Element.....

[Chris_Doane]

....

Edited October 15, 2006 by CD/BP

[avant1963]

holt $h!! They did it. They actualy polished a turd. So now instead of a dull turd, they have a shiny turd.

YAY! Shiny TURD! YAY!

[sciguy_0504]

Looks somewhat like the new Nitro now.

[loki]

Looks somewhat like the new Nitro now.

but still pretty boxy and not nearly as masculine? lol

[sciguy_0504]

but still pretty boxy and not nearly as masculine?    lol

Not nearly as masculine or nice looking.

[DetroitNut90]

Ho hum, another Element, again aimed at younger folks. This is the Element Honda should have came out with in the first place-it looks much better than the grey plastic-clad one.

[Polish_Kris]

Headlights are nicer that the current one.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

Zesta can change the font and design on the outside of their crackerboxes and promote it as "a new look"...but it's still a crackerbox when you get down to it. Same goes for the Element.

[roopull]

Ho hum, another Element, again aimed at younger folks. This is the Element Honda should have came out with in the first place-it looks much better than the grey plastic-clad one.

My thoughts exactly. Perhaps now, FINALLY, automakers will quit coating their cars in plastic to make them look 'rugged.' GM tried it with the Avalanche & Aztek, Scubie did it with the Baja & Honda tried with the Element. All have recanted & removed most if not all of the offending plastic. Let's hope they never do this again!

You know, when the Avalanch, Baha, Element & Aztek came out, I thought all four were ugly as sin when they each came out. As soon as the plastic came off, I began to like each of them - specifically the Avalanche & Baja.

Okay... I never liked the Aztek. That thing is horrid.

[ichbinjohnk]

The front kinda resembles that $h!ty little xB now...

[ponchoman49]

What does SC stand for: Super Corny!

[siegen]

What does SC stand for: Super Corny!

Sports Concept

Unfortunately it doesn't stand for Super Charged! =(

The picture on that article is probably not the SC, but the base model. The SC will have more sporty stuff added to it.

Edited June 9, 2006 by siegen

[Angry Dad]

Sports Concept

Unfortunately it doesn't stand for Super Charged! =(

The picture on that article is probably not the SC, but the base model. The SC will have more sporty stuff added to it.

How?

Added to? Velcro, glue or double backed tape?

It really doesn't matter because the sheep will still fall all over it but nobody with a brain will understand why.

[roopull]

How?

Added to? Velcro, glue or double backed tape?

It really doesn't matter because the sheep will still fall all over it but nobody with a brain will understand why.

From a utility standpoint, there's not much on the market that compares at the size & price of the Element. The interior is much much more useful than any of the other little SUVs like Honda's own CRV. The closest anyone else has is the PT Cruiser & Chevy's HHR... however, the interior of those two is nothing like the interior of the Element. Before you question teh brains of someone interested in that little trucklet, get in one & fold up the seats up - or better yet - take them out. It's like a scaled down version of the dearly departed Astro Vans...

We seriously considered buying one, in spite of the ugliness, because it was the only smaller vehicle we could put my bike in the back of without dismantling part of it... It's also the only one we could put larger appliances in, thus preventing the rental of a truck.

It may be rather unattractive, but the design is brilliant. Give credit where it's due, man.

[Angry Dad]

From a utility standpoint, there's not much on the market that compares at the size & price of the Element.  The interior is much much more useful than any of the other little SUVs like Honda's own CRV.  The closest anyone else has is the PT Cruiser & Chevy's HHR...  however, the interior of those two is nothing like the interior of the Element.  Before you question teh brains of someone interested in that little trucklet, get in one & fold up the seats up - or better yet - take them out.  It's like a scaled down version of the dearly departed Astro Vans...

We seriously considered buying one, in spite of the ugliness, because it was the only smaller vehicle we could put my bike in the back of without dismantling part of it...  It's also the only one we could put larger appliances in, thus preventing the rental of a truck.

It may be rather unattractive, but the design is brilliant.  Give credit where it's due, man.

Brilliant? Why not just get a pick up truck? And if you really need to carry a load, pull a trailer.

BTW, Element needs more of a motor to considered of any value.

[Flybrian]

You have to open the front doors to access the rear doors. This is short of brillance to me.

[roopull]

Brilliant? Why not just get a pick up truck? And if you really need to carry a load, pull a trailer.

BTW, Element needs more of a motor to considered of any value.

Because pickup trucks that can carry four adults AND their gear inside the cab get horrid gas mileage & are twice as long.

The engine is rather pathetic, though... We're moving to the mountains late this Summer & the thought of climbing all those hills in anything underpowered is one of the big reasons we're steering clear.

If you need to carry a load, pull a trailer? Are you serious? With that kind of thinking, you're going to always be baffled at products like the Element. There are folks out there who want a vehicle with REAL utility (unlike most SUVs,) but don't want to be driving a giant overweight beast. Mini-mini-vans are going to be a big hit in the near future. The PT, HHR, and Mazda 5 are all examples of this... sliding doors or not, a high roof & flat floor say mini-mini-van, to me. There WILL be more to come.

You have to open the front doors to access the rear doors. This is short of brillance to me.

The suicide doors, while not perfect, allow a much larger entry into the side of the car... almost as big as if it had a sliding door, but with much much less weight.

Face it, there's no other utility van even close to this size. The next size up used to be the Astro... now, you either have to get a fleet-prepped mini-van or something the size of an Econoline!

[Flybrian]

Actually, I bet Element sales would be pretty low if Honda still offered Civic and Accord wagons. Many Elements I see are piloted by old people who really just want a wagon. In that segment, it competes more with 4cyl Chrysler Voyagers than anything else.

As for being the 'next big thing', time will tell but I don't see it being that big of a segment. The PT and HHr sell on their looks and pricing more than anything. The Mazda5 sells to Hertz. I've to date seen two retail Mazda5s; the rest had barcodes.

[sciguy_0504]

I'm with Roopull on this one. If you need to make the couple-times-a-year Home Depot trip for larger items, are active/outdoorsy or want some room while traveling down to North Carolina (for example), cars like the Element, xB, Mazda5, HHR and to a less extent the Vibe/Matrix are the way to go. Nothing too big, all easy on gas, easy to drive around.

By the way, don't extended cab pickups (not double cab) force you to open the front door in order to open the rear doors?

[siegen]

By the way, don't extended cab pickups (not double cab) force you to open the front door in order to open the rear doors?

Yes, at least the Ford F150 does. And not to mention the Saturn, Mazda, and various other vehicles that come/came with those types of doors.

[Angry Dad]

Sales speak, these things are duds. Just like the XB, (and Aztek) nobody wants to be seen in them. Just because they are Japanese can't save them or justify them. You can stop trying to excuse them now.

[siegen]

Sales speak, these things are duds. Just like the XB, (and Aztek) nobody wants to be seen in them. Just because they are Japanese can't save them or justify them. You can stop trying to excuse them now.

The 5,216 Elements Honda sold last month seem to disagree with you. I'm sure this new redesign will keep it going, as it is a big improvement on the previous.

[Snate]

The Element hasn't been a dud...but I have no doubt the H on the hood has more to do with its success than anything.

[Polish_Kris]

Sales speak, these things are duds. Just like the XB, (and Aztek) nobody wants to be seen in them. Just because they are Japanese can't save them or justify them. You can stop trying to excuse them now.

Actually around Toronto, there are allot of them on the streets.

[Satty]

My take on the Element's success, or lack thereof, is this: Used Elements with 20-30k miles run in the $18-20k range, losing only a couple thousand dollars in depreciation. Cars that nobody wants drop in value, cars that are in demand hold value.

[Delta Force79]

The Element is a horrid vehicle....I mean good God, I thought the Aztek was ugly (which it is) but damn the Element just makes me want to murder in cold blood the man responsible for this thing.

[roopull]

The Element hasn't been a dud...but I have no doubt the H on the hood has more to do with its success than anything.

You're certainly right. If your products have a reputation for lasting forever & having outstanding resale value (last I checked, Hondas had the highest resale value of every brand marketed,) you can afford to offer ugly products & people will still buy them.

Companies like Chrysler, with horrible resale & horrible reliability have to rely on great pricing & great styling to get people in the door. Consider the 300C, the PT, or even the Ram back when it was first given the 'Freightliner' treatment. Virtually no one was buying Ram trucks until they figured out folks would buy the big beast if it just looked cool.

That being said, folks can only handle so much ugly... the Ridgeline, while selling decently when compared with their forcasts, IS turning out to be a disappointment for the boys from Ohio. Expect a re-skin before too long.

[Variance]

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