I must admit that when I first saw the Honda Element I thought it was the ugliest duckling I had ever seen. I was looking for a vehicle and thought I'd stop by the Honda Dealership and look at the new Accord, however, was I ever in for a surprise. The Element had the doors open so curiosity made me take a peek. Wow I thought, it was very appealing, so roomy and practical. I decided to take it for a drive. Needless to say I was hooked. We travel with my brother and his family quite a bit and my sister-in-law likes the Super Size Coke from McDonald's which normally ends up spilling on my interior about 3 or 4 times on any given trip. Not to worry in this vehicle. All rubber/plastic interior. It has 5 cup holders that will hold the Super Size securely and if not, so what. You can just hose out the interior. The seats are also spill proof. I thought it a little odd that the sunroof was in the rear, however, it has worked out nicely. There are several compartments for storage and the rear seats fold flat and then up to the side so you can use the Element like a truck if you need to haul something and you have the benefit of your cargo not getting wet. The seats also fold down and together to make sleeping sofas if you are interested in camping which leads me to another fine point. Honda has made several accessories available for the outdoor explorer such as privacy tent, screen for the sunroof to keep the bugs out, camping tent attachment, etc. Honda sure did their homework on this vehicle. It has all the power you need. Maybe not to go four wheeling but plenty for almost any other activity. The only downside I can see is that you have to unbuckle the driver and front passenger seat belt to let someone get into the back, but we are getting used to it and I don't think it is that big of a deal. I think color is important on this vehicle. I picked the Sunset Orange as I wanted it to be fun. Every time I get into it I don't want to get out. It drives great, looks great and is probably the best vehicle I've owned. One more thing is the visibility. It is great. Every person in the vehicle has a great view, even sitting in the back you set a little higher and can see out the front window over the person in front of you.
Amount Paid (US$): 20,510
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003