Honda Element
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| Hummer Jr. |
By Richard J. Newman
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NITS: The front power outlet is placed on the passenger side, a distracting stretch for the driver. The base radio is weak. And when the rear seats are folded up against the side, they block visibility in some key areas.
G-FORCES: The 160-horsepower, four-cylinder engine provides adequate power and gets good enough mileage to keep environmentalists on Honda's side. Handling was a strong point. The Element is comfortable on curves even though it's a little wider than many drivers are used to, and very smooth on the highway for a vehicle priced well below average.
GIZMOLOGY: The dashboard is basic but user friendly, with large, graspable climate dials and radio knobs. The rear sunroof on the higher trim line is a nice touch, but it only pops out manually. Cupholders are handily placed–in both front and back–and there are lots of places to stash stuff along the dash, in the doors, and elsewhere. Hooks on the seatbacks let you hang backpacks, gloves, and other gear.
KID MARKS: Despite the spillproof, water-resistant interior and the lavish space, the Element is not a great family car. Its height made it hard for my 4-year-old son to climb into. The handles for the rear doors are high and they're located on the door jamb, an awkward location that left me running around the car to open and close the doors for my kids. All the extra legroom in the back seat means that younger ones are that much farther away from the front seat, which was a nuisance when I had to reach back to pick up a dropped toy or help wipe a nose.
HOT OR NOT? Not. But that makes it hot. The Element's snubby, oxlike build will seem homely once the vehicle's novelty wears off. Grown-ups will come to view the Element as the automotive equivalent of baggy pants–which means the teenage target audience will embrace it.
MILEAGE: The EPA has not yet rated the Element for emissions or air pollution. Mileage ranges from 21 mpg city to 26 mpg highway.
CRASH COURSE: The Element has not yet been crash tested by the government or by private testing organizations.
PRICE POINTS: Base prices range from $16,560 to $21,310. Price as tested: about $21,310. (All prices include delivery fees.)
MORE INFO: http://www.hondacars.com/models/
model_overview.asp?ModelName=Element
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Model year tested: 2003
Will baby boomers buy it? That's the worry Honda faces as it rolls out the Element, its new delivery-van-style slackermobile. Boomers' money would be welcome, of course, but their endorsement could be the kiss of death. Honda designed the sub-$20,000 Element to appeal to the hip young males who are the brand's most elusive customers. Hook them on the Element, the thinking goes, and they'll move up to more expensive Hondas as they mature and settle. But what a turnoff it would be, dude, if the parents of Generation Y started tooling around in a car meant for their kids.
The interest is certainly there. In a week with the Element, I got more unsolicited comments and sidelong glances from other drivers than I had since I drove the Hummer H2 six months ago. When I picked up my 6-year-old daughter at school, one of the moms came over and asked if the Element had a third-row seat. Another told me the Element looked cool, and she praised the urethane floor, which can be completely hosed out. I tried to explain that the Element isn't for them–and the more I drove it, the more I came to suspect that Honda is deliberately spurning boomers' tastes. Even the top trim EX is austere: There's no remote key fob for unlocking the car, and the rear windows can only be vented; they don't go down. To pop the rear door you have to first open the front one, since they latch together on the inside. That's an inconvenience older drivers probably won't tolerate. Although the Element is wide, there's only seating for four, two buckets in the front and back. And no, there is definitely no third-row option.
But my guess is that Honda has nailed the sensibilities of the 16-to-25-year-old surfer dudes and backcountry hounds it is seeking. There's a ton of sprawl space inside the Element, in every direction. The rear seat is slightly raised in a theater configuration, giving back-seaters the same commanding view as those up front. There's enough legroom in the rear to stash a backpack at your feet and still be comfortable. Headroom is copious too–the tall, boxy design leaves enough space for passengers to wear ball caps or ski hats without bumping the roof. All that maneuvering room makes the Element an inviting refuge–kind of like a kid's tree fort-as well as a comfortable ride. Then there are the multifunctional seats. The back ones can be folded up against the sides, leaving a cargo area that will fit about half a dozen beer kegs. And all four seats fold fully flat, which, in theory, means you can camp in the Element, although I'd rather pay for a hotel.
But it was the Element's road perform-ance that really made me wish I were 25 again. While it's a fairly large vehicle, the Element has the excellent handling of smaller SUVs like Honda's CRV or the Toyota RAV4. The Element's width gives it a feeling of stability and stiffness that's missing in many SUVs. Rarely did I feel the uncomfortable, top-heavy tilt that's the bane of the class. The Element felt very maneuverable on corners, and the 160-horsepower, four-cylinder engine, standard on all models, was quick, spirited, and quiet. It's not a powermonger like the H2, but the Element doesn't instantly enrage environmentalists, either. And four-wheel drive is available for those who might actually take the drivable dorm room into the surf or the woods. All in all, the Element is further evidence that youth is wasted on the young.
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