2009 Honda Element consumer reviews

Great for dogs, hiking, soccer, camping, all outdoor fun, etc. No carpet to stain - just sweep & clean. Seating for 4 only cld be a drawback; however, this gives much head & leg room for all. All who go for a ride with us LOVE IT! We now call our 4-door p/up a "sardine can." No complaints when we go for a ride in our "E". 4 cyl so gd on gas! :) Back seats flip up&out of the way for lg. loads. Back area has plenty of storage room. Woofer & speaker sys. have gd. sound. The part between door & front window is a bit too wide at the bottom section for "shorties" so it can block view. The "Suicide Doors" took a little to get used to bec. driver must wait for back seater to close 1st, but you get used to it. Other than that it is a perfect choice for most & wld buy again.

I traded in my Dodge Ram under the "Cash For Clunkers" program and bought the Element. I couldn't be happier. At 6'5", my left leg is a little cramped, but it's an awesome, fun car. This was my first time dealing with Honda, and I must say they were quite professional.

After buying our 2009 Honda Element EX 4WD brand-new, we drove it for about 4 weeks and traded it in. Its 4WD should be called AWD and only comes on when the car wants it to. I tried to climb a gravel farm road, and the Element would not make it up. After trying for a few minutes, the engine simply turned off. We rolled back down to the bottom, started the car and drove away. Probably just a computer glitch, but it worried me a bit. 2 separate (if minor) rattles started on the passenger side within 2 weeks of driving it. Bottom line: if you're looking for a car with a cool interior check out an Element. But if you want a mini-SUV that can tow and climb around, look somewhere else. Ups: -great sound system in EX -cool interior design (folding seats/storage) -fun to drive in town Downs: -gas mileage is good for an SUV, but this isn't an SUV; it's a car with a cool shell (we got around 26 MPG...you can buy an actual SUV for about the same price and only lose about 4 MPG or you can buy a hybrid Honda Insight for $3k less and get 45 MPG) -hard floors instead of carpet seem cool at first but are hard to keep nice-looking unless just washed (everything slides around on them) -rattles, shakes, and minor issues popped up before we even reached 1000 miles -low ground clearance

I finally got another Honda after trading my CRX in on a Subaru Impreza wagon which proved to be the worst car I ever owned and a huge lemon. Since getting my Element, I no longer have to get up each day and tell my car that I hate it! The Element is fantastic. It does have a weegee spare tire instead of a full-sized one, but its other great features far outweigh that issue. This car gets close to the subaru's mileage but is far easier to drive. My dogs, which I take in it quite often, also prefer it over the Subaru. I also was surprised at its ease of handling. Turns out that it is 3 inches shorter in length, 4 inches wider and one foot taller than my Impreza, so it easily fits into the same space. I love the cargo (suicide) doors on the sides. I love the seat configurations. I love the non-carpeted floors. I love the keyless entry. I love the theatre seating and back seat space. I love the interior design. I love the cupholders. I love the way it turns on the interior lights (including the dash lights )when I unlock it remotely. I love the clam-shell back doors with their own dome light. As far as it being hard to see out of, the only time I see that as an issue is when one of the back seats is folded up to the side. I has way fewer visual obstructions than my Subaru did or than my husband's relatively new Dodge Dakota truck. I am a shorty, so I love the fact that I sit up much higher and can see the road very well. It also is very solid--the doors sound heavy and safe when you shut them. The amount of storage they crammed into this is amazing. Although Mine is a front wheel drive and the cheaper LX model, the interior features are almost the same as the more expensive models. We did spring for the rubber mats and a running board for it because it is quite a high step to get into the back. This year they had a slight redesign of the front seats and the exterior. Its headlights are huge! They still put plastic around the wheel well edges so that it will avoid many dings. I would recommend it to my friends, but they already have Elements!

I just purchased this car for my son who loves to travel, I liked the interior configurations and decent gas mileage.