Element

Discussion in 'Element' started by bob, Feb 23, 2004.

  1. Glad you had a laugh.
    Too bad you didn't get the joke!
     
    Stephen Bigelow, Feb 27, 2004
    #21
  2. bob

    MOS 1369 Guest

    Oh, the jokes on me!........Now I get it..... Cute! You know there is
    always these NG Alpha-bitches, who think their topdogs with tiny little
    stubby tails and all they really do is just bark, bark and bark. I'll stick
    with my last statement.

    Eventually the cast will come off, and I won't be so bored to dribble with
    you'se guies!
     
    MOS 1369, Feb 27, 2004
    #22
  3. bob

    Tim Guest

    Here's my take on the Element.

    1. Seats 4 and only 4 (no 5th seatbelt or seat)
    2. Lots of room for stuff.
    3. Flexible utilitarian interior (can fold seats up and interior
    can be easily cleaned).
    4. Decent power in the engine.
    5. Good ground clearance.
    6. Relatively noisy cabin -- not a quiet ride.
    7. Good frontal-crash rating but Poor side-crash rating according
    to IIHS.ORG -- high likelihood of seriously life-threatening or
    debilitating injury to torso/head/neck in a 40mph side collision.
    8. Light off-road and light hauling capability.
    9. Decent mileage.
    10. Door-design inconvenient if you often have rear passengers.

    In short, a good value if you want to carry stuff but a dubious
    value if you want to carry people. Door design signficantly
    increases risk of serious injury in a side-impact crash.

    Tim
     
    Tim, Feb 29, 2004
    #23
  4. bob

    joe Guest

    I would concur with all but #6 and #10

    I have had mine for about a year and have 45K miles already. I have an
    80 mile round trip daily commute in ATL traffic. I considered the Saturn
    Vue, Jeep Liberty, Subaru Forrester as options. The Element was the best
    value in my opinion. the Jeep Liberty is a better vehicle if you intend
    serious off roading but is short on some other offerings you get in the
    Element.

    For outright usable space the Element is hard to beat. I carry few
    passengers but the rear seating is comfortable and has nice headroom
    even for those over 6 feet. Rear passengers benefit from sitting
    slightly higher than the front seats so you have forward visibility
    which may offer benefits on longer trips.

    The ride is supple and stable for an SUV or most mid size cars. I have
    not used mine in 'off road' situtations as I do not consider it well
    suited for that. The AWD does offer some great safety im my opinion
    though. I previously drove a Jetta and the wet weather driving always
    scared me a bit. Driving in some heavy down pours with the Element gave
    little indication of loss of traction at moderate speeds I would not
    have driven in the Jetta. My wife has a BMW 325 and though I may be
    biased it seems that the Element is nearly as quite inside. When I first
    bought it there did seem to be some transmitted road noise inside the
    boxy interior. There is not undue wind noise ( I also have a Jeep and
    know what wind noise can be). Mine seems to be quieter as I have
    increased miles. I had a regular mainteance that included replacing the
    air conditioning/vent filter. They apparently allowed a leaf to drop in
    and it was making contact with the fan. It was a very slight ticking
    sound but I could hear it clearly while driving.

    I do get off on the beach occasionally and on trip down to St. Augustine
    during a storm we rode down the beach and came to a point I figured we
    should turn back. Really it was just a bit too far. I made a turn and
    realized I was in freshly deposited sand from the surf. Getting stuck
    would have been disatrous as the tide was coming in fast. I did not get
    out to look at the tracks but I could see that the tires were deep and I
    am fortunate the bottom did not drag (or enough) to stop me.

    Great radio (maybe could use a bit better speakers for high end
    frequencies).

    Re #6 I covered that above. As for #10, the doors may be partaially
    responsible but only because of a slightly bulkier B pillar. The problem
    does not appear to be with weakness of the doors for side intrusion but
    the fact that the head can contact the B pillar. This of course is not
    unique to the door design.

    The Element is not for everyone whether you like the appearance or need
    the features. But if you need utility with some comfort and bonus
    options (seating, A/C, high end audio) with an easy to care for interior
    and seating for 4 is enough it is a great value. Of the vehicles I
    considered I came in at about $3K - $5K less for equivalent features and
    some things they could not offer.

    YMMV,
     
    joe, Feb 29, 2004
    #24
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