2003 Honda Element EX 4WD from North America - Comments

No problems whatsoever.

The 'new' has worn off and I *still* love this little truck. Er, car. Er, SUV. I've driven in a hurricane, high wind conditions, one longish trip (360 miles), hauled lots of stuff, moved the car seat in and out a dozen times... But everytime I think of the chunky little thing I still smile.

Yah -- there's been a lot of hype over this alternative vehicle. But that shouldn't tilt one's car buying decision one way or the other. In this review I'll point out the pluses and minus as I see them.

First the Bad Stuff.

Get the optional arm rest. The stock armrest is anemic for the driver and non-existent for the passenger.

Get the optional carpets. They look nice and things don't slide around on the carpet the way they do on the plastic flooring.

I love the ride. It has a great turning radius, but the short wheelbase makes the truck jumpy over certain roads at certain speeds. We came over a bridge on the New Jersey Turnpike last weekend that felt like a carnival ride. I put this under Bad Stuff because some have objected to this. To me it's fun because it doesn't happen very often at all.

Road noise. Every review I've read has commented on this. Probably Honda will inject some expandable urethane foam between the plastic roof and the steel supporting structure. To me the car (truck, SUV, whatever) is a LOT quieter than my 1967 Jeepster Commando. (...On a long trip the flapping flop-top would give you a headache!) To me it's not a problem. Crank up the stereo a notch or two.

Options. The truck is designed as an entry-level vehicle in it's class. Consequently, expenses had to be kept as low as possible. I wish it had heated seats and a carpeted cargo area, but these aren't even available as options. There are, however, MANY options to choose from. Buy what makes you comfortable and what you think you'll use. I bought the keyless remote, roof rack, carpets, seat back bungees, and armrest. I'm thankful for every one of them. One caution -- some of these options are overpriced. There are several good web sites that show how to install the options yourself. Also, shop around for price. (More on this later.) The roof rack (installed)was quoted to me at $395 by one dealer and $265 at another in a less metropolitan area.

Engine. I'm putting this in both categories -- bad and good. The engine works fine in this vehicle. When I first started driving it I thought it was underpowered. I don't think that, now, but it's not "overpowered" either.

"First year model." Often the first year of a new model (or engine or transmission) has lots of problem. Lots of recalls. Lots of trips to the dealer. I was concerned about this, too. But I found out the motor, transmission, and front chassis are really borrowed from the CR-V, which has been around for -- what? -- five years or so? On the dealer lot I parked next to a new CR-V and opened up both hoods. Yup -- they're more than cousins, but not twins.

Exposed radiator grille. Can't argue with this. The grille is "right there." Still, it's not much different from the CR-V. And after five years (or whatever) if Honda had had a problem with CR-V grilles being bashed-up by debris they would have done something about it. Given this history and Honda's testing regimen, I don't think the risk is all that great.

Cargo capacity. This is another item that gets both good and bad marks. Bad marks because the maximum load weight is only 650 lbs. Probably this is the least in the class. (It gets good marks, though, because a small garden shed can fit in the back!)

The Good Stuff.

Did I mention the ride? The handling is surprisingly good. I actually handles better than my 1996 Mercedes-Benz E320 Wagon. The wagon would push in corners -- slide to the outside of the turn. The Element just turns. Changing lanes on the highway is a blast. Takes about 250 milliseconds. Fun! Doing the same move in the M-B produced *significant* body roll. The Element just pops over.

Parking. This is such an easy vehicle to park. Good visibility, good mirrors. The square corners tell you *exactly* where every part of the truck it. The turning radius lets you get into any spot, and the short length lets you park in restricted spots that my wagon wouldn't even dream of.

Engine. I average 22 to 23 m.p.g. in mixed driving. My one road trip from Delaware to New York City got 24.9 mpg. Not bad! And it uses regular, not premium. I *like* this engine!

Transmission. I had to ask the dealer what the button on the shift lever was for. It's an electric overdrive switch. Didn't know what it did until I started to drive it. Now I use it all the time. It's like downshifting, but more simple and easier. The trans itself is very smooth and shifts at what seems to be the right points.

Doors. At this point I have to tell you that I'm 6'8" tall and weigh about 220. I LOVE these doors. They fit me. Smaller people might be overwhelmed by them, however. They are L O N G. And tall. Most people can't put their arm outside when the window is rolled down. But for me, they're fine. Don't park close to someone and expect to load anything easily. Read on...

Loading. My Element is a work truck for my business. I own a small IT support company. I'm always loading and unloading crates of tools, cable, computers, printers, etc. The truck is like a garden shed on wheels with doors on every side. The back opens completely, and so do both sides.(!) The seats do tricks -- they fold down, then flip up against the sides of the rear windows to open up a cavernous space, and the rear window flips up and the tailgate flips down like a pickup truck. SO EASY to load and unload.

Kids. Kids LOVE this truck. The rear seats are raised up from the floor so that most kids age ten or more can see over the adults heads. Nice! They love the funkiness / chunkiness / 'cartoonness' of the vehicle. They love the colors. They think everything about it is cool. Some young teens were staring at the truck as I came around a hedge. "You want to see it?" I asked. They did. Enthusiastically. (Yes, *teenagers*!)

Babies. I have a 16 month-old son. I have to do more twists and gyrations to put him in his car seat than a chiropractor working on a lower lumbar subluxation. Oh -- wait a minute. That's on my wife's car, a VW Jetta Wagon. It is a painful, wrenching experience to load and unload little ones into the Jetta. With the Element, though, you just open the doors and set them in the seat. It's so easy.

Clean up. All the reviews have mentioned this already, but they are right. I've already spilled coffee and soda, milk bottles have gone flying, and between the dog (an active pug) and the baby there were crumbs in every crevice and crack in one week. Just open the doors, wipe the seats off, and shake out the rugs. A little 409 or Fantastic and the car is ready for something else to be slopped on it.

Sound system. Nice! Not a killer system, but very, very good for a factory unit. The optional input is handy for MP3 players, portable shortwave receivers, or cassette tape players. Works and sounds great.

Radio. Not the best, but good enough. Reception in fringe areas is not as good as the best radios I've used. AM reception is LOT better than the Mercedes. FM is about the same. I've experimented with a longer whip antenna, but haven't come to any definitive conclusions. (The stock antenna is a 6" stub.)

4WD. I'm not an off-roader. The only time I've sensed that the 4WD unit engaged was during a heavy rain. I took off from a corner (turning) and I felt power being transfered to the rear wheels. It happens very smoothly. I think this is an excellent feature and will be welcomed in snowy times.

Visibility. For those of you who are not accustomed to using mirrors, you might initially think that visibility is poor. I don't think it is, though. I recommend buying little convex mirrors to add on the Element's mirror supports. I have my rear windows tinted, even, to 15% transmission and still don't think it's a problem. Some have complained that the A pillar is too large and blocks their view. The only time I sense this is when I am driving slowly and turning sharply, as in a parking lot. I've learned to look ahead a little more, perhaps.

Insurance costs. I was amazed to find out that the insurance costs for a new, 2003 Honda Element were $80 a year more than my old 1988 Mercedes 190E. I think this is a very economical car when you consider the original expense, low rate of depreciation, low operating expense, and high reliability.

Summary. Fun, funky, good tunes, good cargo capability, kid and dog friendly, good power, economical, reliable, useful. My wife even likes it.

What a great review! Gave me everything I need to know. Now for the particulars: are the seats comfortable on long drives? My Civic has poor seats and I am worried the Elements seats are not any better.

This review is great. it has helped in deciding on the purchase of one. Honda has a great history with quality, fit, and function. I'm sure my wife will be very pleased with replacing her 96 tracer with it.

Here here!! My wife and I just purchased a 2004 LX 4WD and love it. Your review just about sums up all of the reasons we love our E. Oh, and let's not forget the little joke we get to use. "You're out of your Element."

G.S. in Battle Creek, MI.

One of the most entertaining and informative reviews of the "E," and one that despite some other professional so-so reviews, may get me to test drive one.

WOW!!! What a great review... I loved being able to read the good points and the bad points. The thing that makes me want to take it for a test drive and really give some thought to the Element is that in every review that I have read the good far out-ways the bad. There is not one car on the market that only has good reviews. I am very excited to test drive and hopefully own the Element when my lease is up on my PT Cruiser. Thanks so much for being so honest!!

Wow, you should work for Honda. The psychology you used for writing the review is very compelling. I just read your review and can't wait to close purchase an element tomorrow morning.

Thanks,

Great Revue! I would like to Add a couple of things. I have a 2004 and I love it, the only problems that we have had with our is that when we bought it the FM stations came in great, but we only got 3 AM stations, we told the dealership 2 times and both people said it was suppose to be like that and that the pilot had the same problems and Honda knew it was a problem, but it could not be fixed. We kept complaining, finally 4 months ago we took her in for an oil change and told them about it again, after 2 days if my Bab y being in the shop, a new radio, antenna, and wires put in her they figured out it was the part that the antenna screwed into and replaced that too, now the AM stations come in great! Have had some leakage from the sunroof in heavy rains and in the car wash. Otherwise a great car! Love it. I have been lucky enough to not have the windshield crack on us yet and I hope it does not happen.

I work for a delivery service, and I drive a 2003 Element 40 hours a week, and it's a great vehicle except for one thing - the blind spot from the huge windshield pillers.

Great review and great writing! I just picked up an '04 DX 4WD with 60k. I did minor research before buying and more research afterwards (hence why I am here). I was very pleased to see a glovebox full of dealer-service receipts with several items done at previous owner's request well before the req'd svc interval.

This truck (drives like one, I like that) is very quiet and has excellent handling. I like every aspect so far. I am glad I did not purchase anything else.

I had heard bad comments about the seats, but they are comfy enough. There is PLENTY of bad info on the Internet about this vehicle, especially concerning the 4 wheel-drive vs AWD aspects. Great vehicle, looking forward to a long relationship with it and many great vacations.

The person that wrote the long fantastic, informative and funny review on the 2003 Honda Element EX is a great writer and should be signed up by Honda or some TV commercial company ASAP. I loved the human interest comedy parts...I'm thinking of buying a used 2003 (it's all I can afford right now because I don't want car payments... but buy an older Element is kind of worrying me a bit)... SO I would LOVE to hear from this person who wrote the original review and see how the car is working out after 3-4 yrs. If you read this let me know!!! I have to add that my boss bought a 2005 and had it for 2 weeks before getting hit head on in a car accident... then the car was thrown into the middle guardrail... he walked away with as much as a scratch... I have deep faith in this cars safety!!! I also would like to know of any websites that I can purchase the extras on instead of the high priced Honda dealership. Thanks for any help you can offer.

I had enjoyed my 2003 Element until a month ago. I parked my car at Park & Fly lot for a week. When I picked up my car I found a lot of water on the floor of both front seats. It was raining almost the whole week. I thought the attendant mistakenly left the window open. I was wrong. Last week I was painting my garage and left the car outside overnight (heavy raining). The next morning I found water again. There must be a leakage, but I could not figure out from where. The windows and doors were tightly closed. But the floor looks like a small pond, even the coin box on the left side under the steering wheel was full of water. Who can tell me what could be the problem?