2007 Honda ELEMENT Review

Specifications

How refreshing it is when a manufacturer thinks outside the box … or in the caseof the Honda Element, inside the box. With so many crossovers and SUVs looking alike these days, I can’t help but admire the guts to go with something so unique and quirky. Initially I wasn’t keen on the design of Honda’s “box on wheels.” I thought it looked like a giant toaster. But since its arrival on the planet two years ago I’ve grown accustomed to the bold look, and I like that it’s different from all the rest.

Perhaps that’s why the Element seems to be the vehicle of choice for many business owners who want to advertise while on the road. It’s a vehicle that’s hard to miss, and the body has lots of room for custom paint and design. I’ve seen many mobile billboards for everything from carpet cleaning to dog washing to paragliding. Presumably the paragliding apparatus neatly packs away into the giant box.

When my aunt and uncle bought a new car last year, I couldn’t believethat they chose this funked up playmobile, but now I get it. Their children are all grown and out of the house. The two of them can now enjoy the finer things in life – camping, kayaking, white water rafting, mountain biking … maybe even paragliding! It’s the perfect vehicle for their lifestyle, and I love the image of them as a couple of hip, young 60 year olds! Could it be that you’re only as old as the car you drive? That theory would explain why I felt like an 80 year old granny when I had my topaz Jaguar S-Type! But I digress …

Back to the new and improved Element SC, which, incidentally, stands for “Street Custom.” This urbanite model is like GI Joe turned preppy Ken. Carpet and fabric replace vinyl and rubber on the interior. The exterior goes monochrome with a wash of really beautiful Galaxy Gray paint. It’s a rich color that takes on different hues, and once again it standsout from the crowd. For next year, the SC also gets a new color, Royal Blue Pearl. The totally put-together look is complete with 18-inch alloy wheels, which really give the SC a more balanced appearance, compared to the tinker toy 16-inch rims on the standard model. Sophisticated without being stuffy.

And speaking of not being stuffy, this baby is so roomy that no one could ever feel claustrophobic. There’s enough head room for Carmen Miranda to sit comfortably with extra room on top of her fruit basket for whipped cream (okay, I’m hoping that most people who read this have heard of Carmen Miranda. If not, go ask your mom or dad.)

With seats that configure in more positions than a Cirque du Soleilcontortionist, the versatility of the SC for hauling cargo and passengers is truly impressive. When my daughter, Aislin, discovered that she could lie down completely flat, she immediately assumed the position after a particularly grueling three hours of soccer camp. I had to wake her up after the fifteen minute drive home.

Driving this particular model equipped with a five-speed manual transmission added to the fun. In a vehicle like this an automatic transmission would be infinitely more boring. With 166 horsepower on tap, it was plucky enough to climb the hills in our neighborhood, although the engine became noisy just before 4,000 rpm, signaling that an upshift was necessary when I would have preferred more push from remaining ina lower gear. The engine could use some tweaking to reduce vibration, too. What’s more, with the windows open I noticed a constant rattling sound.

I was surprised that the box stayed as upright and stable as it did when cornering, though. The low center of gravity is a help here, along with the fact that there is more rubber gripping the road in the 18-inch tires. The larger tires and stiff suspension do detract from the smoothness of the ride, but this isn’t a luxury sedan, so I wasn’t looking for refinement in the ride quality department. Plus, if my daughter could fall asleep in the back seats, it must be pretty smooth, since she usually complains of feeling sick and often would rather sit in the front.

Having raved about all the good stuff the SC has going for it, is there any down side? Well, sometimes avant garde doesn’t necessarily equate withpracticality, and this is definitely true with certain features on the Element. Take for example the doors that open out and away from each other like a double door refrigerator. Interesting concept, but it makes getting in and out a bit of an ordeal. I took Aislin to a shopping mall where the parking spots are on the small side. First of all, I had to get out and walk around to her side and open the front door (you can’t open the back doors until the front doors are open). Then she opened her door and had to try to slide between the gap in the two doors (she is really thin and small, and I can’t imagine how anyone could have done it if they were on the chubby side). That was just the beginning. Then she had to slither around the back door, so that I could close it because (of course) you can’t close the front door until the back door is closed. Needless to say we were tired before we even began the shopping expedition! This weirdness is especially frustrating if you have kids who can’t sit in the front seat because of the airbags. The reason being that they can’t get out of the car until either you open your own door or go around and open the frontpassenger door, or they climb over into the front seat to open the passenger door. It’s a bit ridiculous, and I have to wonder why it’s not a safety issue. What happens in an accident where the driver is unconscious or worse, and there are children trapped in the back seats?

The other mysterious characteristic of the Element is that for all its roominess, it only seats four. Mind you, with the head room, you could probably get away with stacking people on top of each other, but then that is a definite safety issue. I know of one family who really liked the Element until they discovered the occupancy limit. Instead they opted for a crossover with room for seven.

Ideally, this vehicle is suited to couples or singles who need room for stuff as opposed to more people. It’s also a great vehicle for dog owners or someone who runs a dog walking service. Dogs don’t have to be in seats, wear seatbelts or worry about airbags, and they don’t have opposable thumbs, so they can’t open doors, which makes the whole door thing less of an issue. However (and this just occurs to me as I write this), the SC may be less of a draw for the dog lover than the regular Element because of its fabric interior and carpeting, which will trap dog hair like Velcro.

Other than those awkward rear doors I would be a very happy camper (literally) in the SC. Honda’s creation is well-equipped for a road trip. Just bring the coffee maker, iPod, sleeping bags, kayaks, mountain bikes, paragliders and bug spray, and you’re set!