2004 Honda Element Review

The boxy Honda Element is styled like a paramilitary vehicle and has an interior that invites being messed up like a college dormitory room.

The Element is in its sophomore year. Honda characterizes it as a youth-oriented vehicle, with its offbeat design and such things as a roomy interior with a urethane-coated thoroughly flat floor, stain-resistant seats and more than 64 seating combinations.

"However, while a third of Element buyers are in the 16-to-35-year-old young buyer group, the Element appeals to a much wider audience,'' said Honda spokeswoman Sara Pines. "The average buyer age is 42, with almost 70 percent college graduates and 62 percent men.''

Versatile vehicles are popular among a variety of age groups. And, as Honda puts it, "The Element is adaptable to everything from a day of surf at the beach to a night of camping in the mountains.''

Changes for 2004 include a passenger seat armrest and keyless entry added to the EX and a new LX trim level with air conditioning and an AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers and a clock.

This Honda is a fooler. It looks slow and sloppy, but is lively, with nimble handling. It has an extensively modified chassis from the popular Honda CR-V sport-utility vehicle, although the Element is smaller, taller, wider and heavier.

The steering is sharp, with the right amount of power assist. Handling is nimble and the ride is supple. The brake pedal has a nice feel, and stopping distances are short.

There are no less than 16 Element trim levels, if you count various rear-drive and all-wheel-drive versions with manual or automatic transmissions in the DX, new mid-range LX and top-line EX trim levels.

The DX is fairly well equipped with such items as a tilt wheel, power windows and door locks and rear defogger and wiper, although it has no audio unit or speakers. The LX adds the air conditioning and audio system, while the EX adds new remote keyless entry, cruise control, power mirrors, better sound system, alloy wheels and anti-lock brakes. It's also available with front side air bags.

All-wheel-drive models have a large rear skylight that tilts or removes and stores inside the vehicle.

Although less attractive than the CR-V, the Element shares that sport-ute's strong 2.4-liter, 160-horsepower four-cylinder engine -- along with its manual and automatic transmissions.

Acceleration is energetic, especially with the manual gearbox, although the engine sounds gruff during hard acceleration and engine revs are high above 65 mph during highway cruising.

Fuel economy is an estimated 21 mpg in the city and 24-26 mpg on the highway with either transmission.

The Element also shares the CR-V's front-drive setup and all-wheel-drive system. That system lacks low-range gearing for tough off-road excursions for which the tough-looking Element looks suited. For instance, the Element has composite body materials around the fenders that provide dent resistance, compared with regular metal exterior surfaces.

The Element has a split rear tailgate; the upper part swings up on hydraulic struts, while the bottom opens down to reveal a low load floor.

"Clamshell'' doors open widely from the center for easy loading of awkwardly shaped objects such as mountain bikes. But the rear-hinged back doors don't open or close independently of the longer front doors, and that can make back-seat access troublesome in a crowded parking lot. Also, rear doors can be hard to reach from the back seat because they swing open fully 90 degrees.

There's limousine-style room in the rear, although the bottom cushions and backrests of the split rear bench seat are too short for much comfort. The rear seats flip to the side to create an impressive cargo area, but block rear side vision when folded up. They can be flattened to form a bed with the folding front seatbacks or removed, although taking them out is difficult.

It's easy to get in and out of the generally quiet interior. Occupants sit high, and the front seats are far more comfortable and supportive than the rear ones.

The windshield is huge and the dashboard has a straightforward design, although bright sunlight can occasionally make the large, hooded gauges difficult to see. The easily reached shifter for the manual and automatic transmissions is out of the way, jutting from the lower dashboard.

The successful Element shows that being different can be an asset for a vehicle -- if it has an appealing design.

2004 HONDA ELEMENT

Prices
$16,100-$21,305

Likes
Roomy. Versatile. Lively. Good handling. Nicely built.

Dislikes
Odd styling. Gauges sometimes hard to read. Short rear seat cushions. High engine revs.