I like my Element. In fact, I might even love it. I bought my E with very specific needs. I needed enough space to load an assembled real estate yard sign in, and I wanted a vehicle with good mileage, as gas was $2.00/gallon when I entered the car market. The other vehicles on my short list were the Scion XB, Honda CRV, Ford Escape and the Mazda3 hatchback. Turns out when I took my sign to the dealerships, the E (which was not on my short list) had superior space. The car I liked the best was the Mazda3, but was way too small for my needs.

I found my E on the used car lot. It had 11K miles, is an EX, and I got it $18K. The longer I own it, the more I like it. I’ve loaded it up with wood, a cement mixer, a power auger, and have taken numerous trips to Home Depot. The employees there are always shocked when they watch me pin the seats up to the side and stuff it full with my new purchases.

I read several reviews on the E before and after I bought it. While there is no such thing as a perfect car, you can’t fault a vehicle’s shortcomings for something it’s not. For example, you can’t compare the acceleration between a $20K SUV and a Corvette. And you can’t call 21-24 mpg bad, because you know of one car that gets 60. So while a vehicle can’t be all things to all people, the E is an excellent car for what it is: a car-based economical SUV. If you need luxury or sports car performance, look elsewhere. If you want a highly reliable, highly functional and highly flexible vehicle that won’t break the bank, you can’t do better than the Honda Element. A quick rant: I’m sick and tired of people saying it’s not a “true” SUV with off-road capability. First off SUV stands for Sport Utility Vehicle. Most SUV’s don’t drive sporty at all. The E does. Very sporty in fact. It has super quick steering, great braking and is really planted to the ground. That makes for a fun ride. The utility factor is very high as well. Because of its highly configurable seats and easy-to-clean interior loading muddy equipment gives nary a second thought. Lastly, how many people take there SUV’s off road? Less than 1%. So please stop saying it’s not a “true” SUV. If anything, it is the epitome of an SUV.

So here is a list of the positives about the E:
Usable Space – Pin the seats up to the wall or remove them all together. All within seconds.
Flat floor – No matter what seat configuration you use, you'll have a perfectly flat floor which makes for super easy loading and unloading.
Easy cleaning – I put muddy equipment in mine, and wiped it out with some 409 and paper towels. Wow.
Gas Mileage – Compared to my last 2 Isuzu’s, 21-24 mpg is welcome indeed.
All wheel drive – Nothing to think about. It’s on when you need it. (EX version)
Stereo w/aux – Very cool feature. Plug your iPod in and listen away.
Power Window switch – Auto down and auto up! All cars should have this.
4-wheel disc ABS – The brakes work very well in this car. Much appreciated.
Engine pickup – Good and peppy. A nice balance of torque and gas mileage.
Fun design – Hated it when I first saw it. Now I love it. Regardless, it’s a very non-threatening design. And considering it doubles as a company car, I need an unintimidating vehicle when I pull up to customers homes.
Steering radius – Best surprise of this purchase. Turns on a dime!
Roomy back seats – Rear passengers cannot believe the space they get!
Reliability – The CRV is the most reliable car on the road. The Element is based on the CRV. That can only mean good things.
Not Tippy – Some people complain, but they must not have driven any other SUV’s. By comparison, this little SUV has virtually no body lean.
View – Commanding view of the road. A true benefit to owning an SUV, even one that is car-based.
Rear Delay Wiper - When you turn it on, the wiper sweeps twice before going into the delayed pattern. It works perfect and shows great attention to detail.
Fun Factor - I suppose this is a culmination of several of the aforementioned features, but I thought it deserved mentioning nonetheless. This vehicle is very fun to drive. And that's very hard to find in an SUV. Some are a pleasure to drive, some might make you feel invincible, but this one evokes happy emotions.

Some things that could use improvement:
Torque steer – Accelerate really hard and the front-end will start pulling you around a bit. On a bright note, it’s nice to have enough torque for this be a small problem!
Noisy engine – Again, only noisy under brisk acceleration at higher RPM’s.
Rear Sunroof – Since I don’t fit the “look at the stars” demographic, this is a worthless location for me. A center panoramic power moon roof would have been much better.
Bumpy ride – This was noticeable when I first got my E, but now I don’t notice it. So either I got used to it, or the shocks softened up a bit.
Stock armrest – Too small. I’m thinking about the larger one Honda sells. My wife complains she doesn’t have one for the passenger seat. (Can you tell we also have a minivan?)
Rear windows – They don’t roll down. They do pop open, but the driver can’t control them.
Cheap feeling interior – I know it’s got this rugged/do-all surfer image thing going on, but I would have liked some carpet and cloth on the seats. In fact if Honda made a trim line higher than the EX, I would have purchased it.
Seat moves – Very annoying problem. When I accelerate, I can feel my body shift in the seat. Hopefully the dealer can fix.
Headlights blink – I’ve read there is an issue with the alternator not being correct. So when you drive down the road, the headlights go dim for a few seconds, then they go back to normal. Hopefully the dealer can fix this as well.
Needs deeper cup holders – Taller drinks tend to spill. Especially overpriced coffee. No need to stress though, clean up is super easy.
Low payload – 750lbs? What gives? I’ve maxed this out more than once. The E handles just fine at maximum capacity, so I wonder if Honda went a bit cautious with us.
Blind spots – Especially with seats pinned up. A little below average when the seats are down, too.
Cruise switch, coin box location – Honda put these on the lower left side of the steering wheel, and they are very difficult to use. Luckily, one can just leave the cruise button turned on full time.
Front Delay Wipers - They exist, but just barely. They have one measly setting with no adjustment. How much does an adjustable delay switch cost? $2? $5 at the most? Was that really going to break the bank Honda?
No Vanity Mirrors - Another $10 savings for big red.
Stereo - While Honda and many reviewers rave about the stereo, it is a bit above average at best. The built-in powered subwoofer makes a huge difference. So while the stereo has good highs, and good lows, it's really weak in the mid tones. I think some aftermarket speakers might fix the problem.
Cold Seat Material - At least in the winter. I mean C - O - L - D! Luckily, they warm up quickly.
Hokey Interior Colors - I have a black Element, so my interior color is grey. Which happens to match the other colors perfectly. I've seen other Elements that have blue colored panels which look cheesy. But to each his own.

Other’s comments:
Wind noise – Some complain, but I’ve noticed no excessive wind noise.
Rear doors – Yes you have to unbuckle and open up the passenger’s door for them. Hey, it’s the polite thing to do, so quit complaining. Just like a 2-door car, only you don't have to move your seat.
Seats 4 – But seats 4, with room to spare. Again, this is, what it is. A 4-seater.
Not for serious off-roading – Yawn.
Must add keyless entry – So pony up the $119 and be done with it. For the 2003 model, it’s an option. Honda has now made it standard.

I realize my improvement list is longer than the "Pros" list, but I'm being very picky here. This is my 7th vehicle so I've got a lot to compare it to. Overall, I really enjoy the E and the positives far outweigh the negatives. I think as I grow older, I really appreciate luxury features in automobiles, which is why I wish Honda made an upscale version of the Element beyond the EX. (Like a Pilot that looks like the E!) But for what this car is, and the low price point, one should not set unreasonable expectations. Lastly, if you’re a really shy person, you may not like this vehicle. Because people will talk to you about your Element. I’ve only owned the car for about 5 months, but I’ve had more inquiries about this vehicle than all my other vehicles combined. Pretty amazing considering the vehicle has been out over 2 years already.
Amount Paid (US$): 18,000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: Honda Element EX