Overview & Reviews

Sold from 2003-'11, the Honda Element compact crossover SUV remains one of the most distinctive and practical vehicles on the road. Happy Element owners are often city dwellers who appreciate both its small size and generous 75-cubic-foot maximum cargo capacity. Another notable element about the Element is the ability of its access-style rear doors to pivot backward a full 90 degrees, providing unimpeded access to the roomy and creatively configurable rear seats.

A used Element of any vintage is easy to recommend thanks to its functional interior, smooth four-cylinder engine and carlike handling, not to mention Honda's reputation for reliability. That said, it's worthwhile to focus your search on 2007 and newer models, as they offer a bit more power and enhanced safety features.

User Reviews:

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  one week impression so far - 2003 Honda Element
  By kanata - May 17 - 2:00 am

  We have this for about a week already and were getting lots of stares and questions. Pretty hard to stay low profile in this car. Great design, great interior concept. It feels really solid and tight. Very good road feel and turing radius. Drives great! Dont know why people are complaining about 20mpg. Dont they ever read the brochure before they buy? Its advertised at 21mpg!!! Too bad I noticed some excessive/poor glue/weld spots in some areas (wheres the QC?) Oh wait, its built in the USA instead! Get it back to Japan and Ill gladly pay the extra bucks.

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  The Element - 2003 Honda Element
  By mrcwelsh - May 12 - 10:00 am

  Always being asked where I got my Element, everywhere I go I have people asking me if they can check it out.For an SUV it gets great gas mileage, 26/hwy and 21/city.

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  You have to Drive it to Like it - 2005 Honda Element
  By michael riedel - April 30 - 7:33 pm

  It doesnt grab you on its looks - unless youre the type of driver that likes to set yourself apart even when standing still. The real love comes when you get behind the wheel and drive it. It has very nimble handling, a cavernous interior, versatility par excellence and simply solid quality. It is a bit buzzy on the freeway @ 3800 RPM but other than that, youll fall in love with the features, mileage, durability and versatility. Great for picnics, shopping, dogs, camping, etc. Love the stadium seating for 2nd row passengers. Great gas mileage. Only wish I had waited until the 2006 models when they will be all body color paint and not the gray plastic body panels.

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  I love my Element! - 2005 Honda Element
  By Elizabeth Veazey - April 11 - 10:00 pm

  I have always been a sportscar person, but I am also a local muscian and have too much equipment for a car, I also have 2 kids and a dog! I needed the room! The Honda Element has room for days! We took the car on a trip to the mountains the week after I bought it, fully loaded with my PA equipment and all our luggage(I also had a gig there) the car performed great, the gas mileage is somthing to brag about. Everywhere we stopped people would come over to us and ask to look at the car while telling us how crowded and uncomfortable they were. My daughter who is 16 is trying her best to talk me out of my Element and buying myself something else. If I did, it would be another Element.

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  fun car - 2005 Honda Element
  By ralph - April 8 - 7:26 pm

  had the element now for over 2 years and i can say its been nothing but fun and the reliability has been great

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  Funky take on the SUV - 2004 Honda Element
  By Lance Funston - April 8 - 10:00 am

  The Element is a deceptive car: Its small on the outside, yet enormous on the inside. It can fit in an SF parking space, but carry huge amounts of gear especially with rear seats folded up or removed .In many ways its the ultimate answer to the mega- SUV (except it shoud probably do better than its average 20mpg fuel economy...esp from Honda). The split open "suicide doors" make loading cargo easy but can be tough for disembaking rear passengers. Driving position is high and commanding. Handling is tight with significant body roll. on curves. 4CL VTEC engine is just a bit underpowered and delivers meiocre mileage as well and has to rev for power.

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  Everything I Hoped For And MORE! - 2003 Honda Element
  By surkh - February 21 - 2:00 am

  Id been waiting for this puppy to be released for a while. So far its lived up to all of my expectations, and MORE. The beds are a lot more comfortable than I expected. Its very peppy, much more so than I expected. The shifter is great too and perfectly placed. And the handling is unbeleivably better than I expected. Basically like a coupe. Theres very little Body roll, and the grip is amazing for a vehicle this tall. Its also fun great demonstrating it for everyone. Im VERY happy I bought it, and I expect to take LOTS of road trips in the near future in wonderful comfort, with my 20GB MP3 Player! :-)

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  2004 Element - 2005 Honda Element
  By gatorfan - February 14 - 7:56 pm

  My Element is a great car. The interior design is fantastic. I really enjoy the versatility of the fold down and removable seats. The rubber floor is easy to clean, either by sweeping or just using a yard blower. The interior layout is nice and all displays are clearly marked.

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  2004 Element - 2005 Honda Element
  By gatorfan - February 14 - 7:56 pm

  My Element is a great car. The interior design is fantastic. I really enjoy the versatility of the fold down and removable seats. The rubber floor is easy to clean, either by sweeping or just using a yard blower. The interior layout is nice and all displays are clearly marked.

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  Drives like a truck! - 2003 Honda Element
  By JPT - January 25 - 12:00 pm

  Poor visibility and big blind spots but very reliable and dependable!