I understand that they may assist with the loading/unloading of the vehicle, but for as often as you would actually need suicide doors to accomplish this it’s totally not worth it. Getting backseat passengers in and out, especially in parking lots and garages, is painful. The Element chews through brakes like no other car I’ve owned before. We’ve used the dealership as well as recommended mechanics. We’ve had to replace the rotors a few times as well.

About every 18,000 miles we’re investing in new pads. I knew that in advance, but an option for a 5th person would have been great.īrakes! Oh man, have we gone through brakes. Lots of columns and little blind spots to be aware of. Visibility is kinda subpar outside of the front seat. You’ve got to plan your traffic merges accordingly. Not quite sluggish, but you’re not going to win any races with the Element. Nothing to write home about, but not exceptionally low.ĭoesn’t have a lot of get up and go. You can tell this SUV was built off of a sedan chasis. Handling is responsive, and the turning radius is really good. You’re seated just a bit above sedan level and are afforded great view of the road, and the ‘widescreen’ windshield does a great job of exploiting all that visible space. I have noticed it sometimes hiccups on wet roads, though that could be tire issues.ĭriving height is also a boon. The AWD system is reliable in getting through snow and ice. It will be very hard to replicate when it comes time to buy another vehicle. I’ve moved beds, countless pieces of furniture, gardening supplies/equipment, etc… I’ve been completely, and utterly spoiled by the Element’s ability to transport things. Outside of a cargo van, I can’t think of another … vehicle that allows this much cargo space. Rivaling my 2003 Subaru Forester (the most consistent vehicle I’ve ever owned) in terms of drivability and reliability, and surpassing all other vehicle in terms of versatility.Īmazing storage capacity and versatility. Regardless of your age, a trip to your local Honda dealer is in order if the Element's qualities appeal to you.Purchased used 7 years ago, our 2005 Element has proven to be one of the best vehicle purchases I’ve ever made. Sounds great, but are Generation-Y surfers really going to cough up a sum around $21,000 just so they have something new to carry their surfboards? Or, are they just going to keep their ratty compact pickups and spend their cash on new video game releases? The latter has always seemed more likely to us, and so far, typical Element buyers have tended to be far older than Honda's targeted Gen-Y audience. The typical problem with this sort of design is that it usually makes for a weaker body structure, but Honda says it more than compensated for the lack of a traditional B-pillar by, in essence, hiding one in each rear door as a reinforced vertical brace. By having no B-pillar and allowing the doors to swing open wide (the fronts open up 78 degrees and the rears pivot a full 90 degrees), a 55.5-inch-wide portal allows bulky items to be loaded with ease. The secret is in having a tall body (at 74 inches, 8 inches taller than a CR-V), which allows the seats to be higher, providing plenty of legroom. Riding on a wheelbase of just 101.4 inches and measuring only 166.5 inches in overall length, the Element is compact, yet the space inside makes it hard to believe that the Element is actually shorter in length than a Civic coupe.

The 2006 Honda Element is chock-full of features that make it easy to take the mountain bikes to the trailhead, the surfboard to the waves or the 27-inch TV to the dorm or apartment. What is it? Who makes it? What does it do? Now in its fourth year, the Element SUV is geared toward young and very active Generation-Y types who want an affordable vehicle that offers flexible cargo-hauling ability along with a sporty persona. But drive a Honda Element, and you will likely be overwhelmed by questions by other motorists. All the vehicles in their lineup are desirable products that are well regarded and need little explanation. Honda is a company that does its homework and usually doesn't bring a product to market until it's fully developed and ready to make a serious dent in the competition's sales.

2006 honda element for sale