I’m looking to buy a late-model used car and a Honda Element looks like it could have been just what I was looking for, but they stopped making them in 2011 and I don’t want to go back that far.
Any suggestions for something newer that is square-ish with large cargo space, but not too large exterior dimensions? I’ve actually been thinking of something like a Ford Transit but I’d like to get better mileage if possible. Scion xB is also a possibility, but is the quality and reliability there? I would like to have a larger engine option to get better acceleration. In other words, I want everything. How close can I get?
Honestly I don’t have a suggestion for you, but as a former Element owner, I bemoan it’s death. Honda never marketed it very well. It was a fantastic vehicle, and I regret selling mine.
The Ford Flex is about as ugly as the Honda Element, if that’s what you’re looking for. That’s probably too large for you, though. How about the Escape instead? The shape is different than the element, of course. The Edge is a bit boxier. Transit Connect you already don’t like.
The C-Max doesn’t have the square shape, but the cargo area is fairly large. If you opt for Energi, you lose a little bit of space, but if you fold down the rear seats it’s still fairly large.
I have an Element and will drive it into the ground before I give it up. For my lifestyle, it’s perfect. I regularly haul animal feed and have even transported goats to the vet in it. Fortunately, they last a long time with good care. I figure I’ll keep mine for at least another ten years. Maybe by that time, Honda will come to their senses and bring it back.
I’d never buy a(nother) Ford. Ever. Three Tauri were enough to convince me what garbage they are.
Consumer Report has high ratings for the Scion xB, especially in reliability, which they call outstanding. Driver satisfaction is in the middle, so you would be best to test drive it and judge for yourself. Gas mileage is only 23 mpg.
There is also the Kia Soul, which is a little uglier. But that’s just my opinion. CR has it’s reliability at above average, gas mileage at 22 mpg.
The Ford Transit is meant more as a commercial vehicle.
Have you looked at the Subaru Forester? It fits the same “box on wheels with outdoorsy pretensions” niche although the higher ground clearance and better AWD actually at least somewhat justifies them. I think the interior is a bit shorter than the Element was, but it’s longer. The regular 4-cylinder gets much better mileage than the Element or you can get it with the WRX turbo engine and get your better acceleration (and still slightly better mileage than the Element.)
I just sold my Element, and I miss it every day. We got a pop up trailer, and the Element couldn’t tow that much weight. We ended up getting a Nissan XTerra. I’d hoped to get something that got better gas mileage than the Element, but couldn’t find a better combination of towing capacity, price, and MPG.
But, of course, this is the last year for the XTerra, too. Sigh.
Anyway, it was kind of fun watching the car salesmen fighting over who got to buy my low-mileage Element from me.
I always thought the element was the ugliest car I had ever seen. And aerodynamically, it must be a nightmare.
Whenever my wife and I see an element we try to decide which element it is. For example, the charcoal gray model must be C, the orange with light gray trim is Cu + Pb. There was a red one we decided was Rb, while there is deep blue one which is obviously Co.
My Element was ugly in the same way that a Swiss Army Knife is ugly. Yes, it’s utility and packaging led to an out of the norm outward appearance. But I stopped worrying years ago about other peoples opinion of the appearance of what I drive. All I know is it was the most useful, easy to live with, and, dare I saw it, fun vehicle I’ve had in a long time. I had one with a 5 speed and the RealTime 4WD.
I’m tempted to find another one (used of course) and do this to it.
Just pointing out other boxy cars is doing a massive disservice to what the Element actually is and why we owners love them. It’s a delivery van with optional back seats built into an SUV. Mine has AWD, is not a Wrangler or whatever, but with mud/snow rated tires it’ll go wherever I need it to.
I haven’t seen anything remotely similar in the market recently. You can get some features, but not everything.
I think the Transit Connect is pretty darn similar, minus the optional AWD and all the plastic cladding that made it SUV-y. The OP pooh-poohed it on gas mileage grounds, but it’s better than the Element got.
I still have my 2003 Element. I use it to haul stuff and as the car when I need to parallel park downtown. It is a fairly short vehicle with a lot of interior space. I would look at the Ford Flex although it is a much larger vehicle but the boxiness gives a lot of interior room.
Yeah. Thanks for letting me know what that’s called. It’s the only thing I’ve seen on the roads that is similar at all, but didn’t know the make or model. I thought it was the Dodge/Mercedes Sprint,but that’s a lot bigger.
The Element’s rear seats that flip up to the side are great for extra space without having to fully remove them. It looks like the Transit had something similar in some models, a fold-down-and-flip-forward thing. Others you have to remove them completely.
My family’s Aerostar minivan when I was a kid had amazing space, but the bench seats were huge, heavy, and awkward to remove.
Oh, and the plastic siding is ugly. Mine doesn’t have it. (Actually it’s my wife’s. I drive a Fiat 500 which is not quite as spacious. )
Yeah, you can fold the seats flat or else they’re easy to take out. In fact, all of them are imported into the country with seats to avoid the chicken tax so it might be possible to make something that’s very Element-y by buying a cargo version with the vinyl interior and then buying some used seats.
I hate myself for even suggesting this but why not look at the Dodge Caravan or Town and Country? You can haul a LOT of stuff and thier stow and go seats are great. You can put 4x8 sheets of plywood in the back and close the lift gate. PLus, easy to drive and park.
Now excuse me while I go and stare at the hole where my driving soul was…
