I am so glad that I chose the Element as my first new car. It is everything I needed and more! The Element initially appealed because of its ultra-practical design (compact exterior/cavernous interior). The very reasonable sticker price didn’t hurt, either.

I had always fancied myself ‘anti-SUV’ because of their poor gas mileage. The Element changed that! I am consistently getting 23/24 MPG….exactly what I was getting in my 㥩 Civic.

I have put about 3000 miles on it in the past two months. In traffic; on the open road; on rugged dirt roads—it is fun to drive. No problems at all parallel parking or squeezing into tight spaces. Turning radius is tiny.

The ‘footprint’ of the car is no bigger than my old Honda Civic 2dr. The darn thing is tall though, and I do have to pay attention to parking garage height limits. I have driven in some pretty nasty rain, mud and a bit of snow and ice—no problems so far. Gusty wind is noticeable (loud)—but it doesn’t impact the drive. The overall ride is more unrefined/rugged/springy like a utility pickup truck or a traditional Jeep than other SUVs—which is fine by me.

I am shocked by the lack of blind-spots. My neighborhood is chock-full of bicyclist and pedestrians and I’ve never had a blind-spot incident. The visibility is better than most sedans.

My unofficial motto for the Element is “Lacks Fuzzy Humps!” which references the total absence of carpet and those claustrophobia inducing carpeted humps and consoles found in most cars. I don’t care for carpeting in my house—why would I want it in my car!? The open space throughout the cabin allows passengers to spread out and get real comfortable.

The seats are practical and comfortable. They aren’t foo-foo fancy or overly adjustable—but they are great for long hauls and plenty supportive. Passengers love that the back seats recline and they love the handy cup holders. There is so much space in the back that I can literally sit cross-legged on the floor between the front and back seats. I have lounged a bit in the Element—it will be fine for impromptu sleeping on a rainy camping trip, but it isn’t exactly like sleeping on a cloud.

The side doors are the best. Passengers bust-in and out with easy. The front seats move up so that you can jump right in—but most people can get in and out without any adjustment. This is really where the Element stands out. I can’t tell you how many jumbo SUVs I have been in where the back seat is a pretty tight squeeze. My passengers have absolutely no problems with head or leg space in the front or back. I have heard people voice complaints about having to open the doors in sequence…it might be annoying if you are constantly picking up and dropping off back seat passengers without parking the car—but it has not been a problem for me.

The placement of the shifter (I have a standard) at first seemed bizarre—but actually it is a dream to drive. It is more comfortable to shift than any other car I have driven. I am surprised that this placement isn’t more common. The manual transmission makes for a perfectly zippy drive. I haven’t experienced any sluggishness, even in the mountains.

The various controls are also really big and well placed. I can run everything while wearing gloves or mittens. The climate controls are so simple and intuitive you don’t need to take your eyes off the road to make adjustments.

The sound system is a big factor for me. I after some debate, I stuck with the single disk player because it blends really well with the utilitarian interior –where as the mutli-disk in-dash stereo was awash in itty-bitty buttons and colorful displays. No complaints on the sound at all. I interface my MP3 player and it is crystal clear, too.

My only complaint is the lack of a front sunroof. I really, really would love a front sunroof—if not for air—at least the light. Though, I have to say that I have been in other SUVs with sunroofs and they are sometimes very noisy and the wind really whips things up in the cabin. Perhaps that is why the Element engineers shied away?

Some things I think might be future issues:

*Tires—the Goodyear wheels are OK. I would prefer snow/all weather tires with a bit more grip.

*The plastic panels. They are totally great in terms of taking a beating—but they will show scratches and gouges. I am pretty comfortable with that lived-in look, but it might impact the trade-in value.

Kids, dogs, furniture, bales of hay…whatever you have to move—the Element can handle it no problem. If you want to have a fun driving experience, and practicality reigns over high-style—this is the vehicle for you. If you are looking for leather seats, dvd players, seats for eight children and fancy fake wood dash boards—the Element isn’t for you. Like I tell the all people who stop me in the parking lot—if you’re curious, you should go out and test drive one!

Amount Paid (US$): 18700
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: 4WD EX STD, orange/fog lites/keyless/splash grds/cargo net/armrest