Faults:

Nothing wrong so far, as I'm still in Year 1 of the vehicle.

General Comments:

This is probably the smartest vehicle purchase I've made. There's so much room and the way the back seats fold down, they allow you to load almost anything back there. With my 4 month old son needing to be taken around, loading him into the car and loading his stroller is sooooo easy. Groceries, work tools, stroller, and wife and kids fit in this car with tons of room to spare. People complain about the lack of power, but it's got enough, if you know what you're getting into (a 4 cylinder, people!). All in all, if you have a small family and/or self-employed consultant (like me), this car is absolutely perfect.

Faults:

So far, no problems.

General Comments:

I just bought an Element, after driving a Subaru for the last 10 years. I am positively impressed with the Element in terms of utility and cargo space (I have 4 dogs, travel to competitions with tons of equipment, bike, snowboard and camp).

I like the ride, it is comfortable and roomy. I like the huge windshield, it's like a widescreen tv! All of the controls are easy to read and easy to use.

The interior is attractive and well put together, while being easy to clean and maintain. I LOVE the rubber floors! I bought a $10 rug to keep the dogs from sliding all over the place and that I won't mind throwing out when it gets too gross. I love the bomb-proof interior and the funky, cool exterior.

I am less happy with the gas mileage (as compared to my Subaru) and the lack of zip. I live in the mountains and would like to have a little more power getting "up the hill" as we say here. If I had my druthers, it would have a little more oomph and I wouldn't need to downshift to drive up the mountain at a reasonable speed.

I've traveled in Europe quite a bit and always envied their cool, useful small van-type vehicles that are so prevalent there. I am really glad we have one here now.

Overall, the Element fits my lifestyle extremely well and I am very happy with it. My dogs like it too.