# Honda element on shuttle



## Emmielou (May 1, 2007)

Does anyone have an opinion one way or the other as far as the Honda element goes? Switching up from a jetta which has served me well but doesn't have the storage capacity or clearance for the roads I find myself on while running shuttle. 

I know it's ugly, but I would love to get a sense of how it does in snow/mud and on washboarded dirt roads. Thanks!


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## k1c1w (Feb 20, 2009)

Went from Honda Civic to Subaru Forester a couple of months ago. My Honda was a great car and very reliable. Had over 200,000 on it when I sold it. My Forester is more comfortable and a great shuttle vehicle. 8.7 inches of clearance and I get 29 mpg which is much better than the Element. Interior room is not bad either. I bought the premium with manual transmission. I'm looking forward to many trips with it. Headed out west with boats and gear in July!


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## adgeiser (May 26, 2009)

I also went with the forester over the element.... put 125,000 miles on it in under 4 years great vehicle. never had any problems. ... but that was a few vehicles ago for me.


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## mjpowhound (May 5, 2006)

Another Forester vote...quite a bit more ground clearance, better MPG, cheaper, and better AWD system. I love the way Elements look, the removeable seats, and the rugged interior, but they're overpriced, and if you have the rear seats in they don't have much storage space.


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## FreeKickHero (Jun 3, 2008)

Ditched my F150 for a 09 Subaru Outback. Like the other posts, it's crazy comfortable for me and my passengers, plenty of room for gear and with Thule Kayak Stackers and load bars, can put up 4 big boats without any problems. AWD is bomber off pavement and in snow/rain, super gas mileage and more than enough ground clearance. I sprung for the manual transmission too.


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

Emmielou said:


> Does anyone have an opinion one way or the other as far as the Honda element goes? Switching up from a jetta which has served me well but doesn't have the storage capacity or clearance for the roads I find myself on while running shuttle.
> 
> I know it's ugly, but I would love to get a sense of how it does in snow/mud and on washboarded dirt roads. Thanks!


It appears you are getting a subaru....


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

I actually had my Element for a few years. My wife is still crazy about it. It's VERY roomy, lots of leg room in the back and just comfy. The problem is it's only 4 passengers, not 4wd and can't pull much (1,500 lbs). So we ended up trading it in for Honda Pilot (4wd, towing 5,000 lbs, 8 passengers, decent mpg). I have been very happy with the trade off now.

I end up always run the shuttle now though! But driving with 8 adults in the car pulling a trailer with two boats and going 85 mph on the way to WW from Cisco is great.


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## hullflyer (Aug 22, 2004)

Upgraded from old Toyota truck to Pilot. Huge space. very comfortable. Seats 5 adults well. Back Compartment is roomy, although not as spacious as some. Third row seat is very handy for short shuttles (Read Westwater). Minor complaint is interior noise on rough dirt roads. The Element is very roomy but also noisy inside and are really expensive for essentially a pretty van. If you're looking for a Van type cargo rig the Chevy Astro/GMC Safari are utilitarian 4wd and way less money. Plus they still have rain gutters for racks!


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## JustinJam (Mar 18, 2009)

*Honda Element*

I looked at the Forester a few years back. I found I liked the handling of the Element way better. If you get the manual transmission, the mpg is about the same, and the AWD in the element is just as good as the Forester. I agree on some of the drawbacks, 4 seats and lack of towing capacity. The removal of the rear seats is steller! I built a bed in the back of my Element similar to a pickup and have sleeping space as well as storage underneath. The real drawback is the clearance and suspension. I am still debating whether it can make it down to Mineral Bottom.


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

It can, I've taken my Element down to Mineral Bottom, Sandwash, Nefferttiti, Cisco and many more offroads in Southern Utah. It's not the clearance.... it's how fast you are going prior to the obstacle! lol


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## youngpaddler06 (Nov 17, 2007)

My gf has an element that we use for boating. The seats fold up really easily, which makes enough room to fit all my gear for the trip, including the boat. As far as gas milage, we just got back from a Ruby Horsethief, Westwater trip, 2 1/2 tanks for the round trip. When splitting that with someone it comes out to be very cheap.

That being said, on our way back i did notice it struggling just a bit to keep the speed limit.

BUT the best river car ever, Honda Odessy!!! More room then you know what to do with. I ran a Cataract trip and had 2 full setups including boats IN the car, with frames and oars strapped to the roof. The soccer mom car is the way to go!


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## zfeldman (Sep 11, 2009)

Payload limit is pretty low. I was driving behind an element on a shuttle and with four boats, four people and gear the rear suspension was overloaded to the point that the rear wheels were slanted way in.


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## JustinJam (Mar 18, 2009)

Thanks Kazak. I appreciate the clearance info. Great insight on the Pilot, I think that is the next expansion. The Element just does not have enough towing capacity for me.


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## dlcrow (Dec 31, 2005)

I had an Element for a short while, and while it does have a fair amount of space, nice leg room in the back seats, it does definitely lack power and the gas mileage is not that great. Mileage was about 20 on the highway (auto trans) and it was a grunt to get over even the lowest pass. I would not recommend it for Colorado driving (i.e. in the mountains, over passes, etc.).


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## craporadon (Feb 27, 2006)

FreeKickHero said:


> Ditched my F150 for a 09 Subaru Outback. Like the other posts, it's crazy comfortable for me and my passengers, plenty of room for gear and with Thule Kayak Stackers and load bars, can put up 4 big boats without any problems. AWD is bomber off pavement and in snow/rain, super gas mileage and more than enough ground clearance. I sprung for the manual transmission too.


I have an Outback and it does not get "super gas mileage" by any stretch of the imagination. New F-150's get better gas mileage than older Outbacks. It is a widely accepted misperception that Subaru's get good mileage. AWD just eats it up but it is worth it for how great they are in snow.


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## cooljerk (Jun 18, 2006)

I have an '08 Outback with racks and get 26 to 31 MPG.


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## FreeKickHero (Jun 3, 2008)

My 2009 Outback: 330-360 miles on a full tank of 85 octane gas, averaging 28-31 miles per gallon, cost of filling the tank from empty as of last Sunday approximately 34 dollars. My 2004 F150 XLT, usually 280 miles (doing the same type of kayak road trip driving) at 18-20 mpg, cost before I got rid of it to fill the tank from empty between 78-88 dollars. Between the two vehicles I personally owned and drove, I consider it super gas milage.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

My subaru got crappy mileage as well but then again it was a complete lemon and after many trips to the dealer for warranty work I gave up to never buy another one. Traded it in at the Honda dealership and never looked back. Honda's are quality in my book.


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## kurtmo (Apr 10, 2007)

I need to put in a vote for the Pilot. Ours is a 2004, has 139,000 on it and we've had zippo problems. As others have said the third row back seat is great for a short shuttle. I have had as many as six boats on top. The rack was probably more than maxed out but hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Ours has the DVD (got that for the grandkids) so kayak porn is always part of the shuttle. It's comfy, roomy, and gets 20-21 mpg on the road (regular gas). Not great but I think respectable for this size vehicle. My only beef is that it does transfer a lot of road noise. Can't have it all I guess. It is front wheel drive but you can manually lock in the differential for 4x4. It's not an off-roader but it handles mud and snow well enough. I would buy this vehicle again in a heartbeat and recommend new or used to anyone.


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## Emmielou (May 1, 2007)

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm surprised by the support behind the pilot, given its car body and the number of similar SUVs.


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

Emmielou said:


> Thanks for all the feedback. I'm surprised by the support behind the pilot, given its car body and the number of similar SUVs.


You should go test drive all cars you think would be good for you and then you can make a choice for yourself. I've driven Element for 4 years, I loved it, but once I got a trailer for rafting I had to go bigger. 

Looked at a few SUVs and crossovers, I liked the inside of the Pilot the best. If you are not doing any heavy 4wding, it's a great car. 

Getting out of a mud slide by Nefertiti and Swasey:











The tires were down about half way in slick fresh mud on that nasty uphill to Nefertiti, I was able to back up and get out of the mud without getting dumped into Green River. It got a little hairy!


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## craporadon (Feb 27, 2006)

On a 2009 Outback then sure. I have a 2003 and the gf has a 1998, they get around 23 or so. 

You can't go wrong with a Honda though. I had an Accord that I drove from 112k to 297k just changing the tires and oil.


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## telebrewer77 (May 16, 2008)

I have a 2005 Element that I've had since new and couldn't be happier. I agree with a previous post and will say that the manual tranny is way better for control in ice and mud, as well as easier on gas mileage. I've taken it down many a hairy muddy dirt road and never had any issues. I will say I did put some burly BF Goodrich All terrains on it, but they make this car a virtual snow monster! Here is a pic of the toaster headed down to Mineral Bottom shortly before a huge downpour. Made it up with 7 people inside no prob! Happy car hunting!


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

How did you manage 7 people in an Element?!

I've taken my Element down to Mineral Bottom multiple times with a canoe on top even.


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## kurtmo (Apr 10, 2007)

Emmielou said:


> Thanks for all the feedback. I'm surprised by the support behind the pilot, given its car body and the number of similar SUVs.


Room, reliability and functionality, I think that is the basis for the support. It's a big box that fits a lot of stuff. Admittedly, its looks won't turn heads but its less than stellar looks are far outweighed by all its other positive attributes.


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## telebrewer77 (May 16, 2008)

kazak4x4 said:


> How did you manage 7 people in an Element?!
> 
> I've taken my Element down to Mineral Bottom multiple times with a canoe on top even.




We actually took out the rear seats and packed 1 in the passenger seat and 5 sitting on paco pads in the back on the floor. Not the most ideal situation, but a function of necessity.


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## SimpleMan (Dec 17, 2009)

It's gotta be mentioned, and I know I'll be put on the hippie's people-to-kill list, but a Honda is just a way higher quality vehicle. Way higher resale, better engineering in my view. They will last forever. My first Honda accord had 278k on it before I sold it. Subarus are also great cars for sure but.....


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

telebrewer77 said:


> We actually took out the rear seats and packed 1 in the passenger seat and 5 sitting on paco pads in the back on the floor. Not the most ideal situation, but a function of necessity.


Awesome!  I so miss the back seat of the Element, when you take that thing out you have so much space in the back! We used to use it as a camper with my little family. Just had the blow up mattress in there, the kid loved it. I slept many nights in the Element, can't really do that in Pilot, not long enough.

Alex


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## mjpowhound (May 5, 2006)

Honda is my 2nd favorite manufacturer, but I gotta give love to Subaru. They've been doing AWD longer than anyone else and really have it down. Resale value and reliability are close to Honda.

YouTube - Uphill Climb, Forester Subaru 2009


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## tyaker (Dec 11, 2004)

Gotta bump the E. Replaced our Forester that went through 3 friggin' engines in it's 120k lifetime. Couldn't be happier. Took our E to Cali w/ bikes, camping gear for three weeks, and our two 70lb pups. Granted, we used a rocket box, but still averaged 22 mpg. Wife makes it to/from Vail in any weather, no prob.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

Yep, my Subaru was the same. Four appointments to fix the anti-lock brakes that stopped the brakes from working if you hit a bump while braking, they never fixed it. The gas vent would pull away from the block when it got cold so you would get noxious fumes in the car when you least wanted to roll the windows down. Three appointments, they finally fixed it under warranty but only after me raising a stink. Clutch went out at 55k. I traded it in on Honda, havent even been back to the dealer, no need.


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## tacocat (May 26, 2008)

What are some other Hondas with All wheel drive made in the past few years? preferably cars not suvs. 

What kind of under body protection do some of the Hondas and Subaru in this thread have from the factory? I have seen some questionable route finding in in both CRVs and Subarus.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

I had a ridgeline which has a limited low speed awd but I gave up all that for gas mileage. When the economy rebounds a bit gas is going upwards of $4 a gallon during the summer probably from now on. I bought a Honda Fit, a large burn fits inside and it gets over 40mpg on the highway. I would rather get there then stay at home with the perfect vehicle.


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## mjpowhound (May 5, 2006)

Honda AWD...CRV, Ridgeline, Element, Pilot...I think that's it. For cars, there may be an Acura AWD?

Subaru has a rear differential protector accessory and I'm sure you can get aftermarket skid plates for both of them.

GH...I had that ABS problem on a WRX. Not a good feeling, but I never felt like I lost any braking power. I read of some scary incidents though.


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

mjpowhound said:


> Honda AWD...CRV, Ridgeline, Element, Pilot...I think that's it. For cars, there may be an Acura AWD?
> 
> Subaru has a rear differential protector accessory and I'm sure you can get aftermarket skid plates for both of them.
> 
> GH...I had that ABS problem on a WRX. Not a good feeling, but I never felt like I lost any braking power. I read of some scary incidents though.


Yep, first year WRX wagon. I went into a bumpy corner and the pedal dropped away. I went into the corner hot and had to 4 wheel drift it through the rest. Scared the crap out of me. Losing the brakes when you need them, not what I am looking for.


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## Kendo (Jul 26, 2006)

I can relate to GH, I switched from a F250 diesel(wasnt driving much due to fuel cost) to an older honda civic I inherited, the car sat for a few years not driven, literally thought it was a P.O.S. but after alot of work myself- racing chip, exhaust,cool air ram, suspension, and a few other things, the car has done awesome for me. gets about 35 mpg, loaded down- like it is here about 28-30. There is a 12ft aire in the pass seat and food/supplies for a week, my 80 lb Lab in the back seat. The car handled multiple trips like this from Co to utah with no problems.

. I have no complaints... I think the odds are in your favor with a honda. Hope that helps!


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## brokenpaddlejon (Sep 11, 2005)

I've been looking at both the forester and the element. The forester is listed at 20 and 27 mpg, the element at 22 and 24 mpg. I have a neighbor who has an element and claims it gets close to 30 mpg on the highway. It seems to me that the mileage depending on your driving style will be a wash. As far as cost they both start about 22,000 for base models so the price seems to be a wash. I would think the suspensions would be similar as well. The thing pushing me to the element is the room. I'm quite tall and the room in the element is amazing. I actually have more driving room in it than my ford expedition. They both have AWD and many of the options seem to be similar. For me the element seems to be the car of choice.


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## tyaker (Dec 11, 2004)

Brokenpaddle: speaking from the experience of having driven both 20k+ miles, the Element wins. The only advantage the Suby gets is roof rack access.


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## st2eelpot (Apr 15, 2008)

I've owned both honda (cars) and a couple of outbacks. 

I think the quality control on the subaru's isn't fantastic- my first one was a lemon. I needed a new head gasket at 36 000 miles (warranty covered it). Tons of problems. I ultimately threw out one of the lower engine bearings at 65000 miles and subaru hooked me up w/ a fantastic trade in if I bought a new subaru. Best deal I was going to find since I had a car w/ a blown motor.

This second one I've abused (it's been airborn, rolled, high centered, over loaded, you name it). While I don't like the gas mileage of the outback compared to the hondas (HUGE variance depending on what kind of tires I have on it at the time), I haven't been able to kill this subie yet. I ripped off the rear anti-sway bar from overloading it (14ft raft, 2 kayaks, all the associated gear for a 3 week grand trip, and 3 ppl). The car was sitting on the suspension stops when no one was in it- then we drove it 400 miles to the grand at 70mph. 

Had a Honda civic that I also beat the living snot out of, and it still got 40mpg. I think the honda took more abuse than the subie. Traded it in w/ about 300k on it and the bumpers falling off. 

I'm also curious about Honda's AWD. I was behind an Element the other day (February) in the snow and it seemed to be doing fantastic. 

Either way, they're both suitable cars unless you want to tow. The Subie can do a bit of towing, but I'm scared to try to drop a fully rigged raft into the water with one. Figure I'd submarine the car.


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## brokenpaddlejon (Sep 11, 2005)

tyaker: thanks for the reply. I'm 6'8" roof rack access is never a limitation for me.


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## JustinJam (Mar 18, 2009)

*Sleeping in the Element*

Broken Paddle,

If you're 6'8" don't even bother trying to lay down the seats together to sleep in the Element. My wife is 5'6" and loves that option. I am 6'1" and wake up feeling like a contortionist. 

If your looking for road trip options take out the back seats and build a bed in the back. The slot where the seats attach to the side walls fit a square 1" bar near perfect. I used this for the main support for my bed. I then created a three piece plywood hinged bed. The front and back can fold up to allow for more storage, or larger items (like a huge cooler). We used this setup for a 2 week road trip with 2 huge dogs in the back, and still had plenty of storage underneath.

Good hunting.


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## tyaker (Dec 11, 2004)

brokenpaddlejon said:


> tyaker: thanks for the reply. I'm 6'8" roof rack access is never a limitation for me.


lol...My wife is 5'2", and she still loves her Element.


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## TonyM (Apr 17, 2006)

Love my Element. Unfortunately its a 5 speed and I can no longer shift it easily due to my injury. Its for sale if anyone is interested.


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