A breadbox designed for Pizza Pockets
Some think it looks good, others think it's ugly. There seems to be no mixed opinions about Honda's Element, which has been on the market since 2003. The first ones looked decidedly unusual, with gray plastic front and rear fenders and rearward-opening back doors.
In 2006, the Element was available with a completely-painted body in EX trim, and this year, the SC model is added with a distinctive exterior appearance package.
The body
The difference between the various versions of the Element are easy to spot this year; the base LX still has unpainted fenders, the EX-P gets the monochrome treatment, and the SC has a specific front end, with slimmer headlights and a different grille. Body-colored bumpers and great-looking 18-inch alloy wheels with fat 225/55HR18 tires are also part of the package. The suspension of the SC is lowered, as ground clearance drops by 18 mm.
So, the sportier Element draws stares. There are only four colors available for the SC, including a nice Root Beer, but it misses out on some great choices that the EX-P offers, such as Tango Red, Tangerine Mist and Kiwi Green. It will most definitely please the younger, Gen-X crowd rather then the fortysomething audience who also purchase Elements for their practicality.
Half the staff is sold on the SC's looks, while the other half avoided looking out the window when it was sitting in the parking lot. I'm in the first half, fortunately, as I've always though the Element was an interesting alternative to other compact SUVs that all seem to look alike these days.
The performance
As this SC is an automatic-equipped version, which gained a 5th gear for 2007, you must realize that this ain't no hot rod. With 166 horsepower on duty to pull 3,600 lbs (1,630 kg), don't expect to win any stoplight races. Still, the engine is smooth and the transmission makes to the most of the available power.
Some think it looks good, others think it's ugly. There seems to be no mixed opinions about Honda's Element, which has been on the market since 2003. The first ones looked decidedly unusual, with gray plastic front and rear fenders and rearward-opening back doors.
In 2006, the Element was available with a completely-painted body in EX trim, and this year, the SC model is added with a distinctive exterior appearance package.
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| The aesthetic update gives it a more modern appearance. |
The body
The difference between the various versions of the Element are easy to spot this year; the base LX still has unpainted fenders, the EX-P gets the monochrome treatment, and the SC has a specific front end, with slimmer headlights and a different grille. Body-colored bumpers and great-looking 18-inch alloy wheels with fat 225/55HR18 tires are also part of the package. The suspension of the SC is lowered, as ground clearance drops by 18 mm.
So, the sportier Element draws stares. There are only four colors available for the SC, including a nice Root Beer, but it misses out on some great choices that the EX-P offers, such as Tango Red, Tangerine Mist and Kiwi Green. It will most definitely please the younger, Gen-X crowd rather then the fortysomething audience who also purchase Elements for their practicality.
Half the staff is sold on the SC's looks, while the other half avoided looking out the window when it was sitting in the parking lot. I'm in the first half, fortunately, as I've always though the Element was an interesting alternative to other compact SUVs that all seem to look alike these days.
The performance
As this SC is an automatic-equipped version, which gained a 5th gear for 2007, you must realize that this ain't no hot rod. With 166 horsepower on duty to pull 3,600 lbs (1,630 kg), don't expect to win any stoplight races. Still, the engine is smooth and the transmission makes to the most of the available power.
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| The engine output is amply sufficient for the daily commute. |