Crossover SUVs have taken over the automotive landscape, and let’s face it, a lot of them aren’t much fun. But that wasn’t always the case. Twenty or so years ago, there were some genuinely fun and interesting offerings with some cool features. Honda offered two crossovers that were mostly the same underneath, but had very different designs and characters.
Yesterday we saluted the GMT800 truck chassis in all its forms, and the consensus seems to be that the Chevy Suburban is the way to go. The Sierra pickup’s scruffy condition didn’t help its case, but the Suburban’s practicality and only slightly higher price made it a shoo-in for the win. And is that really a nine-passenger vehicle? I didn’t realize the third row held three. Learn something new every day, I guess.
For my choice between these two, I have to take into account that we already have a long-bed GMT400 pickup and a SWB GMT800 Yukon, and the combination of the two makes for a pretty formidable fleet. The Suburban could technically replace both, if we really wanted to, though it has slightly higher mileage than either of our trucks. And I have no real use for a short-bed crew-cab pickup. So, yeah, Suburban for me, but I’m not about to give up our two trucks anytime soon.
The term “sport-utility vehicle” is meant to conjure up images of fun road trips to cool places that are off the beaten path far enough to require four-wheel-drive. They’re marketed with images of surfboards and skis and whatnot, parked rakishly on a beach or a mountaintop. But we all know that most of them end up hauling the kids to daycare, or making Costco runs, or just plain old commuting. Hardly the carefree lifestyle shown in the brochure. But all the stuff is there, and you could go skiing or surfing or hiking, if you so chose. Honda’s crossover SUVs of the early 2000s did a good job of selling the lifestyle, and gave you two distinct flavors to choose from. Let’s check out one of each.
2002 Honda CR-V LX – $5,300
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, AWD
Location: Klamath Falls, OR
Odometer reading: 200,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Honda and little 4WD wagons go way back. As far back as 1985, the Honda Civic Wagovan, with a taller roofline than other Civics, was available with part-time four-wheel-drive. The Wagovan lasted for two generations, but it was dropped after 1992. It wasn’t until 1995 that a successor appeared, in the form of the CR-V. This is a second-generation CR-V, with a little more power and a little more refinement.
The CR-V has a lot of Civic DNA underneath, but uses a larger engine, a 2.4 liter four-cylinder from the Accord. This one has a five-speed manual transmission and Honda’s “Real Time 4WD” system, which is front-wheel-drive most of the time, but can kick in the rear wheels when needed. The seller has only owned this one for a year, but speaks highly of it. Unfortunately, that short ownership period means they’re unlikely to be able to tell you anything about its history. Best assume it needs everything in terms of maintenance, just to be safe.
It’s in really good condition inside, especially for 200,000 miles. Even the side bolster on the seat looks good. Unfortunately, the seller doesn’t say anything about the functional condition of anything inside, so it’s up to a potential buyer to try stuff and ask questions. But it does still have the CR-V’s coolest interior feature:
Yes, that’s a folding picnic table. It stows in the floor of the cargo compartment. I’ve heard more than one CR-V owner say they had no idea it was there. The outside of this CR-V looks pretty good. I see a few dings and scrapes, but nothing worth worrying about. And since it’s an Oregon car, it’s unlikely to have any rust problems.
2004 Honda Element EX – $6,900
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, AWD
Location: Seattle, WA
Odometer reading: 179,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The CR-V is a cool little car, but if you’re looking for something a little less conventional, Honda has you covered. The Element, introduced for the 2003 model year, is mechanically more or less the same as the CR-V, but it’s in a class all its own. With its gray plastic fenders and pillarless “suicide” rear doors, the Element is an acquired taste, but the folks who have acquired that taste seem to really love it.
The Element uses a similar 2.4-liter four-cylinder and Real Time 4WD system, but this one has a four-speed automatic transmission. The seller says it runs well and has been well-maintained, but it’s being sold by a dealer, so I don’t know how they know that. Maybe it comes with all the records, but dealerships don’t typically hold on to that stuff. Again, you’re better off checking it out yourself, but really, you should do that with any used car.
The interior of the Element is unique: it features rubber floors and spill-proof fabric. The rear seats in most small SUVs fold down for more storage, but in the Element, they fold up and to the side, and stow along the sides of the cargo compartment. This creates some enormous blind spots, but makes for a nice, big open floor in the back. Most of the interior of this one is really nice, but the bolster on the driver’s seat is worn through.
With the exception of a dent above the right rear wheel, the outside looks pretty good. There shouldn’t be any rust on this one either, but it’s never a bad idea to take a look. Elements came in some really cool colors, but sadly, this isn’t one of them. It’s hard to make one of these look bland, but this dark silver color is sure trying its best.
You can’t really go wrong with either of these; they’re Hondas, after all. It’s more about which flavor you want. Do you prefer a manual transmission, or weird and unique styling? Do you want a picnic table, or the perfect place to put your dog? I’ll leave it up to you.
Point one: As I mentioned the other day, I really wouldn’t mind driving a manual again.
Point two: My partner has a CR-V, a dozen years newer with slightly fewer miles, in Kona Coffee Metallic. It’d be a weird ‘thing’ for a couple of thirtysomething goths, but the modern equivalent of a K. T. Keller-era Dodge wagon, in brown, one of them a manual, feels pretty old-old-lighting-site to me. [Edit: I recognize that this could be a controversial statement, but to me a good crossover is either a normal car with a higher hip point in which you can wear a tall hat, or else it’s a fun little first-generation-Rav4-convertible-alike, and the CR-Vs are pretty much the former, defined.]
Not voting against the Element, just inclined toward the CR-V, especially given the asking-price differential.
All things being equal, I love the Element. But a manual CRV in better shape? I’m going for that.
We had a 1st gen CRV 5MT and the picnic table was very handy. Never liked the Element styling, but appreciated the effort.
I voted Element, and I’m almost never on the winning side of these things.
Coming down to the wire. I prefer quirky but the CR-V beats the beat up element. I refuse to pay more for a worse car just for quirky. In fact I may have gotten my taste for quirky because they are usually less in demand so cheaper but not cheap.
Both? I was gonna vote Element going in, but voted manual instead. Why is a CR-V actually desirable to me?!
Too close to call, taking the emotions out of it, whichever car has the better maintenance records wins.
Going for the toaster. The CR-V is a good vehicle. We had one for a while but the Element would meet my current needs better. Still have the CR-V cargo cover that’s been sitting in my garage for the last 16 years or so. Don’t want to throw it away and don’t know what to do with it…
That’s kind of my take on it. They are about equal with the main differentiation being what you’d need it for. For example, I have a friend who buys mechanically totalled early 2000’s Civics and rebuilds them with mechanicals from crash totaled ones as a kind of self-financing hobby (upfront about the histories, sells them for about $500 more than he has in them). He looked forever for a MT Element because the cargo area would be ideal for picking up and hauling engines or transmissions while being easy to clean.
I have another friend who bought a MT second gen CR-V (kind of like this one) as a commuter and he is seriously considering going full Civic K24 tuner build (because, of course he is; he’s that friend).
To the point, I went CR-V because it’s a slightly better fit for what I’d need.
If the Element was a 5spd it would’ve been my choice. Paying more for less gears, a trashed driver seat and horrible fuel economy for a 4cyl is not my idea of a 2nd vehicle
We’ve had both at the same time, an 03 Element automatic and an 05 CR-V 5 speed manual, both 4WD. The Element is huge inside, but this generation of CR-V is no slouch and is more spacious inside than it’s tidy exterior would indicate.
Of the two, I greatly preferred the CR-V. Access to the back seat in the Element is a constant annoyance, and despite my high tolerance for crude utilitarian vehicles, the road noise, wind buffeting and gutlessness of the Element made it rather taxing on the highway.
Even though it had the same engine, the CR-V 5 speed manual literally felt like it had 100 more horsepower than the Element. It handled better and had no problem getting up to speed, merging and passing. The 5 speed was very precise and enjoyable to drive, and the CR-V was reasonably comfortable for long trips.
Honda’s engines and 4WD systems are very reliable and much better suited for a daily commuter car than Subaru’s. There are a multitude of reasons I’ve never missed my 1996 Subaru Legacy Wagon AWD 5 speed.
I’m still driving my 1996 Legacy wagon AWD 5 speed, which has been perfectly reliable over the past 26 years, while my girlfriend drove her 2006 CR-V 5-speed into the ground with the entire drivetrain falling apart a decade ago.
I’m glad yours is reliable. They have their charms. Mine needed new cylinder heads at 120,000 miles, gobbled up a set of tires every 10 to 15 thousand miles no matter how often I had the suspension and alignment checked, and by 140,000 miles the 1st gear synchros were worn out, it had rust holes all the way through the front fenders and it was consuming so much oil I was putting straight 40W in it. At that point I gave it to a friend with an explicit warning it was a pile that could fatally break down at any moment. My sister’s Legacy GT was even worse.
In contrast, my spouse and I have put almost 500,000 miles on an 03 Element, an 05 CR-V and currently a 2010 CR-V with only a few minor repairs between the three. And despite years of winter commuting to Park City, their naughty bits all remained rust-free. We are going on nearly 25 years of excellent performance from our Hondas and it would take something ridiculous to make us switch brands.
Well, I have already owned 2 of the 2nd gen CR-Vs, and as much as I like the design of the Element the automatic is a dealbreaker.
While the CR-Vs we got over here had a similar quite peppy K20 as your base model Acuras, all Elements are gray imports with the dull but somewhat torquey K24, and I haven’t seen any manuals for sale. So to me the Element had always felt like a less practical, less fun CR-V for more money( because they were rare over here)
I even ended up using the picnic table a lot.
I pinch?
Gotta be the Element.
The choice is Elementary, my dear Watson. Or at least it would be if not for the price and transmission.
The interior shot of the CR-V really shouts, “bad lighting!”, when, in fact it is a true representation of the brown Honda used during that period.
It really was the worst possible shade of the poo hue and it was EVERYWHERE.
We dis-considered several otherwise very nice Pilots (and an MDX) during that era due to that abominable interior color. Blech.
Element all the way.
Yeah, that’s a weird brown. Honda/Acura also had a terrible yellow-hued “tan” in a number of their aughts models. Compared to the sleek Cornsilk Beige in a VW of the time, it was oversaturated and bizarre.
I like it for some inexplicable reason. The brown above, I mean
It’s a little weird but it’s not bad. I’d gladly take it over that cheapo plastic grey in the Element.
Tough call really could be either. Might be peak Honda. Both are absolute classics that will refuse to die. But I’ve always liked element just wish it was the green I thought it was but then looked it was just reflection.
I voted Element because I’ve always fantasized about how well it would contain my MTB for road trips.
But ugh that price! Those should be so much cheaper.
Wife has an ’04 CRV, while I like the first genes better, there are other nice attributes to the second gen and still has the awesome table. However the four speed auto in the element, no different than the crv, is pretty vague and the lack of a real filter to service and change is highly concerning. So I think I’ll go for the CRV.
I appreciate the unique design of the Element, and I might’ve been swayed in a different challenge. But that CRV is in decent condition, and the manual is appealing.
The Element is indeed an aquired taste….one that I have never aquired. The manual CRV would be a hoot at a tailgate.
I hated the Element when they were new, but I kind of dig them now and appreciate their functionality. If I remember correctly, they’re fairly terrible on fuel, but still better than a van. I may be in the minority here, but I prefer an auto in a vehicle like this.
“You think you hate it now, but wait until you drive it.”
Mine is front-wheel drive five-speed, and I think I’m averaging in around the 20-22mpg. I’ve had mine (on and off) since 2007, and it’s been a great car. I’d much prefer the Element to the CR-V.
I seriously love that quote, and use it more than I (probably) should.
Woah! An airbag!
I like the Element better but I’m going MT over AT today. CR-V
I went with the CRV, I’d fly out the the cost, road trip it home, tool around in it for a few weeks to make sure everything is good with it mechanically, use it to haul all the junk out of my garage to new homes, then start my Frankenstein efforts.
It’s gonna get torn up, the whole driveline comes out, including the AWD and front hubs so I can donate it to my 03 LX Sedan that desperately wants to be an AWD K-swapped idiot. I’ll sell off the rest of it to cover the Hasport mounts and other costs, and hopefully have a neat little sleeper before the end of the summer. Bonus points, I can use my garage again.
Everyone I’ve known who had an Element has loved it, but I have no personal experience with them. I do have personal experience with the 2nd Gen CR-V and I consider it to be one of the finest things Honda has ever made. It’s just good in nearly every way. The 3rd pedal clinches it.
whichever you pick make sure the takata IEDs have been replaced
I’m not really down for either but if forced to choose, I’d probably go for the CR-V. I do know that people with both Elements and dogs will tell you that you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better car for any dog bigger than a cocker spaniel, if only for the fact that hosing them out is super easy.
Also, just yesterday I noticed an Elephant (my wife’s pet name for them) with an “Aerodynamics Are Overrated” sticker on the back, which I thought was pretty funny.
you cannot take a hose to the interior of a honda element
https://www.theautopian.com/for-years-honda-element-owners-have-thought-they-could-hose-out-their-interiors-but-heres-the-dark-truth/
yep, I felt like we had that talk
Technically, you can take a hose to any vehicle interior…
Instant branded title! Flood car!
Oopsie.
Well, not having owned one for myself, I was repeating the stereotype.
Ah well.
This hearsay has probably spread (and put to the test) by many Honda Element owners for years, which might eventually bite the 3rd or 4th owner.
Which also makes me think the Element will no longer be something I’d recommend, unless carefully inspected.
Had one in my neighborhood a decade ago with a windshield decal proclaiming it to be the Brave Little Toaster!
Always made me smile a bit.