Honda Element 2WD EX

Honda Element 2WD EX - Intriguing stuff. After all, Honda's marketing gurus were confident they'd done their homework. They'd spent time at universities around the country, conducting workshops and asking lots of college dudes what the heck they wanted in a vehicle. The answers they got became the features incorporated into the Element: go-anywhere capability; a rugged, versatile interior with loads of cargo-carrying potential; peppy performance combined with good fuel economy; standout styling; and a price that wouldn't double the monthly rent check. How could Honda foresee that what the kids wanted was also what many of their parents sought?

In late February 2003, our front-wheel-drive Element EX landed in our Ann Arbor parking lot. Dressed in Galapagos Green paint, it came with a 160-hp i-VTEC four-cylinder engine, a five-speed manual transmission, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, A/C, a 270-watt stereo with a CD player, a urethane-coated flat floor, waterproof seats, composite body panels, and 16-inch alloy wheels. With no options on the Monroney, price as tested came to $19,110. We didn't opt for the four-wheel-drive, five-speed-manual version because we'd have had to wait for several months, and we're an impatient bunch.

The power and fuel economy put forth by Honda's bitchin' box took all of us by surprise. Myriad logbook entries reveled in the 2.4-liter's prowess: "Happy power on the country two-lanes." "The engine is smooth, lively, and quiet, even while turning 4000 rpm on the highway." One editor raved that the 2.4 had "enough power for passing in top gear." Perhaps more impressive: All that grunt still netted 25 mpg over 40,000 miles.

As a highway cruiser and road-trip car, the Element shined. It exhibited little wind noise at speed—despite its resemblance to a mail truck—and its thumping stereo, comfortable seats, and gobs of room made long excursions a breeze. Attesting to its popularity with the staff, it accrued 40,000 miles in just 10 months of duty, much of it run up on long hauls—to Arizona, California, Florida, New York, even Alaska.

"We really liked the Element for this type of trip. It held all our stuff, including a large travel refrigerator. We had no second thoughts while packing—we took everything! Still had room to use the right-side front and rear seats as a bed. This proved to be very comfortable for catnaps. We would drive 12 to 15 hours a day and felt good to go every morning. Lots of legroom, front and back. Good cruise control. Nice bins on the dash, and we really liked the cubby on the ceiling. All the controls work well and make sense.

Despite the praise, the Element wasn't faultless. Its 161 pound-feet of torque, short gearing, 56/44 front-to-rear weight distribution, and perhaps our own eagerness to plant the throttle resulted in a fearsome $285 appetite for front tires, eating up one pair of Goodyear Wrangler HPs in 12,000 miles and almost another by the 40,000-mile mark. Moreover, several staffers found the Goodyears to be harsh, noisy, and very sensitive to road surfaces—the latter a likely culprit to the rough ride on distressed pavement.

Similar to two previous long-term Hondas, the Element proved thrifty at the service department. During its tenure, it required only four services—at 10,000, 20,000, 30,000, and 40,000 miles. The bill came to $323 in all, which places it between a '99 Odyssey EX's $303 (February 2000) and an '00 Insight's $374 (May 2002).

In 2003, Honda moved 67,478 Elements, significantly more than its 50,000 target. We're not surprised, seeing that everyone here fully appreciated the Element's value, functionality, and reliability. Despite a couple of minor blemishes on the repair card, the Element easily gets our wholehearted endorsement.