Honda Element Review

2009 Honda Element EX SUV Shown

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.

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, upgraded EX and sport-oriented 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 offers 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.

Used Honda Element Models

Honda's Element is still in its first generation, introduced for 2003. It received only minor feature upgrades until 2007, when there were significant changes made. That year saw an increase of 10 hp and the introductions of the SC trim level and the more efficient five-speed automatic transmission (prior Elements featured a four-speed auto). There have been minor feature changes as well, including standard stability control and optional side curtain airbags for 2007 and a new navigation system for '09.

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* Edmunds.com maintains vehicle data as far back as 1990.