thing. and your right unfricken stoppable! caught air in a few times. I should post some photos. Mechanics loved it too. I miss mine as well, why they still don't make them is beyond me. nothing will every fit four mnt bikes five people and gear ever. and with the roof rack.. well you could move a house.
now she sleeps at my cabin in the mountains and waits till someone goes skiing <we use it as a shuttle bus now as it won't do the long trek back to Calgary from Golden anymore>
Glad to hear someone else loved the trooper.
flick.
Edit: oh yeah reson for post. Element is lame.. not Manual for 4wd? anyone that does any offroading knows this is just stupid I did like it til I saw that.
I find the Element's fuel numbers very disapointing, but I don't find it as objectionably styled as some of you. As a mini-ute it does have a kind of tech-tro utlity about it, kinda like what a beat up land rover would look like in Beijing in 2035. The Aztek certainly is ugly, the Element OTOH, while not beautiful, is functional and small, weird in a way entirely suitable to what it purports itself to be, but come on, Corvette fuel economy numbers from a small four banger? Not good. Then again, GM rarely gets credit for the near bullet proof reliability and surprising fuel economy of it's pushrod engines.
The 3800 V6 is impressive on long stretches of highway, I've driven it to NY and back a few times now, easily the equal of a revvy 2L four as far as economy goes. The gearing helps too, but you're never lacking for power, a steady 140KPH (about 80-90) gets you home in smooth quiet fashion. The car is floaty, very buick, not tuned for performance, but the mechanicals are perfectly reliable (as are the electrics!), the body is free of rust, and it has yet to show any serious hints of age.
Small engines pushing too much weight don't seem to produce the fuel economy people expect. Once you start to revv those little 4's, you're highway mileage tends to go way down. Big engines aren't the enemy neccessarily.
Chevy's 5.7L is an amazing piece. It's smaller than a DOHC engine of the same displacement would be, pretty light for it's size, and it delivers great economy for the power it puts out. What's more, chevy will eke still more power and economy from the engine, cast even more of it in Al, making it even lighter still. It doesn't sound sexy but it's easily the equal of much more complex and expensive engines from BMW, Merc, and even Ferrari.
Why GM doesn't make a beautiful sporting sedan, NOT a holden, get someone from Italy to design it, fer chrissakes Guigario and Pinifarina are always looking for work, and drop in a 5.7 Al engine, I've no idea, but it would rock.
<strong>I find the Element's fuel numbers very disapointing, but I don't find it as objectionably styled as some of you. As a mini-ute it does have a kind of tech-tro utlity about it, kinda like what a beat up land rover would look like in Beijing in 2035. The Aztek certainly is ugly, the Element OTOH, while not beautiful, is functional and small, weird in a way entirely suitable to what it purports itself to be, but come on, Corvette fuel economy numbers from a small four banger? Not good. Then again, GM rarely gets credit for the near bullet proof reliability and surprising fuel economy of it's pushrod engines.
The 3800 V6 is impressive on long stretches of highway, I've driven it to NY and back a few times now, easily the equal of a revvy 2L four as far as economy goes. The gearing helps too, but you're never lacking for power, a steady 140KPH (about 80-90) gets you home in smooth quiet fashion. The car is floaty, very buick, not tuned for performance, but the mechanicals are perfectly reliable (as are the electrics!), the body is free of rust, and it has yet to show any serious hints of age.
Small engines pushing too much weight don't seem to produce the fuel economy people expect. Once you start to revv those little 4's, you're highway mileage tends to go way down. Big engines aren't the enemy neccessarily.
Chevy's 5.7L is an amazing piece. It's smaller than a DOHC engine of the same displacement would be, pretty light for it's size, and it delivers great economy for the power it puts out. What's more, chevy will eke still more power and economy from the engine, cast even more of it in Al, making it even lighter still. It doesn't sound sexy but it's easily the equal of much more complex and expensive engines from BMW, Merc, and even Ferrari.
Why GM doesn't make a beautiful sporting sedan, NOT a holden, get someone from Italy to design it, fer chrissakes Guigario and Pinifarina are always looking for work, and drop in a 5.7 Al engine, I've no idea, but it would rock.</strong><hr></blockquote>
gm may design some good engines but their design teams nead to be shot. they make some of the lamest assed cars around. i would rather eat my own poo, than ever own the vast majority of their cars. poo i say, poo.
also keep in mind that the back seats can be completely removed, and since they are hinged on the side instead of the floor, it allows for a COMPLETELY flat surface on the floor, leaving a huge space in the back to put a wide range of things in it without bumps or an odd shaped floor surface.
great set of pics dstranathan--i'm loving this lil car more and more now...
honda does what apple needs to do--great innovation (that part apple does great) at a very affordable price...
Yeah, the salesman showed me the rear seat fold-up trick.
There are two yank-cords for the seat. A black one on the bench portion of the seat lays the seat out flat, a yellow one down near the floor releases it from the floor. Once it tilts up you take a cable with a little caribiner on it and just clip it to the oh-shit handle. That part was a little less-refined than I had imagined, but it works.
The "failures" I foresee are the cloth seat pulls starting to look ratty in three or four years, or a short intense period of heavy use. The oh-shit handles may get all chewed up by people rapidly slipping the 'biner on and off of the rubber/plastic handle.
The seats that were in the model I sat in seemed really cheap. The seats in my Civic are that soft velour-like cloth. The stuff in the Element was more of a nylon-esque, luggage-like cloth. The seats didn't look to be long-term comfortable. Older folks probably won't like this feature, young-uns won't mind.
I opened the rear hatch to see how high it lifted. In my hiking boots I'm around 6' tall and the hatch was JUST above my head, so not a lot of EXTRA room. The fold-down gate is nice, the little plastic extender covers the gap, providing a continuous surface to slide things in and out of the vehicle.
I glanced at the iPod thingy up front, there were two jacks. One is a power jack, the other is the MP3 player jack. I think they both have rubber stopper plugs when not in use.
The gauges are weird up front...the plastic covers are actually CONES with the center of the cone extended toward the driver. I'm sure that this does not affect the driver's ability to read them, it's just odd.
drew, was that seat fabric the water resistant stuff? Honda's got a goofy marketing term for it.
I saw a few at the Deroit Auto Show, and, for me--a 36 year-old guy that lugs a drum kit, a big dog, no kids, has a girlfriend that loves rummage sails, and wants to continue to drive a 5-speed--this is the perfect car. That it has a jack for my iPod and can be mopped out are bonuses.
<strong>drew, was that seat fabric the water resistant stuff? Honda's got a goofy marketing term for it.
I saw a few at the Deroit Auto Show, and, for me--a 36 year-old guy that lugs a drum kit, a big dog, no kids, has a girlfriend that loves rummage sails, and wants to continue to drive a 5-speed--this is the perfect car. That it has a jack for my iPod and can be mopped out are bonuses.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yup. I'm with ya! Haul your crap, and look good doin' it.
<<Mock it all you want, but 163 HP and 155 lb-ft in a 2500 pound car is plenty of power. I'm perfectly fine with its electronically limited 136 MPH too.>>
wow it's got just about the same power as my 15 year old bimma...lol.....and a car note to boot!..nothanks.
I don't wanna climb mountains. See the word "KC" next to my name? I'm in Kansas City. Ain't no moutains here. I DO want to be able to drive over curbs, park on the grass at concerts and events, and go camping. The Element will get me there, I'm sure...
"Riced-Out"? Let's NOT go there.
"Balls"? I'm not looking for tons-o-power and thrust. As long as I get to point B without causing a war or drilling for oil in Alaska I'm happy. The Element ain't a Freakin' "good-ol' boy" Ford Ranger.
I get the feeling that you have a gun rack in the back of your truck, eh?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Sorry if I touched a sore spot. I just think the Element is way too prissy. It looks like a delivery truck or a soccer mom mobile. If that works for you, then have a hoot.
Gun rack? Nope. The guns in my car aren't exactly legal. I have to keep 'em in the trunk and under the seat.
Well, I went to 3 dealers today and test drove the Element. Overall I am impressed. It looks better in person than it does in pics.
The inside has TONS of headroom. The composite parts are pretty cool. I love the suicide doors. The rear seats have more leg room than I imagined- lots more. The tach panels are simple and low-key.
It was fun to drive. Stiff and zippy.
I think I will buy one!
Element EX
Black or silver?
4 WD
Sunroof
AC
Alloy 5 spoke wheels
Power windows
Rear wiper
Keyless entry
Automatic
Stereo/CD
7 speakers (sub)
A few add-ons (rack, seat covers, chrome tail pipe, etc)
<strong>Not so fast. American cars have come a long way. I've got an almost 9 year old buick with 150000Km that has never needed anything but regular maintainance. If you make a list of commonly serviced parts -- brake components, rads, alternators, rotors, etc etc... you find that japanese parts often cost 50-100% more, at least here in southern Ontario, and probably anywhere around the great lakes.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I've got a '93 Olds Achieva that has broken through 150,000 mi, and I have no motivations to retire it! Paint looks like hell, but she runs and runs good!
Comments
<strong>ok, i think that the aztek is the ugliest car on the road, but the element is most assuredly giving it a run for its money.
It is frickin butt stinking ugly!!!
get a Chevy Tahoe, as long as they haven't made the headlights those ridiculous avalanche style.</strong><hr></blockquote>
The Tahoe is not in the same price range.
<strong>the good thing about the element is that it gets really good gas mileage. something like 21 city, 24 highway
my friend bought one, i kinda like, it's unique looking , unlike all the other SUV, seen one, seen 'em all BORING!
the people who buy the element aren't sheep, like most americans</strong><hr></blockquote>
'Nuff said! :0)
<strong>Whoever said that the Element is "boxey" was RIGHT.
And that's why I like it. It looks like a mini H2, it has that EARTHMOVER industrial use look that I mentioned before.
But check THIS out:
I went by the dealership today and took a look at it. The salesman came out and had to move it up onto the display island but told me to hop in and come for a ride around back before he put it there.
I like the ride, it's standard Honda-style "competent". He said that it didn't feel like driving the Odyssey minivan, more like driving a Civic...just higher off the ground. That's how it felt to me too. It had that "tight" Honda feel. It's not a racecar. He said that he owned a Cobra and that he preferred a fast car, but that he was impressed with the features of the Element (what, a SALESMAN who is "impressed" with a car he has for sale? Who'd've thunk it?).
It feels van-like in the seats. You're up higher than you are in the Civic. I like the recumbent laid-back feel when I'm driving, not the sitting-in-a-chair feeling. I'm sure I could adjust though.
The way the seats swing up to the side is gimmicky and look to be potential vision-blockers. Not sure how I feel about that.
The B-pillar only occurs when front and back doors are closed. This could be a problem, I need to look at the NSTB crash results for the Element (and the others too).
He had to jump the battery because the overhead lights had been on all day because of people looking inside the car. He switched them off after he jumped the battery. That's one thing I want in my next car is a smart switch-off system. I hate coming back and finding that I've left my lights on.
The MINI has rain sensors built in, did you know that?
Anyway, the BOX ROX in a lot of ways.
.
[ 03-05-2003: Message edited by: drewprops ]</strong><hr></blockquote>
I need to go check one out soon. Test drive maybe. I like the box-like industrial look also. Good observation. Thanks for the review!
I had an '89 Trooper! I loved that thing. and your right unfricken stoppable! caught air in a few times. I should post some photos. Mechanics loved it too. I miss mine as well, why they still don't make them is beyond me. nothing will every fit four mnt bikes five people and gear ever. and with the roof rack.. well you could move a house.
now she sleeps at my cabin in the mountains and waits till someone goes skiing <we use it as a shuttle bus now as it won't do the long trek back to Calgary from Golden anymore>
Glad to hear someone else loved the trooper.
flick.
Edit: oh yeah reson for post. Element is lame.. not Manual for 4wd? anyone that does any offroading knows this is just stupid I did like it til I saw that.
[ 03-05-2003: Message edited by: Flick Justice ]</p>
The 3800 V6 is impressive on long stretches of highway, I've driven it to NY and back a few times now, easily the equal of a revvy 2L four as far as economy goes. The gearing helps too, but you're never lacking for power, a steady 140KPH (about 80-90) gets you home in smooth quiet fashion. The car is floaty, very buick, not tuned for performance, but the mechanicals are perfectly reliable (as are the electrics!), the body is free of rust, and it has yet to show any serious hints of age.
Small engines pushing too much weight don't seem to produce the fuel economy people expect. Once you start to revv those little 4's, you're highway mileage tends to go way down. Big engines aren't the enemy neccessarily.
Chevy's 5.7L is an amazing piece. It's smaller than a DOHC engine of the same displacement would be, pretty light for it's size, and it delivers great economy for the power it puts out. What's more, chevy will eke still more power and economy from the engine, cast even more of it in Al, making it even lighter still. It doesn't sound sexy but it's easily the equal of much more complex and expensive engines from BMW, Merc, and even Ferrari.
Why GM doesn't make a beautiful sporting sedan, NOT a holden, get someone from Italy to design it, fer chrissakes Guigario and Pinifarina are always looking for work, and drop in a 5.7 Al engine, I've no idea, but it would rock.
<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/dstranathan/PhotoAlbum9.html"; target="_blank">http://homepage.mac.com/dstranathan/PhotoAlbum9.html</a>;
[ 03-05-2003: Message edited by: dstranathan ]</p>
<a href="http://www.edmunds.com/news/autoshows/articles/53156/page003.html"; target="_blank">http://www.edmunds.com/news/autoshows/articles/53156/page003.html</a>;
<a href="http://www.elementownersclub.com/"; target="_blank">http://www.elementownersclub.com/</a>;
<a href="http://www.popsci.com/popsci/bown/article/0,16106,387667,00.html"; target="_blank">http://www.popsci.com/popsci/bown/article/0,16106,387667,00.html</a>;
<a href="http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/HondaElement/Index.htm"; target="_blank">http://www.familycar.com/RoadTests/HondaElement/Index.htm</a>;
<a href="http://info.detnews.com/autosconsumer/autoreviews/index.cfm?myrec=184"; target="_blank">http://info.detnews.com/autosconsumer/autoreviews/index.cfm?myrec=184</a>;
<a href="http://www.autoworld.com/mess/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=19&TopicID=45"; target="_blank">http://www.autoworld.com/mess/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=19&TopicID=45</a>;
<a href="http://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews/firstdrives/articledisplay.asp?articleid=409"; target="_blank">http://www.roadandtrack.com/reviews/firstdrives/articledisplay.asp?articleid=409</a>;
<a href="http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/new/reviews/summ/index.cfm/id/37154.htm"; target="_blank">http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/new/reviews/summ/index.cfm/id/37154.htm</a>;
<a href="http://www.suvxccessory.com/xccessory/2003-honda-element-review.html"; target="_blank">http://www.suvxccessory.com/xccessory/2003-honda-element-review.html</a>;
<a href="http://www.bullz-eye.com/carreviews/2002/hondaelement.htm"; target="_blank">http://www.bullz-eye.com/carreviews/2002/hondaelement.htm</a>;
<strong>I find the Element's fuel numbers very disapointing, but I don't find it as objectionably styled as some of you. As a mini-ute it does have a kind of tech-tro utlity about it, kinda like what a beat up land rover would look like in Beijing in 2035. The Aztek certainly is ugly, the Element OTOH, while not beautiful, is functional and small, weird in a way entirely suitable to what it purports itself to be, but come on, Corvette fuel economy numbers from a small four banger? Not good. Then again, GM rarely gets credit for the near bullet proof reliability and surprising fuel economy of it's pushrod engines.
The 3800 V6 is impressive on long stretches of highway, I've driven it to NY and back a few times now, easily the equal of a revvy 2L four as far as economy goes. The gearing helps too, but you're never lacking for power, a steady 140KPH (about 80-90) gets you home in smooth quiet fashion. The car is floaty, very buick, not tuned for performance, but the mechanicals are perfectly reliable (as are the electrics!), the body is free of rust, and it has yet to show any serious hints of age.
Small engines pushing too much weight don't seem to produce the fuel economy people expect. Once you start to revv those little 4's, you're highway mileage tends to go way down. Big engines aren't the enemy neccessarily.
Chevy's 5.7L is an amazing piece. It's smaller than a DOHC engine of the same displacement would be, pretty light for it's size, and it delivers great economy for the power it puts out. What's more, chevy will eke still more power and economy from the engine, cast even more of it in Al, making it even lighter still. It doesn't sound sexy but it's easily the equal of much more complex and expensive engines from BMW, Merc, and even Ferrari.
Why GM doesn't make a beautiful sporting sedan, NOT a holden, get someone from Italy to design it, fer chrissakes Guigario and Pinifarina are always looking for work, and drop in a 5.7 Al engine, I've no idea, but it would rock.</strong><hr></blockquote>
gm may design some good engines but their design teams nead to be shot. they make some of the lamest assed cars around. i would rather eat my own poo, than ever own the vast majority of their cars. poo i say, poo.
great set of pics dstranathan--i'm loving this lil car more and more now...
honda does what apple needs to do--great innovation (that part apple does great) at a very affordable price...
There are two yank-cords for the seat. A black one on the bench portion of the seat lays the seat out flat, a yellow one down near the floor releases it from the floor. Once it tilts up you take a cable with a little caribiner on it and just clip it to the oh-shit handle. That part was a little less-refined than I had imagined, but it works.
The "failures" I foresee are the cloth seat pulls starting to look ratty in three or four years, or a short intense period of heavy use. The oh-shit handles may get all chewed up by people rapidly slipping the 'biner on and off of the rubber/plastic handle.
The seats that were in the model I sat in seemed really cheap. The seats in my Civic are that soft velour-like cloth. The stuff in the Element was more of a nylon-esque, luggage-like cloth. The seats didn't look to be long-term comfortable. Older folks probably won't like this feature, young-uns won't mind.
I opened the rear hatch to see how high it lifted. In my hiking boots I'm around 6' tall and the hatch was JUST above my head, so not a lot of EXTRA room. The fold-down gate is nice, the little plastic extender covers the gap, providing a continuous surface to slide things in and out of the vehicle.
I glanced at the iPod thingy up front, there were two jacks. One is a power jack, the other is the MP3 player jack. I think they both have rubber stopper plugs when not in use.
The gauges are weird up front...the plastic covers are actually CONES with the center of the cone extended toward the driver. I'm sure that this does not affect the driver's ability to read them, it's just odd.
that's enough for now.
I drove by a dealer today and saw a blue Element wayyy in the back, but it was getting dark so I didn't stay long. I will test drive one this weekend.
What's your favorite color???
I like the black, the silver, and I kinda like the tan too.
I saw a few at the Deroit Auto Show, and, for me--a 36 year-old guy that lugs a drum kit, a big dog, no kids, has a girlfriend that loves rummage sails, and wants to continue to drive a 5-speed--this is the perfect car. That it has a jack for my iPod and can be mopped out are bonuses.
<strong>drew, was that seat fabric the water resistant stuff? Honda's got a goofy marketing term for it.
I saw a few at the Deroit Auto Show, and, for me--a 36 year-old guy that lugs a drum kit, a big dog, no kids, has a girlfriend that loves rummage sails, and wants to continue to drive a 5-speed--this is the perfect car. That it has a jack for my iPod and can be mopped out are bonuses.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yup. I'm with ya! Haul your crap, and look good doin' it.
wow it's got just about the same power as my 15 year old bimma...lol.....and a car note to boot!..nothanks.
<strong>
I don't wanna climb mountains. See the word "KC" next to my name? I'm in Kansas City. Ain't no moutains here. I DO want to be able to drive over curbs, park on the grass at concerts and events, and go camping. The Element will get me there, I'm sure...
"Riced-Out"? Let's NOT go there.
"Balls"? I'm not looking for tons-o-power and thrust. As long as I get to point B without causing a war or drilling for oil in Alaska I'm happy. The Element ain't a Freakin' "good-ol' boy" Ford Ranger.
I get the feeling that you have a gun rack in the back of your truck, eh?</strong><hr></blockquote>
Sorry if I touched a sore spot. I just think the Element is way too prissy. It looks like a delivery truck or a soccer mom mobile. If that works for you, then have a hoot.
Gun rack? Nope. The guns in my car aren't exactly legal. I have to keep 'em in the trunk and under the seat.
The inside has TONS of headroom. The composite parts are pretty cool. I love the suicide doors. The rear seats have more leg room than I imagined- lots more. The tach panels are simple and low-key.
It was fun to drive. Stiff and zippy.
I think I will buy one!
Element EX
Black or silver?
4 WD
Sunroof
AC
Alloy 5 spoke wheels
Power windows
Rear wiper
Keyless entry
Automatic
Stereo/CD
7 speakers (sub)
A few add-ons (rack, seat covers, chrome tail pipe, etc)
<strong>Not so fast. American cars have come a long way. I've got an almost 9 year old buick with 150000Km that has never needed anything but regular maintainance. If you make a list of commonly serviced parts -- brake components, rads, alternators, rotors, etc etc... you find that japanese parts often cost 50-100% more, at least here in southern Ontario, and probably anywhere around the great lakes.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I've got a '93 Olds Achieva that has broken through 150,000 mi, and I have no motivations to retire it! Paint looks like hell, but she runs and runs good!
[ 03-08-2003: Message edited by: Randycat99 ]</p>