I thought we could use a different subject to discuss on this board. We know about Tom’s recent car issues and I’m looking at having to get a new car, so I thought I would throw this out here.
Any thoughts on this SUV? It will let me travel with my bike inside and clean-up would be a cinch. The main drawback I see is the engine (would like a little more horsepower). Any other thoughts?
i like certain design features of the element. i end of sleeping in my car on occaision (i’m a climber) so i like the flat seat idea. the “trunk” storage looks good too, but be wary the cubic capacity they’re advertising. more capacity because of an increase in height of the cabin is worthless. you still want to see out the back window, right? i found this out when looking at the jeep liberty.
the element is definitely not pleasing to the eye. it’s downright ugly from the front and back IMO. really not related comment… i kinda like both the print and tv ads.
burns
Well… I’m a tree-hugging anti SUV’er, but… I like it! 
It is damn functional and that is what an SUV should be IMHO. Granted it isn’t a supercharged Xterra, but come on. It’s not a bloomin’ race car! 160hp would have been dandy 10 years ago. How come we need more power today? Anyway, at least that “lack” of hp gives you some decent mpg, better than just about any other SUV, AND the Element is, I believe, rated as the lowest emission SUV available. You may not win the stop light drags, but at least you’ll save the world! Ha!
My next car would be a hybrid Insight if I could figure out how to carry two bikes. Not sure a strap on rack will even work. Probably end up getting a hybrid Civic instead. Not cool, but personally I can’t justify owning a car that doesn’t get more than 30mpg in the 21st Century. The technology is there, all that is left is for the consumers to support the technology so the prices will go down and the choices go up.
Don’t take this too seriously. Just takin’ an angle for the sake of discussion.
P.S. How could you not want a 2003 MINI? If the mpg & emissions were better I’d have been the first person in the country to buy one. That is a TRI vehicle if I ever saw one!
Justin - Sticking with his 12 y/o Subaru until the wheels fall off.
Im not sure which is uglier, the Pontiac Aztek or the Honda Element. I do own a Jeep Liberty and love it. Have close to 53,000 miles on it and its doing great. The mileage sucks, only about 17-18mpg. I have put a different exhaust and a different air intake which may account for some of the bad mileage, but the liberty does seem to get bad mileage for everyone. On the other hand it weighs close to 6000lbs and has a 210hp engine. Definately feel safe in this vehicle, and I would hate to be on the receiving end in an accident with a liberty.
i will say it. minivans rule. it is true, yuppie scum hating them or no. stuff your bikes in there, roll out a futon, stand up and change clothes, switch drivers and move around while barrelling down the road, decent mileage, etc etc. there is NOTHING an SUV or yuppified subaru or whathaveyou does that you can’t do times ten in a minivan. all this, and people will likewise leave your vehicle alone as they break into your buddie’s audi A4 avant figuring all they will find in the soccer mom-like van is a pile of smooshed up graham crackers and not your P3 and zipp 909’s. but, i encourage you all to keep up with buying whatever trend seems like it is coolest - have fun changing out of your desoto tri suit behind your steering wheel - it keeps the van’s prices even lower.
i
I like it. In general Honda products impress me with their dependability and relative quality. After the accident I was in on the way to FIST though, I can’t fault the bombproof durability/survivability of a Subaru. My car took a hit like you wouldn’t believe and now it is fixed and running good. I’m a Subaru repeat buyer. I would consider a Nissan X-Terra also.
Ahh… well, thankfully a Liberty really only weighs 3500lbs, only about 100lbs more than 4wd Element. Glad to know you aren’t driving a condensed version of the Hummer.
Sorry got confused with the GMC Yukon, which has a GVWR of 6000lbs. The Liberty has a GVWR of 4950lbs
below is from the Jeep website specifications:
Towing Capacity - Weight Distribution - Manual Trans-53.00 lb  Fuel Tank Capacity - FuelCapacity-18.50 gal  Cooling system capacity - -14.00 QT  Payload Capacity - Standard-1150.00 lb  Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) - Maximum-4950.00 lb  Torque Load Limit - -NP  Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) - Standard-5600.00 lb  Towing Capacity - Weight Distribution - Automatic Trans-53.00 lb  Towing Capacity - Standard-3500.00 lb  Payload Capacity - Maximum-0.00 lb  Towing Capacity - Gross Combined Weight Rating-10100.00 lb 
I would consider a Nissan X-Terra also.
I’ll have mine for sale very soon if you want it.
I own an Element, LOVE IT!!!
I traded in a 1997 F-150 pickup for and couldn’t be happier. Sure, the looks are unique but the functionality can’t be beat. Most of my driving is city driving from job to job and it has more than enough pep to get me around. Plus, real world mileage of ~18 mpg is sure a lot better than the Ford. I work on sailboats for a living and am usually hauling around tools, parts and other misc. stuff. Pretty much every day someone stops me to ask about it or look inside. Most of the comments have been pretty positive. I feel it looks a lot better than the Aardvark (Aztec).
I bought a black AWD EX in late december. As I am in Seattle, and I don’t ski, I haven’t had a chance to drive it in the snow. Looking forward to taking it to Wildflower.
I added the carpeted floor mats, fog lights, roof bars, keyless entry and the hitch for options.
Yeah. That’s the rated weight. The actual weight of the vehicle is the curb weight…
From the Jeep website:
**Exterior Dimensions** Base Curb Weight - Manual Trans-3507.00 lb  Track - Rear-59.70 in  Ground Clearance - at curb weight - Approach Angle-36.00 DEG  Ground Clearance - at curb weight - Departure Angle-31.50 DEG  Overall Height - Height-70.20 in
Well, something I seem to know more about than most others on this forum: I own a brand new Element. I’ve had it for 3 weeks and its already been to its first race, hauling two bikes, riders, and equipment!.
Somebody wrote that it is an ugly vehicle. Well, I have to say that when I first saw it, I agreed 100%. I’m still not sure that I like its looks. BUT!!!..
The guy at the Honda place says “You gotta see the inside” I say “yeah, right. Damned ugly vehicle. No thanks” He says “No, REALLY, you gotta see…” I say “Ok” thinking I’d just take a quick look and move on to the BMWs that we were really there to see.
One look inside and I was sold. The rubber floor. The moveable/foldable/removeable seats. The fact that I can lay the seats out into a flat bedlike surface for those rest stop crash sessions. Pockets and cubbyholes to hold all the loose crap you can stuff in the vehicle. I can hose out the inside after my weekend camping/hiking/cycling trips! The absolutely jammin stereo complete w/subwoofer, the TOTAL utility of it all… I was sold. And at $20,000 it didn’t break the bank. Wife and I can still afford the BMWxi we’ve got on order to replace the Accord Coupe.
I’ll admit, its gonna take some time to grow on me, at least the exterior. But I absolutely love that vehicle. More utility INSIDE than the Jeep Liberty, which we also looked at. More than the Xterra. AND…30mpg on the highway, tested by Consumer Reports, and verified by me on the race trip. Normal in town mpg is 24. And this doesn’t come at the expense of a little zip either. The VTec engine really gives this thing a good bit of zip. Passing acceleration on the highway is great. Not like my V6 Accord Coupe, or the BMW, but hey, there are only 4 squirrels in there! It ain’t yo momma’s Civic!
Bash the weird new look if you want. The fact is, this is the PERFECT triathlete/cyclist vehicle. Hands down, better than other offerings. And it conforms to Demerly’s rant about putting bikes IN the vehicle vice catching bugs, rocks and rain on a topside rack.
I highly recommend this vehicle for any triathlete. HIGHLY!!!
The element is cool. I would look at one before considering a new vehicle. In a perfect world I’d have an X-Terra, Supercharged SE version, Blacked-out, full bullet proof glass, armored floor, Alpine deck glowin, bass kickin’, video in back of each seat. GPS/Satelite radio. hands free phone, heads up display, Recaros, Momo wheel. I’d be cool.
Subaru Outback…4+ years and runnin’ strong with plenty of power, good hauling capacity, great mileage and ample foul weather experience (including mountaineering/skiing trips to altitude).
My favourite old ride was my '72 Buick Electra Deuce and a Quarter. It had an 8 way power bench seat, limo tint, 88 spoke Daytons (in gold), lowered, and Fred Flintstone floor boards. But I could put three bikes in the back seat AND get busy with my ladies. I could have a party in the back seat (two’s company, three’s a crowd, but four’s a PAR-TAY!!!) if I put the three bikes in the trunk. I used that car as the team vehicle as the mechanic could have a workstand in the back seat WITH truing stand, and have room for a little busy time with the honeys…
Seriously, I did have that car without the etxras (though I did have wire wheel covers with spinners, chain link license plate frames, and TWO gold crown air fresheners, along with the Flitnstone floor boards), but those were the bad-old-days (post divorce). I drive either a '01 Jetta or a '99 Mazda 626 (w/Ford Probe rims, modified with “M” centre caps), and I would probably get a Honda Odyssey for my next vehicle.
I dunno- the Element looks kinda weird and boxy.
went to buy one but it was alot smaller inside than what i wanted. walked across the street and bought a minivan
Element is a great vehicle for 2 but no more. I have been looking into it seriously for a while now. There is very little room behind the rear seats so if you have children (I have 2) and want your bike inside and someone riding in the back then there is no way it will work. The engine is awesome (what Honda engine isn’t) and I actually like the way it looks, but you’ll still need to transport your bike outside on a rack if you’re carry much in the way of cargo and people. If they only stretched the wheelbase another couple of feet it would be ideal.
This also crossed my mind when I was considering getting mine. I decided it was worth the chance in that most of the major mechanical systems are pretty much lifted straight from the latest CR-V and that car is a couple years old.
I bought a Subaru Baja (an Outback with a mini pickup bed) a few months ago, and it seems great to me. You can fit three bikes in the bed, it still has a full back seat, great in snow, low center of gravity and it gets good mileage. Admittedly the bikes aren’t in the car, but they’re protected from road debris by the cabin, and hosing out the bed is even easier than cleaning the inside of a Element.
Looks a little weird, like the Element, but it seems to work.
Deke
Here’s to owning weird looking vehicles, Deke! FYI, my very first car was the original ugly-mobile: A 1976 AMC pacer, the fishbowl on wheels! I don’t remember fitting any bikes in it, but I recall it making a fairly decent mobile love shack for a 17-18 year old