Honda Element Review

2009 Honda Element EX SUV Shown

After several years on the market, the Honda Element sport-utility remains one of the most distinctive and useful shapes on the road. It's relatively short -- 7 inches shorter than Honda's smallest sedan -- and surprisingly tall. But behind that cubist philosophy is a level of versatility that bests that of many other small wagons or compact SUVs.

As opposed to a conventional four-door setup, the Honda Element's "clamshell" rear doors pivot backward a full 90 degrees. Without a B-pillar to intrude, opening both side doors creates an extra-large portal through which to easily load passengers or bulky cargo. In back, the tailgate lowers like a pickup's and is split from the upper glass. The theater-style rear seats provide plenty of visibility and legroom, and can be configured in multiple ways. And with the rear seats removed, you've got a larger SUV's 75 cubic feet of cargo space to play with.

According to Honda, the Element leverages its versatility and optional all-wheel drive into the ultimate niche vehicle for active young adventure-seekers and their toys. The Element, being a Honda, fulfills that role well. But we know that plenty other buyers also find it useful for routine errands and adventures of their own. Our editors believe its primary weakness is a lack of family friendliness -- there is seating for four people only and the backward-pivoting rear doors can be problematic when frequently transporting children.

Still, as a small, spunky SUV with a spacious, thoughtfully designed interior wrapped in a distinctive shell, the Honda Element easily accommodates the lifestyles of all kinds of people on road and off with smooth, efficient four-cylinder power, crisp and balanced handling, and optional all-wheel-drive traction for beach or snow. We like it just fine for the light-duty utility it delivers for its size, but if you regularly fill the seats or need serious off-road/towing capability, you'd do better to check out other larger, more worthy domestic and overseas competitors.

Current Honda Element

The Honda Element is a compact, car-based SUV that comes in three trim levels: regular LX, the upgraded EX and the special SC. For power, the vehicle has a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 166 horsepower and 161 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard and a five-speed automatic is optional. The Element LX and EX are available in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations, while the SC is front-drive only.

In reviews, we've found that the Honda Element does offer reasonably peppy around-town response with enough smoothness to make everyday commuting a pleasant enough experience. From behind the wheel, the Element feels just as tall and boxy as it is -- although the steering offers positive feedback and the wide stance keeps it stable even in aggressive/evasive maneuvers.

The wide opening provided by the unique clamshell side doors is useful, but opening the rear doors for passengers is not always as convenient as one might think -- to open them, the front doors must be opened first, leading to some annoyance for the front occupants as they must always open their doors in order to allow people in or out. If you don't carry rear passengers often, you likely won't notice.

Honda's Element is still in its first generation, but was significantly updated in 2007, its fifth year. It's a bit more stylish and laidback outside, and a little quicker too thanks to a 10-hp increase and a new, more efficient five-speed automatic transmission replacing the previous four-speed auto. It should also be safer than ever, thanks to new safety equipment including standard stability control and optional side curtain airbags.

Past Honda Elements

Honda introduced the adventurous, completely new Element compact SUV in 2003. Since then, the vehicle has received minor but frequent feature upgrades. Just about any example in good or excellent condition should be an especially good used-car value.