When looking for my next vehicle, I wanted something that was fun to drive, yet be comfortable on road trips. I also wanted something with enough space to take all of our stuff camping and on trips.

I test drove the Ford Escape, Toyota Matrix, 4Runner, Chevy Trailblazer, Blazer, and the Isuzu Axiom. Yep, I was all over the place. But the Element came out on top.

The looks are one its strong points, for me. I don't go for conventional vehicles (and I can't afford a Hummer). The storage capacity is great, as well as the decent gas mileage.

After buying our Element, we went on a 450 mile road trip that weekend. We drove long distance, on highway and country hilly roads, camped over two nights, and drove in downtown Houston traffic. The Element was outstanding in all of those conditions. The most fun I had driving it was in the hill country outside of Austin. The roads we were on were paved, but hilly and winding--they were a lot of fun to drive. The Element handled superbly. Our came with a dark tint on the windows--I highly recommend it if you live in a sunny warm climate. It really keeps the temp down.

I won't regurgitate the marketing--all of the features raved about are pretty useful. Test drive one yourself, and sit in the lot for a while playing with the seats and stuff.

Bad stuff: The steering wheel tilt lever sticks out under the wheel, and I keep hitting my knee on it. My wife did too, so it's not just me. Also, unless I get the seat adjusted just right, the steering wheel hides the top part of the speedometer. The passenger seat seems a little low. This is one vehicle which most people won't lack headroom in!
This vehicle doesn't have too much power to spare (it isn't a hot rod or a vehicle designed to tow a heavy trailer). But I found it has enough power to feel safe on the highway when merging and passing. It has more pickup than my old S10 Blazer V6.

Wish list: I wish the locks would lock automatically when I start the car.

What are you waiting for? Go test drive one!
Amount Paid (US$): 20,300
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: EX 4WD AT