Honda Element test drive since 2003 minivan

Strange element

At the wheel or on the bed, but everything is better than younger. It was with such an idea that could well become an advertising slogan that Honda Element was created.
The decision to stir up a new funny topic was born in a handful of twenty -year -old Honda designers back in 1995. But only three years later, having gone exclusively for production purposes at extreme games in San Diego, they were able to pass the first traits of the car ready to work. On California beaches, daring creators came to the following conclusions: those who are fresh with soul and body, for active life, a car that would serve as a cabin for dressing, bed, pantry and a place for gatherings are needed. Starperov from among the leadership of the company who doubted the correctness of the choice of consumer contingent, squeezed a plague appearance of the car. According to the authors, the youth will necessarily lead to him. What happened, it turned out. At the end of last year, an incomprehensible hybrid of pickupa, bus and SUV began to be sold in the United States. After some time, he got to Russia.
Passport data. A clear puncture came out with the positioning of the car. Practice shows that now the main buyers of Element are those for 35. Even for American guys and girls $ 16 thousand for the cheapest option with a 4x2 wheel formula and DX equipment is a bit too much. And all-wheel drive and somewhat more expensive equipment ex (with air conditioning, cruise control, side pillows) will cost $ 21 thousand already. If we talk about Russian youth, then for her a car at $ 40 thousand is an alien element completely. Hopes did not materialize on a sophisticated design. The coolness of the Honda Element is akin to the elaborate and makeup of the pimple youngster, on which everyone points with fingers and with which only the same undergrowth is friends. The combination of metal and plastic, from which, in particular, wings and bumpers were created, can surprise in the figure or photographs. And near gray plastic, especially against a dark background, makes a cheap and dull impression. On the contrary, he is very to the place here, - the seller will convince you. - Thanks to plastics, the weight is significantly reduced, which means fuel consumption. Another plus: all those parts that usually rust the fastest from plastic. Finally, he has memory, minor blows and scratches are not afraid of him. No matter how my brains are softened by the 30-degree heat that it reigned in the capital, but they had enough strength for a logical bunch: Moscow is not San Diego and 30 degrees here not only with a plus; And at minus 30, almost any memory breaks off completely, or rather, breaks into fragments.

 
 

Fearless youth. I agree, this is a senile fear. Potential drivers should be a drum. The car was just created with the calculation so that it was not painful painful for every awkward movement. Spilled coffee for seats? Turned the walls with ski sticks? Dragged dirt into the salon? Nonsense. It is for NAPPU or Alcantara that you need to tremble, and composite materials are not used to tenderness. The waterproof FXC (For Exteme Conditions) is not afraid of the upholstery of the mud seats. As well as thorough washing. The rugs in the element are absent as such. There are simply no these items of decoration, and that’s it. Instead of them, the uretane coating is laid on the whole half, a sort of linoleum. It is like linoleum and washed right inside. If you want - a mop, you want - Kerher.
The car interior is huge. Inner space, according to the manufacturer, can be organized 60 in various ways. They are not cleaned into the floor of the seat, but two rows of seats are laid out in one large trestlear, you can still fold and turn the rear seats to the walls, remove the head restraints and so on. With all this variable wealth, amazing asceticism reigns in the cabin. Having opened the Element doors wide, you will find yourself in the empty room of the newly rented new building. A couple of sockets, narrow in the doors - as if they saved on them - pockets, a small mezzanine for documents at the ceiling, and nearby - a lone light. All. Only the hatch, which is closer to the back, lives on the square meters that remains to be buried. A certain compliment from the developer is the front wide sunscreen visors, which have additional retractable sections.
Returning to the door. They consist of two parts here. First, in the direction of the movement, a large, and then, against the move, is opened. In the upper part of the latter, instead of ordinary glass, there is an exhaust window. To get into Element from the rear, you will also have to first throw up one sash, and then lower another, smaller. Opening Honda Element is wide open, you find one wonderful constructive feature: the machine has no side racks. And the rigidity of the case is ensured precisely due to the special shape of the doors.
AGE CATEGORY. All of the listed characteristic features of Honda Element is difficult to attribute to the fact that the young tribe can captivate. With a big creak, this can be done with everyone else. Unless the presence of a nest for the MP3 player will be appreciated by the NEXT generation. Everything else does not roll. So, the board of instruments with chrome eye sockets would probably have gone behind the sports, but everything spoils the massive and condo shelf of the torpedo. The gearbox lever that sticks out is completely immodest from the middle of the console, alas, is little like a sportsman's joystick. Rather - a poker. At the same time, the 2.4-liter VTEC engine pulls the car quite normally, but does not reach to brag about friends with it. Real Time's branded all -wheel drive (in fact not constant - smart electronics connects the rear wheels only on slippery surfaces), no matter what advertisers write there, is not able to turn Element into an off -road king. In short, it is difficult to be young, but even more difficult for the young people to like.
Text Khasan Ganiev, photo Alexey Ilya

Model/Modification Honda Element
Manufacturer/country Honda Motor Company/Japan
Number of doors/places 5/4
ENGINE
 
Type/number/location of gasoline cylinders/4/in -line
Working volume (cubic cub) 2354
Power (kW (L.S.) at about./Min.) 118 (160) at 5500
Moment (nm at about./Min.) 218 \u200b\u200bat 4500
TRANSMISSION
 
Front drive, automatic connected full
Automatic gearbox 4-speed/mechanical 5-speed
Brakes, safety
 
Front/rear brakes ventilated disk/disk
Assistering electronic systems of ABS, electronic distribution of brake force
Frontal airbags for the driver and front passenger
Dimensions/mass
 
Length/width/height (mm) 4300/1816/1880
Wheel base/clearance (mm) 2575/205
Tires 215/70 R16
Mass weight (kg) 1570
The volume of the fuel tank (L) 60
Maximum speed (km/h) 185
Acceleration to 100 km/h (sec.) 9.5
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 14/9
Price in Moscow from $ 39,500

 

Source: "Autopilot"