Thoughts on Honda Element

Triathlon Forum
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Just last week I had a discussion with a sociologist and former futurist with GM about the aesthetic and appeal of sport utes. We came down to two concusions the first is that SUV are simply a bigger is better defense strategy, meaning it essentialy comes down to the feeling of domination and personal security that driving a huge box with big tires gives you. Second, and more relevant in this situation, is that WWII produced a utility aesthetic in america, meaning the ulgy and usefull is the most beutiful. It seems like the Element applies specifically to the latter motivation. What does this have to do with your next car: everything.

Personally I find the Element, like a supercharged nissan X-Terra, incredibly appealing. Being able to sleep inside, the height, the rubber floor, the cool fold up seats, black rubbermade plastic body panels, shoebox design, suicide doors are all features that speak to me. But if you notice none of those features have anyting to do with the primary use of the vehicle: getting you from point A to point B. You can be sure that the Element will handle poorly, accelerate slowly and generally drive like a bus. The whole point is that it is easy to become distracted from the primary goal of the product: transportation. When you view it that way the Element makes less sense. It is at best mediocre on the road and there is no way I would ever try to go off road with the thing. From that standpont the 21 MPG does not seem all that worth it. And when you consider that you can always sleep under the stars and put your gear on the roof the advantages of the element are at best marginal. In a way you have to see the element for what it really is, hip minivan.

That leads two options real SUV or a sport wagon like a subaru. Being an SUV driver I will say that they are great when you take them off road. Rompin on old logging roads in a 4WD is incredibly fun. If that is not your ball of wax then an SUV really is a waste. It is not as much a gas mileage issue, becuase you can save way more gas by riding your bike, but an issue of fun. Having borrowed a friends WRX wagon the other week I am completely converted to the car side of things. The fact of the matter is that I drive on road without a bunch of gear far more than I go off road with a bunch of gear.

My advice. Go drive a WRX and I guarantee you that the element will be far less attractive.

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Go drive a WRX and I guarantee you that the element will be far less attractive.
Try and put a bike in a WRX (much less two bikes and a ton of gear) and the WRX will look far less attractive. Not to mention that a stripped WRX costs a lot more than a loaded Element. Don’t get me wrong, the WRX is a wonderful car, but it’s a completely different vehicle. The two just don’t compare at all.

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Well, obviously, cjeder, you have never driven the Element. With its iVTec engine, which sits 4cm lower than in, say a CRV or Ford Escape, it has a remarkably low center of gravity and some serious zip. While it is nott a 200+hp speedster like the WRX or some other compact car, it can hold its own on the road. There is plenty of oomph to blast off from 65 to 85 while passing on the highway. It accelerates well stoplight to stoplight too. It corners better than any other SUV out there, with the VERY possible exception of the Outback. Certainly better than any truck-like/type. The Xterra handles like a short-bus. The Element handles like a small sedan.

In the same way that a P3 isn’t for you if you mostly do road rides in the mountains, you have to consider what you are looking for. If your definition of SUV requires 4wd, offroad capabilities, then it isn’t for you. If you want a souped up speedy import racer vehicle, then this isnt for you. If SUV means you rarely leave the road, but need a low maintenance vehicle to haul your triathlon crap around and occasionally leave pavement to drive on impoved dirt/rock roads to get to the trailhead, then the Element is the right vehicle.