Honda Element - Overview

Overview

The Element followed a concept vehicle called Model X, developed by a core group of Honda R&D engineers in 1998 and debuted at the 2001 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Model X was designed to be an activity-oriented vehicle combining features of a pickup truck and a sport utility vehicle.

The 4-seat Element is optimized to carry large loads. The floor is made of easily cleanable textured urethane; the fabric is stain-resistant; the individual rear seats recline, fold up and are removable. The rear clamshell tailgate arrangement is large and the vehicle is tall, allowing large loads.

The rear side doors open outwards from the front but are not referred to as suicide doors, as they cannot be opened if the conventional front doors are not. To accommodate elimination of the B-pillars, which provides unobstructed access for side loading, the Element features a chassis reinforced joints, strengthened lower side sills, larger cross members, enlarged rocker panels, and five bulkheads per side.

The compact SUV features a 2.4 Litre K Engine, an i-VTEC four-cylinder engine producing 166 hp (124 kW) at 5500 rpm and 160 lb·ft (217 N·m) of torque at 4500 rpm and front-wheel drive or an optional all-wheel drive system — a hydraulically-actuated system that operates only when front wheel slippage occurs, marketed as "Real Time" all wheel drive. All wheel drive was discontinued in Japan with the 2006 model. The Element has a towing capacity of 680 kg, or 1500 lbs.

With projected first year sales of 50,000, the Element sold 67,478 units in 2003 in the U.S. By 2010, just over 14,000 were sold, and by December 2010, shortly before its discontinuation, it had sold a total of more than 325,000 units.

In 2007, the Element won the Dogcars.com "Dog Car of the Year" award. and in 2010 it won the "Small SUV" category as a "Top Safety Pick" in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Annual Awards.