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The 40 mpg Cars of 2013

2008 Honda Element

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Curious about the newer model? Check out the 2011 Honda Element

Overview

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2008 Honda Element Review

By KBB.com Editors

Honda designed the Element to appeal to young male buyers. The original concept, in fact, was touted as a "rolling dorm room," designed to appeal to those with active lifestyles and a limited budget. Much to everyone's surprise, the Element not only hit its target audience, it picked up a number of unexpected buyers ranging from single moms to retired couples and everyone in between. The 2008 Honda Element is attractive to these folks for a number of reasons. It's economically-sized yet large-cargo friendly, and the rear seats can be folded flat to create a two-person bed. The Element also gets good gas mileage, even when equipped with the optional four-wheel-drive system.

You'll Like This Car If...

If you love traveling the great outdoors and need a smart, affordable vehicle to transport you and your many pieces of gear without hassle, the 2008 Honda Element will work for you.

You May Not Like This Car If...

New-age styling may not appeal to everyone. Also, there is no V6 option and the Element's four-wheel-drive system is not designed for serious off-road adventuring.

What's New for 2008

No major changes for 2008.

Driving the Element

Driving Impressions The Element's 2.4-liter engine is very smooth for a four-cylinder and quite strong for its size, with a good deal of torque for pulling and passing. The Element will easily...

cruise at 75 mph, and even accelerate up a highway grade in fifth gear. The Element's ride and handling characteristics are much more akin to an Accord sedan than a truck-based SUV. Once we adjusted to the long dash and squared-off hood, we found it easy to dart in and out of traffic and take sweeping curves and sharp turns with confidence. The steering and brakes operate with precision and predictable response, returning excellent feedback under all driving conditions.

Favorite Features

Fold Flat Seats
The Element's fold-flat seats can be converted into a bed by removing the headrests and laying the seats flat and flush.

Worry-Free Interior
Waterproof seating materials and a urethane-coated utility floor give the Element a durable, easy-to-clean interior.

2008 Honda Element Details

Interior

From the dash-mounted shift lever to the fold-flat rear seats that can be flipped up and secured to the sides, the Element's interior is unlike anything else on the road. When the rear seats are flipped up on their sides, there's a cargo area large enough to place two upright-standing mountain bikes. The front seats feature integrated safety belts and are surprisingly comfortable. They are made of a durable, washable fabric that breathes nicely, a benefit on hot days. On LX and EX trims, the floor is covered in rubber-like urethane, not carpet, so it can be cleaned up easily. The SC model features carpeting in the passenger cabin, but not in the cargo bay.

Exterior

Easily recognizable at any distance, the Element's boxy greenhouse, two-tone body panels and forward-opening rear doors are only some of its unique styling features. The unpainted plastic body panels of the LX trim level cleverly and conveniently avoid the issue of scratching the surface during such activities as loading bikes or skis onto the roof rack, or leaning equipment against the fenders. EX and SC models feature body-colored panels. The lack of a center pillar allows for large and bulky items to be loaded through the side doors, but the design precludes rear-seat occupants from exiting until the front doors are first opened.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

The Element features a five-speed manual transmission, four-wheel disc brakes, five cup holders, air conditioning, AM/FM stereo with CD, rear defroster, rear privacy glass, dual power side mirrors, cruise control, tilt wheel, rear wiper/washer, power windows, steel wheels, side-curtain airbags, front side-impact airbags and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA). The EX trim adds alloy wheels and a 270-watt, seven-speaker sound system with CD/MP3 capability and an auxiliary input jack.

Optional Equipment

Options include Real Time four-wheel drive and a five-speed automatic transmission. Ordering the SC package adds 18-inch alloy wheels, a lowered sport suspension, piano-black interior trim, custom cloth seats, carpeting, center console, projector-beam halogen headlamps, a custom grille and custom-painted bumpers.

Under the Hood

Honda employs the excellent 2.4-liter in-line four-cylinder engine from the CR-V to serve duty in the Element. This is a strong four-cylinder engine with a surprising amount of low-end torque that translates into quick acceleration across intersections and capable passing power on the highway. Fuel mileage is comparable to most small SUV's in this class and, considering the Element's boxy shape, roomy interior and large frame, that's a commendable achievement.

2.4-liter in-line 4
166 horsepower @ 5800 rpm
161 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/23 (FWD, manual), 20/25 (FWD, automatic), 18/23 (4WD, manual), 19/24 (4WD, automatic)

To compare current market prices, check out KBB.com's car classifieds to view the new and used Honda Element vehicles for sale near you.

Trading in or Selling? Know where you stand with the most up-to-date Kelley Blue Book Value at your fingertips. See your car's value

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2008 Honda Element Consumer Reviews

Overall Rating

9.2

Out of 10

Based on 617 Ratings for the 2003 - 2011 models.

Review this car

Value

9.4/10

Quality

9.3/10
Reliability

9.6/10

Performance

9.0/10
Comfort

9.0/10

Styling

9.1/10

Best Vechicle I have every owned

By Brian (OH) on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 138,000

10 10.0

overall rating 10 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 9/10
Performance: 7/10
Styling: 9/10
Comfort: 9/10

Pros: "Safe handie easy to drive. Great sound system."

Cons: "At interstate speeds you can hear road noise."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I wish this car was still being made. It has been the best car I every owned. No problems normal wear only. Brakes, struts, has been about it. Good mileage and easy on tires. We have 138000 miles on the car and it runs like it did new."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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I love this car

By DB (AZ) on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 82,000

10 9.0

overall rating 9 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 10/10
Performance: 10/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 9/10

Pros: "very reliable and fun to drive"

Cons: "would be nice to have it seat five"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"It is fun to drive and a joy to own. I get usually 23-24 mpg in town and 26-27 on the highway. It is so handy with the various seat positions. I can bring home big packages in the back with the seats folded up or I can remove the back seats for even more room. It is only about 1 ft longer than my '66 Bug. The four wheel independent suspension gives a nice ride and the handling for a high profile vehicle is great. Engine response is excellent even for passing on the freeway."

2 people out of 5 found this review helpful

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Great little worker, good traveler, too.

By MCL (VA) on Thursday, April 25, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 128,000

10 9.0

overall rating 9 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 8/10
Performance: 9/10
Styling: 8/10
Comfort: 7/10

Pros: "Fun, amazing cargo space, good traveler/4WD."

Cons: "Good, not great MPG."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"Carries a ton of luggage, many dogs, unlimited groceries, tools, equipment. So much room. Easily cleanable--just aim the leaf blower at the inside and whoosh the dirt and dust out the other side doors. Those side doors do take some getting used to, but there isn't a better yard sailing vehicle. People stop us on the street to ask us about it, and I always say it's exceeded my expectations. Not a lux ride, but it gets the job done and then some."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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VERY RELIABLE AND DEPENDABLE.

By Red Man (MS) on Sunday, April 21, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 80,966

10 9.0

overall rating 9 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Reliability: 9/10
Quality: 8/10
Performance: 9/10
Styling: 8/10
Comfort: 8/10

Pros: "Very fun to drive, good performance for a 4 cyl."

Cons: "Radio/CD started malfunctioning @ battery replace."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"2003 EX 2-wheel drive with 5 speed. I purchased this vehicle from the original owner in 9/2009 with 49,000 on the odometer. It currently has 80,000 miles averaging 21-24 mpg depending how I drive the car. This car w/5 speed will accelerate to 80 mph @ 4200 rpm within less than 10 seconds and most likely is why my mpg is where it is. I replaced the original battery about a month ago, since a couple of weeks before that I noticed that the car was not cranking as fast as it had previously. As a likely result of this, the radio/cd player does not function properly and display for clock/radio/cd works sporadically."

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Excellent vehicle

By Jim (NV) on Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 72,000

10 9.0

overall rating 9 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Reliability: 9/10
Quality: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Styling: 9/10
Comfort: 9/10

Pros: "Reasonable price, very reliable and economical"

Cons: "Not manufacturing Elements"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"The vehicle is an excellent example of reliability, economy, ease of operation and comfort. It gets us where we want to go and has the added asset of 4WD which we found very beneficial when we encountered severe weather conditions both rain, snow and ice. It is reassuring when you encounter slick roads and you feel the automatic 4WD kick in and you have the added traction to insure safe operation. I am a large person and it is easy for me to get into and out of this vehicle. The suspension gives a good although firm ride and the seats and upholstery have held up very well. We have used this vehicle for driving around town and on extended road trip. Even though it is pushing 9 years old it still gets approximately 24 MPG. It is starting to show it's age a little and there are a few little items that we have needed to do minor repairs on, an electric window motor, head lamp bulb, and front brake pads have been replaced and the blower motor for the heating/cooling has developed a small clicking noise which we will have looked at next time we take it in for service. And speaking of service, we have had it serviced every 3000 miles even though it doesn't call for doing it that frequently but I have found that our vehicles last much longer and have fewer problems if a regular service schedule is maintained. Again, an excellent vehicle and I wish that they had not discontinued production because I would have liked to replace it with another Element when the time comes to retire it."

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Very reliable fun car that can hold lots.

By Dave (CA) on Monday, April 08, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 39,500

10 9.0

overall rating 9 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 9/10
Performance: 5/10
Styling: 7/10
Comfort: 5/10

Pros: "Fun, can hold lots of stuff, excellent head room"

Cons: "Load capacity of only 800lb, hard to get into back"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"Fun car/truck that has exceptional head room, and can hold far more than expected. Excellent gas mileage. The max load capacity is only 800 pounds which might not cover four people and their cargo. The biggest puzzle is why Honda put no effort into improvements and stopped making it."

2 people out of 2 found this review helpful

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See all 617 reviews