Weird Honda import 4×4 thing – what was it?

Hey all,

On the lookout for a new car & a strange looking imported Honda 4×4-esque thing drove past me this morning which looked a pretty handy shape & size for general lugging and I have no idea what it was… anyone any ideas?

It was on ’03 plates & looked like a cross between a Nissan cube & an old Honda HRV – wasn’t a Stepwagon or SMX – in the spirit of Scary Movie i’d like to see what their insides look like.

Cheers!

Honda Element?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Element

Element?

By Dog that’s ugly.

BINGO! other godawful looking cars I find attractive include the Pontiac Aztec (before Walter White made them cool) and that Chinese one that looks like a Rolls Royce melted onto a Lada Riva 😀

From Wikipedia: In 2007, the Element won the Dogcars.com “Dog (ugly) Car of the Year” 8) … & it has a 2.4l petrol lump with no B-pillars – probably handles like a FXX – what could possibly go wrong?!

I love it 😳

Edit: PHWOOAAAAAR!

You have really bad taste in cars. 😀

Assume the Lada melted onto a Rolls Royce is a Ssang Yong (R)odius? Good description, hideous motor car.

I think on these that it’s designed so that the floor can be cleaned with a hose 🙂

They are a decent little vehicle. I’ve got a few mountainbiking friends who drive them and they do very well. Wipe clean interior, no carpets, easily adjustable seats for bunging bikes in, all wheel drive. Not that bad for what it is. Not nearly as ugly as a lot of the vehicles I see every day.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Element

I think they’re great, hose down interior, loads of space, robust/rugged exterior which is only going to look better after it’s seen some treatment and bogo Honda running gear should mean it’s reliable. It’s got the same 2.4 as they put in the Accord and loads of other things.

It’s a Skoda yeti, only 10 years too soon.

They’re all imports though, never sold by Honda UK.

I can imagine that would make for a very handy vehicle, but the lead designer really should have gone to Specsavers.

( and I say that as a Defender owner )

It looks like the Toyota FJ Cruiser, thats also pug ugly!

The more I look the more I like – they seem pretty thin on the ground though, i’ll probably end up with a Berlingo / Partner, not quite as handsome but still unconventionally attractive vehicles none the less…

Elements seem to have a bit of a cult following:

I like that Toyota too, this one’s nicer though

Bit spendy – good looks don’t come cheap apparently! 8)

It looks like the Toyota FJ Cruiser

For some amazingly incomprehensible reason, this is the slowest-depreciating SUV in the US. I have no reason why.

If you want fugly, the 2002 Avalanche is up there

The Pontiac Aztek has not aged well and amazingly looks bad from every angle

^ breathtaking

I don’t mind driving a comically horrendous looking motor, but it has to be cheap 😉

fj cruisers depreciate a lot faster than other land cruisers, despite being as capable off road. give it another few years and I’m going to get one with only school run miles for buttons

I’d have one if economy wasn’t a concern. A K24 will run on long after the vehicle it was bolted into has expired.

It’s amazing to think that someone must have thought that Pontiac was a good design.

“Pontiac was a good design.”

Mr White did.

In baby poo brown as well.

There’s an ’03 Element in green very close to where I work in Glasgow. I quite like the look of it.

codybrennan – Member
There’s an ’03 Element in green very close to where I work in Glasgow. I quite like the look of it.

It was actually on Kelvin Way I seen one this morning – it was red/orange though so maybe they’re not as thin on the ground as I initially thought!

squirrelking – Member
I’d have one if economy wasn’t a concern. A K24 will run on long after the vehicle it was bolted into has expired.

Yeah that’s the only downside really – probably be lucky to get 30mpg out of one… if does have a whole lot of awesome otherwise though.

christ. they make my yeti look pretty!

I work very close to Kelvin Way mcj78, and now that I think of it, I have seen a brick coloured one too. In fact, I think I know where it lives……I’ll be back in the office on Friday, will update you.

…..in fact, have you got Google Maps?

If so, have a look at the orange/red coloured vehicle here:

10 Berkeley Terrace Ln
Glasgow G3 7DB, UK
55.864907, -4.275089

I’ll confirm this on Friday, but that there is your Element- the green one I mentioned is elsewhere 🙂

I love the internet 😆

I’ve seen far worse than that Element, Fiat Multipla for starters! Very practical looking car, the door system is a great idea, would be handy to kip in for a couple of nights or so, at a festival or whatever. Especially if it’s wet and putting up a tent is a pain.

mcj78
I love the internet

🙂

Can we nuke it from orbit, or at least call in a drone strike?.

Its a better looking car in the metal, looks faintly Range-Rover ish.

You would likely get high thirties, I know the two different K20 lumps used in Type Rs and Type Ss give quite different economies. Probably worth looking at first gen CRVs for a comparison.

speaking of **** looking Pusssy Wagons bike transporters – I give you the Nissan Prairie!
Like the Honda it also has a hoseable interior (due to having the carpet removed). Used to speed weave due to having no ‘B’ pillars!
1.8 Stanza turbo engine fitted. Rust finally killed it (thankfully).

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That also has a certain, “je ne sais WTF!” 8)

Not strictly a bike carrier but I used to have a cracking shitey old merc 230ce – doors didn’t lock, tyres were completely bald & the shocks were humped, used to bounce down the road like it was on hydraulics with the door panels flapping in the breeze as they were rusted so badly – a whole bike would fit in the boot if you took the front wheel off though & the back seat fit 5 allegedly.

We used to have a Fiat Ulysses – not pretty but very practical, quite comfortable and an amazing bike carrier. Not sure I’d want an older one though as ours had a lot of electronics that’d be expensive to fix when it went wrong.

I thought you must be talking about one of these when you mentioned the Cube. Honda BB.

bigblackshed – Member
By Dog that’s ugly.
POSTED 8 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

What he said ^^^ x10000000

Could be worse, it could be a suzuki

Friends had an Element in Colorado, it was brilliant bit thirsty but stupidly practical. 190,000 miles and got written off by hail damage.

I’d have one of those elements like a shot, or the Aztec come to that.

Honda Elemrnt and the Cube are great.