Likeable vehicle Stadium seating in the rear Rear leg room

Steering wheel blocks view of speedometer Would have liked a beefier engine choice No manual override of 4WD

Let's face it...we all started looking at a number of cars and ended up here with an Element. It wasn't my first choice, but was my final. I am a single guy with a need of versatility in my vehicle. I had spent the last nine years with a Ford F150 short bed with a fiberglass cap. The truck worked great for me. I needed the ability to control the climate in the rear of the vehicle however, with three dogs either freezing or roasting without heat or air conditioning. Four wheel drive was also something I desired, but could likely live without. After many road tests, I narrowed my choices to the Toyota Tacoma and the Honda Element. The extended cab with the Toyota TRD package was fantastic to drive and the bed offered me the cargo space I had grown so used to. Unfortunately, the dogs would suffer the same lack of climate control. The Element offered me so much flexibility short of a cargo space for yard waste and the like. I still have a flat bed trailer that, with a little dilegence and common sense, can be pulled by the Element. And of course the price was a big difference. Unfortunately I was not able to purchase the vehicle from the same source the Toyota would have come from. The dealer and my family are long time associates and I would have been much more comfortable with them. The Honda dealership has lauded it's service as second to none with four president's awards. I guess we'll see if that really means anything to the consumer now! As in any vehicle purchase...ask me five years from now how good the choice really was.

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Honda products Valkyrie Tourer VTX 1800C ST1300ABS

Space, unique look, robust body, visibility, stability. All around fun, great for summer!

Headlights flicker (dealer says due to alternator problem) We want to replace the goodyear tires that came with the car to improve stability and road noise. These are not good for snow and traction

We were attracted to this vehicle first because of it's very European style. Being from Europe, I was excited to try it out and after the first test drive we knew this was what we wanted. It is very powerful and has a nice ride for a 4 cylinder. Offers a lot of comfort and space. Fits both tall and small great. Amazing sound system. We like that all for chairs are reclineable and the skylight is awesome. We had some bad luck with having an accident where the front driverside bumper was damaged along with the front wheel.With all those parts having mostly plastic along with the strength of the car, our car had only torn-up plastic with no real body damage. If we get the chance in a couple of years we'd like to get the EX 4WD automatic. We're enjoying being able to add onto our DX awd automatic with extras from the dealers. HOnda was a BIG upgrade for us and we are very happy so far!

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94 Chevy S10 Blazer, pontiac grandam 91 Neither of which even deserve a review

Versatility, cargo volumn, relatively low price, Honda reliability and performance from both the drive train and 4 wheel disc brakes..

The lower rad, condenser is fairly exposed to debris, rocks etc and in my opinion should be better protected. Some owners have addressed this by installing grill protection such as one from Cloud Rider. You can notice strong cross winds but no more than in a Chryler or Ford van, both of which I have owned.

This is a follow up to my posting of August 2003. I am still very impressed with this vehicle and have now been through a very cold Canadian winter. The Element never failed to start in the cold but on occasion in the early cold mornings the remote would not unlock the doors and I had to use the key. This was addressed by my dealer at a regular service interval however I don`t know if the fix was effective as the weather was milder by then. The heater provided ample warmth during the cold spells. Stock all season tires are only adequate in the snow and should be replaced with dedicated winter tires if you really have to venture out. We have two other cars with winter tires so this wasn`t really an issue.I continue to be impressed with the size of cargo it can carry, the latest being some 8 foot rough oak planks I had to transport for finishing.I simply put the front passenger seat and one rear seat into the horizontal position, covered them with a blanket and layed in the wood across the seats.After the winter it was great to simply mop the salt and dirt off the floor and not have to worry about damage to carpet (which this vehicle does not have).I now have about 15,000km on it and have had no problems.

the sheer utility of the thing; stereo system; lack of carpet; front compartment areas; drivability; room for stuff; tall people friendly; short people friendly; LATCH car seat system

glove box could be a bit bigger; only seats four; there's no 'lock all the doors' button on the passenger side door; must educate passengers to shut the back doors first (front doors dependent on back doors to shut)

I've only had my Element for two weeks, but I have been extremely satisfied so far. I have already hauled a full-size dresser with a mirror along with three plants and other sundry items in one trip alone. Last weekend I got to experience the versatility combined with the easy-clean interior when I had to load my two cats and their paraphenalia into the Element during an absolute downpour. I just popped open the back hatch, chunked the kitties in the cargo area, then I let my rain-soaked self into the driver's side and made my way to the back of the vehicle to bring the kitties to the back seats to secure them. The inside of the Element was dry in about 30 minutes, leaving no stains or 'wet people' odors. Driving is great fun; you get used to the roomy front very quickly. Now when I hop back in my company truck I feel claustorphobic. The Element has great get-up-and-go; it never feels sluggish. I also never have any trouble locating my Element in a parking lot. No more wondering around lost in parking decks for me! Some people think it's ugly; I just call it post-modern. The back seats are very easy to move about into the hanging position. This is fantastic for me; I am a genuine weakling so I get an ego boost when I effortlessly lift up that seat. So far, so good; I am loving my Elliott!

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none yet but the in-laws just bought a CR-V; I'll be able to make comparisons later

great front visability; superb sound system; dashboard within easy reach; a lot of leg room for people in back seat; seats can be removed or flipped up for easy hauling; peppy engine; great value for money compared to other SUV's

road noise probably because of no carpet; windy days tend to move it around a little

This is my first Honda and so far I love it. I call it my "Mini Hummer." It's so ugly that it's cute! Every 4 cylinder car I've had the engine has been sluggish. That's why I got the 5 speed manual transmission. The clutch is hard to reach, however, if you're a short person like me. It's got a lot of pep and it's fun to drive. My husband even enjoys driving it. With no carpet it's easy to keep clean especially when hauling my dog to the vet.

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Test drove Hyundai Santa Fe but resale is not as good as the Honda

space. 24 mpg. stereo. agility. two adults and a dog and sleep inside: kind of a "micro" RV

reactive awd: does not prevent traction slippage

wow. fun funkwagon with great hauling space for a compact suv. 5spd handles great and accelerates well: 0 to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds.

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wrangler

ride,drive,brakes,dependability,room,versitility,good mpg,fun,4wd,solidness and looks! Sound system is also nice!

could use seat wamers and side mirror defrosters, 40 mpg! Hybird cometh?

Wow, I have read an lot of information concering demographics and why people just love or hate this vehicle so I decide to add my opinion to all the rest. We all know what opinions are like! I fall into the upper end of the demographic profile. I'm a 52 year old ex hippie/vet/soon to be grandpa that likes to enjoy his time playing guitar, camping and fishing and I don't give a rat's ass whether or not someboby doesn't like what I have chosen to drive. I now own a vechile that meets my needs. It is the best all around package for me. It's a blast to drive, doesn't suck up too much petrol, doesn't keep me at the dealership getting repaired and can haul almost everything I will ever need to haul.(they have rentals for everything else!) This car makes sense for me. It does all things well and will get me to and fro during our New England winters. It may not impress everybody in the neighborhood or my friends but It sure impresses me! I guess that part of what comes with growing older besides the extra aches and pains. You learn to appreciate the freedom to choose without a second thought about what another person thinks. This car is great and would meet or exceed the needs of anybody in any generation without the need to haul more than 3 humans plus yourself at any given time. The only option that is required is an independent mind!

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Honda CR-V, Chevy Pickup, Big bad Buick Wagon!

Easy to clean, fun to drive, flip up or take out seats, 4WD that drives like a car, suicide doors, and it's a Honda! And so much fun! People stop me in parking lots and ask to see it. Definitely will get you a lot of attention!!!

If I could make any changes, I would want the sunroof in the front instead of the back of the vehicle, and a larger gas tank would really fit the bill. But these are marginal weaknesses.

The Honda Element is unlike any other car, truck, or SUV on the road. It is the most user friendly vehicle that I've ever owned! The suicide doors, although I wasn't sure about them at first, make loading and unloading a breeze (kids and cargo!). The Element is so easy to clean, inside and out, and stays clean thanks to no carpet and fuss-free seats. Mud and dust are a snap to clean up; you don't even need floor mats! I just wipe out the floor with a wet towel and it's clean! There is very little sway, even with the height. And it is very manuverable to park, even more so than my Accord. The back tailgate and lift up hatch are a nice touch too, as this makes unloading cargo a breeze. It's like Honda built a truck just for me - a horse owner and mom who needed the utility of a truck with the feel of a car!

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Nothing similar on the market in my opinion!

+ Scored High In Consumer Reports + Honda Reliability + All purpose vehicle + Good price + The EX has a lot of good amenities + 4x4

+ Interesing look (not necessarily a weakness though) + Limited to 4 passengers, but those four passengers have a LOT of room + Moon/Sun Roof location should be optional... if possible + Not priced low enough for its intended target age

I recently bought an Element and am really satisfied. I did quite a bit of research that included Consumer Reports. This vehicle scored incredibly high in almost every catagory. Predicted reliability was perfect. To be quite honest, I really wanted to buy an American vehicle this time around (I get a GM discount), but after reading Consumer Reports, I just couldn't bear the thought of having to deal with all of the problems. Been there, done that with every Ford I've owned in the past. What I had been looking for was a vehicle I could safely transport my two kids, something that got good gas mileage, something I could carry lumber and home improvement products in, something that looked good, something no higher than $20K, and something that had 4 wheel drive. Those were my heavy hitters. I looked at other vehicles, but this one seemed to be the best fit... not in all areas, but more than any other vehicle. I have to say the look IS quite interesting... my wife says it's so ugly it's cute. It's actually really grown on me, and my kids really dig it. The gas mileage isn't there, but that's the way the oil industry likes it. I do believe the Moon/Sun roof is in a bad place, but you have to remember the concept behind its placement... at least my kids will enjoy it. The floor and waterproof seats were a big hit... in fact if this vehicle hadn't had this feature, I most definately would have leaned toward the Tacoma. All of the other amenities are nice to have... this thing really has a lot for the price that I paid. The dealer still gets their kick-backs from the Manufacturer, so they still made a decent profit. Honestly, I could pick at this thing and find little things here and there that I could engineer better myself, but I could do that with any car... I'm an engineer... my mind just works that way. Pure and simple: I recommend the vehicle to anyone who shares my requirements... and anyone who is capable of thinking outside the box. One final note: I agree that a few of the writeups have been planted. I'm not sure why, as this vehicle would have scored big without the bogus writeups... of course the gentleman who called his bluff also seems to have a hidden agenda as well.

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+ Looked at the Toyota Matix + Looked at and test drove a fully loaded Toyota Tacoma 4x4, but the cost was too much (~$25K) + Researched Ford Escape, but because it scored so pooly in Consumer Reports and because of it's high price, I never bothered to go look at it + Researched Chevy Trail Blazier, but because it scored so incredibly poor in Consumer Reports, I never bothered to go look at it. This thing couldn't have scored any worse in reliability

HOW ROOMY IT IS INSIDE BACK SKYLIGHT

BACK WINDOWS DON'T ROLL DOWN???

WELL FIRST I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE HONDA ELEMNT IS A VERY GOOD LOOKING CA TO ME! AND I THINK THAT ENAYONE WHO THINKS IT IS AN UGLY CAR NEED TO LOOK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX!!! I HAVE BEEN DOIN RESEARCH ON THE HONDA ELEMENT FOR ABOUT 7 MONTHS NOW BECAUSE I AM RESEACHING FOR MY FIRST CAR AND TO ME IT LOOKS LIKE A VERYS SAFE AND FUN CAR TO BE IN!!!