Lots of people claim to "live in their cars"; do you? If so, what kind of room is your vehicle? Some are outfitted as media rooms, with high-end audio (and in some cases, video). Some are rolling offices, with clipboards and telephones and plug-in fax machines. Some might as well be school buses, with row on row of seats for schlepping the car pool to soccer or Cub Scouts. Not a few are little more than little mobile fast-food counters. The largest recent trend in vehicles in this country has been the growth of that segment labeled "Sport Utility Vehicles," some of which aren't just rooms, they're entire houses. Oddly enough, only a small minority of the vehicles assigned to this class are both sporty and utilitarian - and the majority are neither. I speak from experience, as a Honda CR-V owner.

That's one reason why the industry is buzzing over Honda's most recent entry into the crowded SUV field, the Honda Element. Allegedly targeted at that segment of the population that doesn't mute Mitsubishi commercials, the Element is an SUV that is intentionally designed to be utilitarian. Whether it's sporty or not is debatable, but it's certainly different. And if you're wondering what "room" an Element might be, it combines elements of a breezeway, a bedroom, a family room, a game room, and a garage...


Elements of Design

Built on the same basic frame as the current models of the Civic and the CR-V, the Element shares almost little (if anything) with the design of its two siblings. The body design - surely you've seen one by now - has been described as "modern milk truck," though to me it has more the profile of a 1960s vintage armored car. There's no question that the designers, following in the footsteps of Chrysler's PT Cruiser and Ford's redesigned T-Bird, hit the Element more than a few times with their "retro stick."

Nothing about the exterior resembles the more, shall we say, "sedate" appearance of the CR-V, from the boxy, squared-off front end, to the liftgate on the rear end that's flanked by conventional taillight housings. The exterior exhibits more square footage of composite (reinforced plastic) panels than "clad" vehicles half again its size - both the front and rear fenders are made of the durable black plastic, as is the entire length of the roofline above the doors and rear windows. But it's the doors that are the most striking feature of the Element's design: there's no "B" Pillar, and both rear doors open in "suicide" fashion (hinged on the rear) to form an opening that looks just about big enough to admit the Queen Mary. Looking through an Element with all four doors standing open is an awesome sight, which Honda well knows - that view shows up more than occasionally on their website and in advertisements. For numbers fans, the opening is just over fifty-five inches wide, almost the width of a small sliding patio door.


Interior

The interior has a bit more in common with the 2002 redesign of the CR-V, especially the dashboard area. The dash layout is quite similar, with a small storage tray running all along the passenger side and a little flip-out compartment on the driver's side. Like the CR-V, an automatic transmission is dash-mounted, though the Element's looks more like a conventional shifter that's sticking out of the dash. The "grab handle" motif of the CRV, which includes a dash-mounted parking brake handle, is gone, though - the Element's parking brake fits into its floor-mounted console.

Seating in the Element is limited to four, since the rear seat contains a molded console that precludes a third passenger (and there's no safety belt). The rear seats, by the way, are theater style, which affords rear passengers a good 360-degree view. Honda's banking on the extreme versatility of the seats as a major selling point: all four seats recline and fold at the touch of a button (or the pull of a strap), and the rear seats are removable - Honda claims a total of sixty-four separate interior configurations, including complete recline of all four seats to make what amounts to a rather lumpy full-size bed. One thing's for certain, all the passengers will have plenty of headroom and legroom - you could wear Hoss Cartright's 20-gallon cowboy hat and fit under that ceiling; the body is actually several inches taller than a CR-V. As to legroom, well, I don't think I've seen that much real estate between the front and rear seats since Yellow Cab stopped driving Checker Marathons. The far rear placement of the back seat, though, cuts down on the amount of cargo space available behind the seat.

The materials used to build the Element are what makes this vehicle far more utilitarian than most of its Sport "Utility" cousins. There are no carpets, no plush seats, no mouse-fur liners on the door panels and ceiling: everything is rubberized or urethane or otherwise treated to be, as Honda puts it, "crud-resistant." Instead of carpet, the floor is covered with a rubber material - all the easier to swab, or even hose out the vehicle after a trip to the beach or a weekend camping in the mountains. Note, the front seat fabric is waterproof on all models; all seats have the waterproof fabric in the EX trim.


Drivetrain

The Element motivates on the same 2.4-L inline fuel-injected 16-valve DOHC 4-cylinder engine that's used in the CR-V. Honda's high-tech i-VTEC engine - an intelligent design that can learn and "adjust to" the driving habits of two different drivers - generates 160 hp (@ 5500 rpm) and 161 lb-ft of torque (@ 4500 rpm). Transmission options include a standard five-speed manual transmission and an available four-speed automatic. The low-emission engine (rated LEV-2) is rated by the EPA at 21/25 MPG for the manual tranny, 22/26 for the automatic on regular unleaded gas. Both trim lines (DX and EX) are available with real-time 4WD, Honda's system that senses wheel slippage and directs power to either the front or two all four wheels.

Drivability

Element buyers will want to thank Honda for waiting until after the 2002 upgrade to the four-cylinder engine. With a curb weight of 3300-plus pounds, the Element would have been extremely sluggish with the 142-hp engine that preceded the current design. Even with 160 horses under the hood, my 2WD rides haven't been exactly overpowered, and the relatively high rpms needed to reach maximum torque mean the Element's a little slow on takeoff from a standing stop. Acceleration with the automatic is a hair less than sprightly, but at highway speeds is acceptable. For what it's worth, I was more impressed by the CR-V's acceleration with its five-speed manual, but all the Element models I've seen and driven so far were equipped with automatic transmissions.

The Element is equipped with the same suspension design as the CR-V; front MacPherson struts and a double wishbone design in the rear; but the suspension is tuned for a sportier feel than the CR-V. On my most recent test, I wrested the CR-V from the Ms and drove it to the dealer, then covered the same course immediately after my test drive. Though taller (by about eight inches) than the CR-V, the Element has a slightly wider track. That difference, combined with the sportier suspension, made handling on the twisties great fun. There's good connection between car and driver through a responsive variable-assist steering system. I didn't notice any plow into the turns, and there was very little evident body roll. The smallish turning radius (35 feet) made the car feel maneuverable, though it took a little getting used to. Braking was sure-footed and reliable.

The driving position is higher than that in sedans, with a seat that can be adjusted up and down. There's not a great deal of lumbar support, but the seat bottoms are firm and well-fitted. Most controls are within easy reach, though driving a manual transmission (assuming it's also mounted in the center of the dashboard) might require a stretch for anyone with a sleeve length less than my thirty-four inches. Climate controls are clearly marked -- the same three large knobs used in the CR-V -- and the stalk-mounted light and wiper controls are aalso the same. Reaching the trip-odometer button is a little tough, but the sound-system knobs and buttons are highly accessible (after all, Honda is touting the Element's sound system as a major selling point).


Safety

All Elements are delivered with two dual-stage front air bags, three-point safety belts for all passengers, adjustable seat-belt anchors, LATCH point anchors, and seatbelt pre-tensioners for the front seats. Front seat side airbags are an available option on the more expensive EX trim line. Four-wheel disc brakes are standard; ABS is standard on EX models but unavailable on the DX. An Electronic Brake Distribution system is likewise standard on EX and unavailable on DX trims.

Given the lack of a "B" pillar, Honda has paid special attention to the strength of the passenger-compartment sides. The overlap zone of the front and rear doors is especially reinforced to give extra strength to the vehicle's sides.


Amenities

The list of standard equipment is somewhat smaller than one might expect. Unlike many new vehicles, a stripped Element is, indeed, stripped: A DX model comes without the following: air conditioning, cruise control, map lights, passenger-side vanity mirror, and a sound system - all standard on the EX. A word about that sound system - it puts out 270 watts through seven speakers, and includes AM/FM, single in-dash CD player (no changer), and an auxiliary jack for MP3 or digital audio. Remote keyless entry is an available option on all trims, but a theft-deterrent key system is standard on all models.

What's standard on all is power windows and locks, a tilt steering wheel, tachometer, digital odometer with two trip meters, rear privacy glass, intermittent wipers, and a rear washer-wiper. Side mirrors on the DX are manual, they're power on the EX.

Both 4WD models come equipped with an oversized moonroof - over the rear seats; it lifts out or tilts up, but does not retract and is not powered.

An aside: from experience I can tell you that Yakima doesn't (yet) have a fit kit to mount their bars on a CR-V, though they promise to have one out this month (I'm not holding my breath). The mount point for the Element's roof rack will be every bit as odd a fit as those on my CR-V, so if you don't have a Yakima or Thule rack already, you might want to spring for the Honda roof rack and attachments. By the way, a bicycle will stand upright in the passenger compartment...


Overall

Every salesman I've talked to has said the same thing: Honda may have aimed this vehicle at twenty-somethings, but almost everyone who stops in to drive one has had at least a touch of gray in his hair - and the lookers are almost all men, by the way. A boomer type (like me) was driving every one I've seen on the road so far.

Highlights for this vehicle are easy enough to see: the versatility of the multiple- configuration seats, the ease of access for both passengers and cargo, and the utilitarian nature of the design. The odd thing about that utilitarian nature is that, even though the interior is all water- and dirt-resistant materials, it still doesn't look cheap like so many econobox sedans do. With 77 cubic feet of cargo space, you can carry a lot of stuff, and get there in style - and you don't need to worry very much about scratching the doors or getting dirt on your seats.

Handling is, as far as I could tell, also a positive factor - the little guy is sporty and maneuverable. The 2.4-liter engine is economical for a vehicle of this size, and backed by Honda's reliability - not to mention a 110,000-mile service interval.

On the less-than-high side, the car seats four - there's no legal way to carry more passengers; no way to stick a fifth passenger in the middle. The cargo room is a little limited when all four seats are in use, though the passengers sure have lots of room to stretch out.

I think Honda's put together a catchy design on a dependable platform, and - if I didn't already have a nearly new CR-V in my garage - would be seriously looking at one of these little guys. My sole worry is that somehow the vehicle won't run unless I'm wearing my baseball cap backwards!

Highly recommended...

Amount Paid (US$): 21000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: DX 2WD Automatic