Honda's Element receives makeover

Honda Element adds power

Offered on a new, top model of the 2007 Honda Element, carpeting is one of several major updates to the boxy sport utility vehicle whose starting manufacturers suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $19,495.

All versions of the four-cylinder-powered Element now have 10 more horsepower than their predecessor, more standard safety equipment, new headlight and grille styling and more eye-catching gauges. There's also a first-for-Element five-speed automatic transmission, up from the previous four-speed transmission.

The changes are the most comprehensive for the Element since it debuted in 2003 as a blockishly styled, versatile, four-passenger SUV with fold-back, bedlike rear seats and plastic exterior body panels here and there.

The Element's styling has always been a like-it or hate-it issue. To some, the 5.1-foot-tall vehicle looks top-heavy and awkward. Others like the unusually blunt styling because nothing else on the road looks like it.

Look for the styling changes on the new-for-2007 Element SC model to attract more shoppers. Sitting a bit lower to the road and looking like its even lower still because of new body-colored side sills and slightly different roof design, the SC doesn't look quite as awkward.

There are 18-inch factory wheels on the SC - a first for any Honda - and the SC is the only Element whose front and rear bumpers, along with the composite body panels, are the same color as the body paint. On other Elements, bumpers are black.

With a bolder grille and projector beam halogen headlights added, the top-of-the-line SC seems to make the other Elements - with their matte, black, composite panels - look a bit old and worn.

Inside, the SC is the only Element with carpeting. It's in the front and second-row seating areas only, where there's also new seat fabric. The rear cargo area in the Element remains, with its easy-to-clean, plastic-covered floor.

Just be sure to use the tie-down hooks back there. Even suitcases and computer bags easily slide around on the Element's cargo floor, which offers 25.1 cubic feet of room when seats are in use.

Despite the new look, the Element SC has the same 166-horsepower, 2.4-liter, double overhead cam four cylinder that's in all 2007 Elements.

The test Element SC with new automatic transmission and drive-by-wire throttle accelerated well in city traffic and provided comfortable get up and go. But at highway speeds and on mountainous roads, the Element could take a bit of time to regain its momentum if I let up on the accelerator and then tried to resume speed. With beefier stabilizer bars and firmer spring and damper tuning, the SC suspension has a more sporty feel than that of other Elements, and it shows. I felt and heard abrupt impacts of potholes, and the ride came across as loud and harsh over concrete highway expansion cracks and uneven sections of pavement. Thank goodness the front seats, with a feeling of heavy foam, were comfortable to rest on. Note that even with its "Real Time four-wheel-drive" the Element is not for rugged off-roading. Its four-wheel-drive system activates only after wheelspin is detected and works via a multiplate clutch to send up to 70 percent of power to the rear wheels during low-traction conditions. Otherwise, the Element operates as a front-drive vehicle.

I liked that I sat up quite a bit to see some of the traffic ahead. Remember that the Element has clamshell side doors, which means the usual metal pillar between the doors isn't stationary and moves out of the way when both front-hinged front door and rear-hinged rear door are open. But this arrangement also can be problematic as I discovered trying to fit a grocery cart between the doors to load heavy items into the Element. There wasn't enough clearance between the Element and an adjacent car to allow for all the maneuvering of front door, cart and rear door.

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