|
2004 Honda Element 4WD Y Package – A New Automotive Culture
By Dan Modestino
Photos By Dan Modestino & Honda.com
 "Carefree". That's what comes to mind when I look at a Honda Element. This is a vehicle that is built for the purpose of getting you and your cargo from point A to point B without worrying about the common driving "elements". You might say that Honda Element is in its "element" no matter what your travel situation. So what type of a vehicle is the Element? Is it an SCUV (Sport Compact Utility Vehicle), a station wagon, a cargo van, a camper, or a lounge? It's actually a little of everything balled, or in this case, "boxed" into one.
 Honda has designed the Element to appeal to people that lead an active life style. This is the type of person that just needs a vehicle to do a job for them, cause heck, they have passions outside of there ride being as ?bling? as the next persons. Yep, this special group is the type of people always on the go. Honda says the target market is the 22 to 32 year olds, the Gen "X" and Gen "Y" demographic. They could be Surfers, Hikers, Climbers, Snow Boarders, Musicians, Cyclist or Athletes. I think the target market could be any age group who is active and normally has some sort of equipment involved. As well as those who prefer to just get out and enjoy nature with a vehicle that can double as a hammock.
Exterior
 Ok, so the Element will not win any beauty contests with its now very distinctive box-like shape. This vehicle is not about looks. It is all about what you use it for. The designers at Honda have said the element was created "from the inside out" with functionality as their top priority. The more I looked at the Element, the more I appreciated the materials used on its outer shell. I thought it to be a great idea making 95% of the front clip out of high-impact strength, shatter resistant, lightweight and flexible polycarbonate. No need for a bottle of touch-up paint to treat those pesky stone chips. However, due to the slope of the metal hood, I would definitely invest in a stone deflector. Still, even if you ended up with a hood full of stone chips, only the hood requires painting.
 The polycarbonate material covers the rocker panels, the front and rear fenders, the tailgate and part of the roof rails. The rest of my tester was painted in a very attractive "Fiji Blue Pearl". From an esthetics point of view, I would agree it takes some getting use to, but if you look at the Element with a practical frame of mind you might see it as a work of art.
 My appreciations for the box like shape increased the first time I gave the Element a hand wash. The fact that all sides of the vehicle were virtually plumb to the ground and near flat, I came to the conclusion that it was probably the easiest vehicle I have ever washed. Another design element adding to the ease of cleaning is how almost seamlessly all the windows meet the body. I especially like how the rear glass and the side privacy glass appear as if they are wrapping around the back corners. Very tasteful!
Engine and Drive-Train
 Honda has made things simple when it comes to choosing an engine for your Element. They have equipped the basic and the 4WD models with a 2.4 litre (2354cc) 16-valve DOHC that is a programmed fuel injected (PGM-FI) aluminum block engine named the i-VTEC - intelligent-Variable Valve Timing and Electronic Lift Control. At 160hp and 159 lb-ft of torque the Element never felt taxed in the city from light to light, or passing a transport truck on the highway. Honda says you could count on a towing capacity of 680 kg (1500lbs), which is not too shabby. Another thing worth noting is this engine comes with a very high environmental rating for emitting low pollutants. The only thing that I'm not too thrilled about is the noise level of Honda engines on acceleration, but this is a small price to pay for the World renown Honda reliability.
 Conveying the power through the "RealTime" 4WD driveline is the smooth 4-speed automatic transmission with electronically controlled lock-up and grade logic programming. I have not had the opportunity to test the front wheel drive model, so I couldn't tell you what affect the 4WD has on the horsepower. From what I understand, the power is only directed to the rear wheels when needed. I can tell you I never felt like I need more power.
Inside the Box
 Hit the keyless entry and swing open the large driver's door along with the rear opening -"coach style" - to reveal nearly 3000 litres of passenger volume. With both doors opening close to 90 degrees and the absence of conventional side B-pillars, new meaning is given to the phrase "Hop-in"! Not only could you hop-in, you could hop right through, these openings are so huge! One thing that takes getting use to is the fact that the only way to open the rear door is when the front doors are opened first. Having two small children, I thought this to be a good safety feature. I was going to call Honda to ask how Ben Afleck happens to come out of the rear doors without the fronts opening (from the movie 'Paycheck'). The rear 'clam shell' opening doors also give a huge access through the back.
 Inside the box is what the designers at Honda were thinking when they came up with the interior for the "active lifestyle vehicle." People who lead active lifestyle need a vehicle with a carefree interior that is highly functional. The front and rear seating surfaces are waterproof and stain resistant. Honda calls it "FXC" – Fabric for Extreme Conditions, while the side bolstering and the armrest were covered with a soft rubber material.
 Spill something on the floor? No worries, the urethane-coated floor can take the abuse. They have made the floor completely flat and just rising a bit to the rear giving the rear passengers a good view forward over the front seats instead of only being able to look out the side windows.
Cleaning a vehicle can reveal flaws in design. The one flaw I found in the interior was where the urethane floor meets the plastic trim that covers the kick plate. While I was enjoying how easy it was to clean the floor with a quick vacuum and wipe, I noticed dirt was becoming trapped under the kick plate because the urethane floor is tucked underneath. The only way of getting that dirt or liquid would be removing the plastic kick plate. While the floor is durable and easy to clean, I would install some floor mats that would catch most of the dirt. My tester didn't come equipped with mats.
 The dashboard carries over the same texture and colour as on the door handles and housed the gauges that look like they are trimmed in titanium. The stacked dash mounted center consol houses the head unit for the 270 watt AM/FM/CD Audio System with 7 speakers including a subwoofer. The sound from this stereo definitely got the attention of pedestrians when stopped at intersections.
Just underneath the stereo you find the very simple over sized climate control knobs. Easy to find and easy to use! The most obvious thing on the dash-mounted console is the "slick shift." I liked the shifter there and found it was at the right height and comfortable enough to rest my hand on. I am curious to see what the 5-speed manual is like with the shifter on the dash.
  The showstopper of the interior is the 64 ways you can position the seats. You can either flip them out of the way to maximize the cargo area for your gear. Or turn them into a double bed. For the non-believers – the versatility of Element's interior often helped to understand the design concept resulting in phrases like 'Oh, that's really cool. There was no chance of me finding all 64-seat configurations in the week I had my tester. They say that you'll probably run out of things to do and places to go long before trying them all. My favorite seating position was lounging fully stretched as if in bed, where I could gaze out the removable skylight that is just in the perfect spot when lying down. I thought it would be a good idea to have another skylight over the front seats.
Driving the Element
 While the Element looks tall and boxy, it's center of gravity felt low, leaving the cornering without that tippy feel. Acceleration was good and for fun, I roughly counted a 0 to 100km time (one one thousand? two one thousand? three one thousand?) that came in approximately 12 seconds. Who cares! I thought the Element had adequate power for any driving situation. Just set the cruise on the highway and listen to the 270 watts of audio. On coarse pavethe hum of the tires resonates quite loudly through the unit-body. Otherwise, the road noise in the cab was good - effortless for the stereo to drown out. My wife pointed out that on sunny days the light doesn't seem to cover the interior like other vehicles. She is right. That is once again as a result of Elements shape. The roof and the panel like sides of the vehicle meet at 90 degrees thus making the glass strait vertically, keeping the interior cooler.
The interior of the Element is very spacious and relaxing. On a four-hour drive I found the seats to be comfortable enough for me, though they could use some more side bolstering support. Driving any longer may require a "stretch" break. Adjusting the tilt steering too low partially obscures the gauges.
Fuel efficiency of the Element was surprising if you consider its shape. I was able to squeeze just over 480km out of a tank of gas that cost me $45.00. Honda publishes 11.0 L/100km in the city, and 8.8 L/100km on the highway.
Good Value within its Class
 The Honda Element is the start of a new automotive culture not unlike the cultures of the Beetle, Mini, Jeep or VW Bus. At a retail price of $29,100.00 I do think that Honda has created a vehicle that can stand alone in its class. You could argue that the Ford Escape, Honda CRV, or the Subaru Forester could be in the same class, but the Element has more than one thing going for it. Honda has set the bar high when it comes to practical vehicle versatility, but most of all - they have given it a distinguishing shape. It's like a sports bag for the "active lifestyle".
For more on specs and accessories visit www.honda.ca.
|
