Like most people, it looks like the Honda Element is getting conservative with old age. Autoblog has posted a scan from the 2009 Element brochure, and as you can see, some of the more "youthful" styling cues have been put out to pasture.
So does this mean that Honda has discovered that the Element is more appealing to geezers than youngsters? Or has Honda discovered that there's more bucks in appealing to an audience with, well, more bucks?
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Honda please please stop it with the awful grille!! You're pulling a Ford on us...I understand the need for model lineup similarity, but man! You've ruined the only Honda model I cared for...
In case you did not think Funky was enough reason to buy, it has now been tweaked for Boring, which should be enough reason to buy.
I actually like the new grill....at least on this model. I haven't liked it on others to date.
I dont see anything wrong with the new grill as it echos the rest of the design. The Element is getting up there in age, I wonder when a new generation will debut?
That grille actually looks reasonable. And kudos on the body-colored bumpers. The rough plastic ones looked so mid-90's.
You know I have never seen a young person driving an Element. I live in an area with a lot of seniors and they seem to like it a lot though.
I asked a neighbour (81 years old) once why she bought hers and she said it was the perfect height. You just slide in. No climbing up like a truck to get in and no climbing up like a car to get out.
It's also easy to park and she thought is fun to own something different.
Not the market Honda intended but I was impressed. Nice to see a vehicle that makes seniors happy.
It is a minivan without the extra length or width that makes it hard to park and drive.
It is an excellent senior mobile.
Excellent senior mobile except the NON-POWERED 2nd row seats that weighs what feels like some 40 lb-ish that you must lift up high into the air and strap them with the fabric strap onto the side walls of the vehicle, using a climbing hook.
http://automobiles.honda.com/images/2008/element/interior-gallery/gal_lg10.jpg
Thank you Honda, for keeping our body builder seniors in shape.
I like it! However it IS a shame that they lost some of the quirkiness in the styling. Hopefully the rest of the Element's character was left intact.
I'll be looking at buying one of these come Spring.
It's hard to update such a unique vehicle.
CR-V sales are great so Honda didn't have to do much to this platform-mate, and this is what we get.
Big Element fan here .... just wish the mileage was better. I've test driven and priced but never pulled the trigger.
I am also an Element Fan. I owned a 2003, and in April traded it in for an 07 Mazda3. I loved the Element, and I am currently 21 years old, owned it for 2-3 years. Sold with 67k on it.
I to wish the mileage was better. I had AWD and avg 20 mpg... In winter would go to like 16-17... Highest ever was 24 and that was once. otherwise rarely about 21.
Otherwise, vehicle was excellent, and this new update looks nice. Reminds me of the focus though, Two face lifts with same body essentially? Either way its nice I guess, but definitely appeals more to the older crowd, who ended up buying it more then me, the key demographic.
M/M