2008 Honda Element Consumer Reviews Page 3

Dogmobile

Written by: Sheels on 04/15/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element LX 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

This is my dogmobile, where it is OK to have sand all over the floors and yet is easy to clean out. Several things could be better: 1) the window visor is too small in the LX, it does not protect from the sun. They provide expanding visors in the EX, but not in the LX, weird! It is about a foot long, and should be at least 2 feet. 2) there is a blind spot on the left windscreen panel. 3) a large clunking sound when breaking or changing gears, Honda told me this is normal.

Favorite Features

Sitting up high above the traffic, large comfy seats and loads of space.

Suggested Improvements

Seat belts for dogs.

5 out 6 people found this review helpful

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Fun Big Little Car

Written by: Ted on 04/14/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element LX 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

Fun and versatile - Mileage 25 trip, 20 around town - Plenty of room for my 6'4'', 285 lb frame :-) Looks like a toaster but is fun to drive.

Favorite Features

Flexibility

Suggested Improvements

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Element is Excellent

Written by: steve on 04/11/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element EX 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I have wanted to buy the Element when it first came out, but I had just bought a new Tacoma. I am glad I waited due to some bugs Honda has had to work out on earlier models. The 08 is very similar overall but the dash gauges are much brighter and more colorful. So far I have had no problems and aver 22 mpg. I find the ride to be very comfortable and the road noise no worse than my wife's Camry. This is just a well thought out vehicle unlike most other small SUVs on the market. The doors open unlike ANY other- I love it, some may not.I find the power of this vehicle to be very good. If you're interested in it you really should go and test drive one!!!

Favorite Features

NO carpet! XM Radio, Firm and yet comfortable seats. Lots of usable cargo carrying capacity.

Suggested Improvements

More than 1 plug up front near driver.

4 out 4 people found this review helpful

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Best car for us.

Written by: Blaine on 03/31/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element SC 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

The best car for 2 adults and 2 adult size kids. We could configure the interior in many ways to hold what we need.

Favorite Features

much space, for a small car

Suggested Improvements

better Nav unit options

8 out 9 people found this review helpful

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Not Bad But Awful Shift Points

Written by: Peter on 03/28/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element LX 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

Bought it for work use. Love the rubber interior features and space. Unfortunately was delivered with defective right rear hub, but was replaced quickly. More horsepower needed. Extremely disappointed with shift points of auto trans.. Can't seem to get 4th and 5th gear to shift in order to lower RPMs and maybe improve mediocre gas mileage - currently have 5300 miles on it and can't get better than 20 highway. Windshield size and angle makes it very difficult to see traffic lights. If I had realized transmission problem I might have considered the manual trans.

Favorite Features

Interior room and finish materials. Comfortable seats. Rear tailgate. Suicide side doors allow wide open pass through.

Suggested Improvements

Recalibration of transmission or use of paddle shifters to allow gear selection. More horsepower. Gas mileage. Windshield rethinking.

4 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Three months so far

Written by: TheGreatOneFan on 03/27/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element EX 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

Have my Element for three months. If you are looking for luxury, don't buy this car. Very functional. MPG as advertised. If I were to purchase again, I would.

Favorite Features

XMRadio, adjustable seating, waterproof seats, engine is better than expected (power and torque), radio controls on the steering wheel (don't buy one without it).

Suggested Improvements

Sunroof in the driver section instead of the rear passenger.

7 out 8 people found this review helpful

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Perfect For Dog Owners and For Commuting

Written by: Louise on 03/20/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element LX 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I spent a year looking for a suv that got good gas mileage and would fit my 4 dogs in (Great Dane,2 Rat Terriers and Border Collie). I keep turning away from the Element due to its not so attractive appearance,but it was overall perfect for what I needed! It by far beats every SUV with gas mileage and space. With the dogs, no carpet to worry about, therefore no smelly car! The buying process was painful. We spent 6 hours at the dealership trying to get a good price. We walked out paying $19k with $290 a month payments. We did good. Great Car, wouldn't give it up for anything!

Favorite Features

Easy to clean,lots of cargo space,lot of space for tall people (my 6 ft tall friend fits comfortably, easy to drive (very light),cool and different interior design,removal seats,waterproof seats, gas mileage (19-24 mpg in traffic) and reliability.

Suggested Improvements

Plastic scratches easy,blind spots on sides,i think interior plastic is slightly flimsy, speakers could be slightly better sounding, passenger doors are a pain,675 weight limit for cargo sucks but I believe there are more better things than worse about this car!!!

10 out 10 people found this review helpful

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Great small SUV, terrible MPG

Written by: WW on 03/13/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element EX 4dr SUV AWD (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

The Honda Element is a great vehicle. Handles nicely and has a great turning radius. The interior is well thought out, great to throw the kid's bikes inside and not have to worry about dirty carpets, also works well with the dog. Tremendous amount of room for a vehicle with such a small footprint. The engine is somewhat buzzy when pushed. The gas mileage is not coming close to the sticker. 16mpg mixed driving and I have a light foot. Still breaking in, I have only 800 miles on it, I hope it improves. Not the best vehicle if you have a long commute.

Favorite Features

#1 Honda reliability, great stereo, i pod connection, suicide doors, easy to clean interior, tons of room, AWD great in the snow and rain, small footprint, fits well in the driveway, quirky looks, my son loves the rear sunroof, also likes that he sits up high in the backseat, great crash test ratings.

Suggested Improvements

I think it may need more power, engine seems to work hard on hills and getting on the highway, terrible gas mileage for such a small suv, can't see the traffic light if you are pulled right up to the line. Improve road noise, doors and floor should be better insulated.

11 out 11 people found this review helpful

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Excellent Dog Mover!

Written by: Robert Wong on 03/04/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element EX 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

Upgrading from a 97 CRV. I chose this for our dogs. It has flat floors and rear seats that can be removed. Quality is top notch. Power is excellent. It has very good torque from a stand still, much better than what I had. Excellent daily driver. Love the black housing headlights and smoked rear taillights. Sound system kicks, 270 watts will make your internals thump. XM satelitte all the way! It is the only true versatility vehicle on the market. Easy to clean! Im very happy with the purchase. Only complaints would be missing dead pedal, seats need lumbar support, a lot of roll (needs bigger sway bars) & steering wheel comes close to my legs when entering in.

Favorite Features

Good power for daily driving, easy to clean, flat floors, good for dogs, a lot of head room, good interior, a lot of places to store items, XM radio, keyless entry, privacy glass, removable rear seats, many configurations.

Suggested Improvements

Dead pedal, less body roll, more room from steering wheel to leg, better lumbar support.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Love this SC

Written by: cousinvinney on 02/24/2008

Vehicle

2008 Honda Element SC 4dr SUV (2.4L 4cyl 5A)

Review

I have driven this car from Chicago to NY to North Carolina and just love it. It really is a good city car. I am 240 lbs and this is the most roomy little car on the market. The SC doesn't have as much road noise because it's carpeted rather than the rubber flooring. Mileage after 12000 miles is consistently between 18.5 and 19 city (under 7k miles15-16) always mid 20s on the road. The engine could be a little bigger - it runs at higher RPMs. The 4cyl is torquey and there is always power. Gets pushed about a little in high winds but nothing serious. Could till be a bit quieter inside. I am about to trade in a 2005 f-250 for another one - we will have a fleet i guess. Drive safe!

Favorite Features

Roomy, mileage, versatile, resale, reliability, radio 270 watt does well. Took the rear seats out right after we got it home and the extra room is just wonderful.

Suggested Improvements

Quieter cabin, leather (in the SC) AWD, remote oil filter, v-6 or raise to 225 hp and more torque to increase trailer tow capacity, door lock control on passenger side.

6 out 6 people found this review helpful

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