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2011 Honda Element Review
The 2011 Honda Element is all about utility. An added plus, if you need more utility, is that the Element’s interior is easy to clean. Like the Element, the Forester features a practical interior. It starts at a few hundred dollars less than the Element, and has all-wheel drive standard (an all-wheel drive Element costs about$2,000 more than the base Forester). Part of the Element’s appeal isn’t its practicality, but its styling. If you love the Element’s squared-off looks but don’t need its cavernous space and rough ride, check out the Kia Soul.

The 2011 Element comes in two trims, LX and EX, both of which are available in front- or all-wheel drive (Honda calls it four-wheel drive). Be sure to check for current Honda Deals that may be available on the Honda Element. The "2011 Honda Element" is little-changed from the 2010 model. If you like the Element, you'll need to buy one this year. Honda has announced that Element production will end after the 2011 model year.

Inside, the Element is best described as no-nonsense. The 2011 Element has modest technical specs: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 166 horsepower and 161 pound-feet of torque; front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive; and running gear that's evolved in part from the Civic and CR-V parts bin. The 2011 Honda Element has a box-on-wheels design that imbues it with a lot more interior space than models that take up more parking space.

And with its suicide-door (front-hinged front door and rear-hinged back door) setup, high roof and low cargo floor, it's seriously spacious. While most other vehicles of the Element's size have five seats, the Honda seats just four, and the two backseats are quite small. The 2011 Element comes with a rather basic set, though options like premium sound and a nav system can be had, along with a Dog Friendly Element package. Top crash-test ratings and a good set of safety equipment complete the Element's "get 'er done, safely" mindset.

The 2011 Honda Element represents the final model year for the original box-shaped crossover; decreasing sales mean there won’t be a 2012 Honda Element. Except for a mild model-year 2009 facelift, the 2011 Element is the same shipping-container-shaped wagon introduced as a 2003 model. Should you buy a 2011 Honda Element?

We initially reported that the 2012 Element would kick off this crossover’s second-generation design. Bottom line, it’s clear the 2011 Element’s design appeals to a shrinking number of buyers. The 2011 Honda Element styling is unchanged, though the sporty-trimmed SC model is dropped, leaving behind base LX and uplevel EX versions of this slab-sided four-seater. On the downside, every rival has four conventional side doors. Element, by contrast, uses long front doors in combination with quarter-sized rear doors hinged at the back. You can’t open a rear door unless a front is already open and can’t close it unless a front is already shut. Except for their wheels, the 2011 Element LX and 2011 Element EX models are virtually indistinguishable visually. Both use the same size tires on 16-inch wheels, though the EX comes with alloys and the LX uses steel wheels with wheel covers. Gone for model-year 2011 is the Element SC model, which affected a “street custom” look with lowered ride height, 18-inch alloy wheels, and a monochromatic exterior color scheme.