"Redesigned 2009 Honda Element Adds New Nav, USB and Memory Card" Edmunds Daily

Redesigned 2009 Honda Element Adds New Nav, USB and Memory Card

Honda released details, photos and pricing on the redesigned 2009 Element yesterday. While the bummer is the slightly tweaked version gets a big bump in price, the good news is the boxy vehicle borrows some of its tech treats from its siblings.

These include Honda's voice-activated Satellite-Linked Navigation System on EX and SC models with an auto tranny. The option also comes with a backup camera and USB audio interface, and behind the motorized 6.5-inch nav screen is a slot for a single-CD player as well as for an adapter that holds a CompactFlash memory card that can be loaded with MP3 and WMA music files.

If you look really closely at the photo above you can see an aux input in the "three-bin tray" dash storage compartment on the passenger side. But that's not the only -- or even the best -- way to plug in an iPod, since the USB port allows directly patching in the player using the cable supplied by Apple. We've seen (and liked) similar setups in the '09 Honda CRV and '09 Honda Fit.

According to our sister site Inside Line, the top-of-the-line 2009 Honda Element 4WD EX with navigation and a five-speed automatic transmission starts at $25,855, including the destination charge, while the '08 version started at $23,860, representing a $1,995 price difference. The 2009 Honda Element is available now.