This week’s Misfit is one of my personal favorites; one I came close to buying: the Element. Honda’s quirky and rugged “off-roader” that sparked a lot of mixed opinions.
The Basics:
The Element started production in 2003 based on the same platform as the CR-V. It was available with front-wheel-drive or Honda’s “Real-Time” all-wheel-drive. Under the hood was a 2.4L inline four-cylinder engine mated to either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic.
With 166hp and 160lb-ft of torque you could only haul up to 1500lbs, but with 74 cubic feet of cargo space, who really cared how much you could tow? Fun fact: the Element had so much cargo volume for an SUV of its time, it won Dogcars.com’s “Dog Car of the Year” in 2007 for is cargo space, easily cleanable floors, and its 4-wheel-drive system. In later models, Honda added a navigation system and a few other creature comforts.
The Legacy:
It was one of the most versatile cars of its time, yet in 2011 it was killed off. Why? Because consumers no longer had a need for such a niche-market car, as its appeal was mainly for the hikers and the dog-lovers. Most consumers who wanted a smaller Honda SUV in the mid-2000s all bought CR-Vs.
As quirky and niche as the Element was back in its day, it’s still one of the coolest cars produced, in my opinion. Now that camping and overland-ing have grown in popularity, we’re starting to see a rise of off-road related 4×4 vehicles; and in some cases, even a return, like the FJ Cruiser for example. It’s the same case for the Element, it’s practically made for camping in.
Before Honda ended the production of the Element in 2011, it released a “performance” edition, dubbed the “SC,” comparable to the Accord’s “Sport” badge. The “SC” badge added no real performance upgrades, although it did come with more street looks and a manual transmission, as a last attempt to snag the young buyers.
Verdict:
The Element was before it’s time. It was made for a young active buyer who loves dogs and the outdoors. Unfortunately, the market at the time didn’t agree, forcing Honda to discontinue it, but luckily the market is now swinging towards the young active buyers again, so maybe we’ll see familiarity in the Element’s spiritual successor, whatever form it takes.
In my opinion, you could start calling the Element a “future classic” and I predict we’ll see more of them on the road and at the campgrounds.
I’d love to hear your opinion on the Element, and if you’ve got a Honda you consider a misfit, send it my way!
By Christian Olsson
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