Our view: 2003 Honda Element

This is what happens when the X Games meets Generation Y, when concept meets (nearly) instant reality and practicality meets impracticality. Honda Accord owners, hide your eyes. Honda Odyssey owners, hide your children.

The Japanese automaker that once dared you to think energy efficiency is about to ask you to think out of the box – even if its latest creation for 2003 is a bit boxy. Welcome to a whole new element in the automotive landscape. Welcome to the Honda Element. It’s a pickup truck. It’s an SUV. It’s a great place to chill out as you’re waiting for the tide to get just right, dude.

(That sound you hear in the distance is every surfer from Long Island to L.A. dropping their boards, if not their jaws.)

One look at this Robo Cop on steroids and their amazement might seem justified.

Inspired from the spirit of ESPN’s no-holds-barred X Games, Honda’s Model X concept was expected to appeal more to a frame of mind rather than an age group when it was first introduced at the 2001 Detroit Auto Show. Honda imagined the X as a lifestyle choice – offroad adventurer, weekend warrior, surfer. Two years later, imagination and angular oddity have met the open road.

In its simplest form, the Element is aimed at buyers who don’t mind roughing it, hanging with it or even getting wet, then getting in it. Roomy enough for the crew. Versatile enough for the gear.

So what is it?

Anything you want it to be, Honda says. Versatile, reliable, multi-functional.

“The Element is designed for those who surf, snowboard, mountain bike and just about anything else,” Tom Elliott, American Honda executive vice president, said during the Element’s introduction last March. “There is no one vehicle that meets (all those) needs.”

Tall, square, boxy and odd, the Element is designed to maximize passenger and cargo space and minimize smooth exterior lines. In the world of look-alike sport-utes, it is rolling individuality – its pentagonal headlamps and sharp edges pointing to a whole new way of thinking.

Based on the current Civic platform, and built at Honda’s plant in East Liberty, Ohio, the four-passenger compact SUV is powered by Honda’s new 160 horsepower 2.4-liter, i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine and will be offered with either front-wheel drive or Honda’s on-demand all-wheel-drive system called Real Time 4WD.

A five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmission will be available.

So how cool is it?

Step inside the Element and you can chill out in its “open architecture” interior that was inspired by the airiness of lifeguard stations and college dorm rooms. (And who says college had to be the best time of your life?)

Honda calls this a “combination dorm/base camp.” It fits. In creating the open concept, Honda essentially did the equivalent of a home renovation – knocked down walls, readjusted the pillars. In car terms, the Honda designers created the Element without a B-Pillar, then ins talled “open wide” side doors.

On the outside, its two-tone paint scheme includes a durable dull finish around the fenders, bumpers and roof, giving the Element that worn, rugged look.

So what can you do with it?

With a low, flat floor, loading and unloading is a snap. Without a center pillar between the front and rear doors – and with doors that open toward the rear – there is a large opening for entry/exit. At the rear there is also a lift-up hatchback and a separate drop-down tailgate. More good loading.

Party all you want in the Element. It is washable – the floor is made of textured resin, the two front buckets and rear bench seats are tough and durable. The front seat back even reverses, so the front passenger can join the party as well (when stopped for a good wave, of course). The front and rear seats are raised so that your skis will slide all the way through. Both rear seats fold up sideways against the walls. All seats fold completely horizontal. >For bikers, the Element is tall enough to take a mountain bike, with the wheels left on. There are even tie-down hooks that secure it upright in the bed. For surfers, the rear roof opens allowing long items, such as fishing poles, surfboards or rafts, to peek their way out. Luggage racks are passe, anyway.

You can hook up to the Internet with a wireless connection. You can play video games or watch DVDs. There is an MP3 player, digital satellite radio and a seven-speaker system with a cassette and a 6-disc CD changer. Nothing has been overlooked.

So when can you ride? And for how much?

The Element is expected to hit dealer showrooms within a couple of months. During our preview, pricing had not been announced yet but will likely range between $16,000 and 21,000.

Grab your board and wait.

“There is a whole new generation of buyers, 71 million strong, entering the automotive market,” Elliott said.

They just got a lot happier.

2003 Honda Element — SPECS

Rating: 3

High Gear: Fun, odd, different and daring, the Element is a ride that will take you to the wild side – and allow you to haul cargo and people to boot. It’s different. It’s unusual. It’s hardly Honda.

Low Gear: Unusual styling may deter some. An unconventional interior may take some getting used to.

Vehicle type: Front- or all-wheel-drive, front engine, four-door, five-passenger compact sport utility vehicle.

Standard equipment (2WD DX model): Side cargo doors; power windows, doors; tilt steering; front 12-volt outlet; rear-seat heat ducts; removable, flip-up rear seats; fold-flat seating; dual-stage front air bags; theft-deterrent system; AM/FM stereo; five-speed manual transmission.

Competition: Ford Escape, Jeep Liberty, Pontiac Aztek

Engine: 160 horsepower, 2.4-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine

Torque: 161 foot-lbs. @ 4,500 rpm

Wheelbase: 101.4 inches

Length: 166.5 inches

MPG rating (five-speed manual): 21 mpg city/23 mpg highway

Manufactured: Liberty, Ohio

Warranty: Basic warranty is three years/36,000 miles; rust perforation is 10 years/100,000 miles; powertrain warranty is 10 years/100,000 miles.

Base price: $16,000 (est.)