By Carol Traeger
Enquirer contributor

Honda Element [ZOOM] [ZOOM] Wheels rating: (out of 5) Vital Statistics What I drove: 2003 Honda Element 4WD DX, four-door, four-passenger square thing w/ automatic transmission Base price: $18,300 Price as tested: $18,760 Options on test vehicle: None Drivetrain layout: Front engine, all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive Engine: 2.4-liter in-line 4-cylinder producing 160 hp and 161 lb-ft torque Transmission: 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual Wheelbase: 101.4 inches Length: 166.5 inches Width: 71.5 inches Height: 70.4 inches Weight: 3,472-3,494 pounds EPA mpg city/hwy: 21/24 Warranty: Basic: 3 yrs/36,000 miles; drivetrain: 3 yrs/36,000 miles Assembled in: East Liberty, Ohio Safety: Dual-stage front airbags, front seat-belt pretensioners, shoulder belts and head restraints in all seating positions, LATCH child-seat anchorage system. Cool: Center-opening doors, fold-flat and reconfigurable seats (that can be made into a bed!), removable rear sunroof, hose-outable interior, dual-tailgate design, digital media and MP3 capability Uncool: Patchwork-quilt exterior, center-opening doors Find a Car • Search for a car • Advanced search Find a local dealer: Any ========= Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Buick Cadillac Chevrolet Chrysler Daewoo DeTomaso Dodge Ferrari Ford GMC Honda Hummer Hyundai Infiniti Isuzu Jaguar Jeep Kia Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lotus Maserati Mazda Merc.-Benz Mercury Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Oldsmobile Panoz Pontiac Porsche Rolls-Royce Saab Saturn Subaru Suzuki Toyota Volkswagen Volvo ========= Used Recreational Buy motor boats, RVs, campers, trailers, motorcycles and more! • Search local ads Research • Reviews database • In the news • Vehicle history • Car Talk

Some SUVs are rolling contradictions. While their exteriors project a rugged and macho image, their pristine interiors squeal if the kids clamber in wearing muddy boots. And heaven forbid if their owners ever force them down a dirt trail. "Oooooo, watch out for those brambles!" they'll shout, "they might scratch my paint!"

The Honda Element suffers no such schizophrenia. "I am what I am," it proclaims. "Bring on the kids, bring on the brambles!"

The Element might look like a box on wheels, but it's a textbook case of form following function. That square body? It allows for an extremely versatile and roomy interior. And those patches of plastic cladding? They provide a place to lean bikes and lawn furniture without marring the paint.

A lifeguard station served as the design inspiration for the Element's general shape. Its upright sides resemble a lifeguard tower, and its arched roofline follows the curve of a surfboard. Charged with developing a vehicle to support young, active lifestyles (and attract that mother lode of a market segment called Gen Y), Honda designers gave the Element wide, center-opening side doors, a split tailgate, water-resistant seats, a urethane-coated floor and a super-flexible rear seating area.

Early ads touted the Element as "a dorm room on wheels." Had I been Honda's ad manager, I'd have dubbed it "the VW bus for the Y Generation." But of course I'd be fired for: a) comparing a Honda to a VW and: b) alluding to a vehicle most Gen Y'ers (16- to 24-year-olds) have never even heard of. OK, we'll stick with dorm room on wheels.

Actually, the Element is better than a dorm room. With its urethane-coated floor and water-resistant seats, the Element can be hosed out after parties. (Try getting away with that in your dorm.) To add life to parties, the Element is available with a seven-speaker sound system, including subwoofer, and inputs for digital media and MP3 players.

With no B-pillar obstructing the way, the Element's center-opening doors create a 55.5-inch-wide opening - perfect for loading large gear inside, where there's 75 cubic feet of cargo space.

For all their conveniences, these backward-swinging doors can be a nuisance, particularly in parking lots when you're parked alongside other vehicles.

You can't open the rear door without first opening the front door, and you can't close the front door without first closing the rear door.

Fine, but when you push your grocery cart up, you get blocked by the doors. My daughter and I were always jockeying for position. "OK, you get in first," I'd tell her, "then close the rear door, then I'll push up the cart and open the rear door again ..." You get the picture.

Also, the rear doors were almost too heavy for my 80-pound daughter to manage. And once she got inside and had the rear door closed, she couldn't reach over the front seat to get the front door closed.

Flexible seats

The back seats offer tons of leg room. We were moving to a new house the week I had the Element, and I fit four large boxes between my daughter's feet and the front seat. The rear seats can be removed or flipped up and attached to the walls by way of a carabiner clinched to a grab handle. With the seats flipped up, we had enough room to fit our living room couch.

The rear seats can be reclined to create a double bed large enough to sleep two 6-footers ... with the tailgate closed!

All-wheel-drive Elements come with a rear flip-up sunroof that can be removed for sleeping under the stars or carrying tall objects.

Move back and you'll find a two-part tailgate. The bottom half drops down to form a flat-load surface, perfect for sliding in cargo and ideal for tailgate parties. The platform can support two 220-pound people, and the roof-hinged glass top swings up to serve as a shelter against rain, sun or flying potato salad.

The driver's perspective

The Element comes in three trim levels: DX (no-stereo, no AC), LX (CD player and air conditioner) and EX (7-speaker CD stereo system with input for digital media and MP3 players, alloy wheels, ABS, power mirrors...)

My test model was a stripper DX, and it was a bit too barebones for me. I mean, no stereo and no AC? Come on!

As it was, our only power amenities were windows and door locks, and I kept forgetting to walk around to manually adjust the passenger-side mirror. The front seats were comfortable enough, but they could've used a lumbar adjuster. The steering wheel tilts, but when I tilted it to my specifications, it blocked my view of the speedometer. ("But, Officer, I couldn't see the speedo, I swear!")

What I could see was the great outdoors. The large windows and outside mirrors provided excellent visibility, that is, when I didn't have a couch or chest of drawers blocking the way.

The 160-horsepower four-cylinder engine was powerful enough for hauling heavy loads from house to house, but passing on the freeway took some concerted effort from my right foot.

The engine can drive the front or all four wheels, but this vehicle isn't meant for serious off-road use. It's intended to get you down the winding trail to your "secret" surf spot (the one that won't stay secret for long). All-wheel drive is offered solely to provide increased traction on wet roads and loose surfaces.

Sticking strictly to the pavement, the Element felt as light and maneuverable as an old VW bus (there I go again). It was easy to steer and the automatic transmission was well-behaved.

Wind noise at speed wasn't overly pronounced, and tire thrum was evident, but not obnoxious.

After spending seven days with the Element - during which time it helped me move several hefty loads of boxes and furniture - I learned that this box on wheels is as functional as it is funny-looking (and after a few days, it doesn't look that funny any more). Honda's new-breed SUV might be aimed at Gen Y'ers, but it also appeals to slightly older folks like me.

And with prices ranging from $16,100 to $20,850, the Element is affordable enough for most all of us.

E-mail ctrigger@aol.com