Road Tests - St-Constant Honda - AUTO123.COM - Honda, new cars, used vehicle, regional dealer for St-Constant, Québec

July 18, 2008
2008 Honda Element SC Review
by Marc Bouchard , Auto123.com

My friends know that I have a soft spot for strange-looking cars. After all, I'm the only automobile journalist who had the guts to drive a Pontiac Aztek for a few years. And it's probably because of this weakness that the Honda Element has always drawn me like a moth to a flame.

The monochromatic body is certainly one of the most important changes made.

Because, let's be honest, even though it's anything but an anonymous vehicle, the Element is not exactly the Brad Pitt of the highway. It's boxy profile and slightly skimpy look give it the air of a delivery truck rather than that of a true leisure vehicle.

A New Type of Crossover
In the face of this decidedly widespread view, Honda reacted by fine-tuning the look of its modern crossover, giving it a few finishing touches aimed at its target market, young professionals with a passion for design and a sense of adventure.

The monochromatic body is certainly one of the most important changes made. Not because that much work went into it, but rather because, style-wise, ditching the black rocker panel (often accompanied by an orange body) gives it a more modern and pleasing appearance.

Same thing for the wheels, now equipped with 18-inch alloy rims, which definitely suit the Element SC much better. And in a simultaneously aesthetic and mechanical endeavour, the suspension has been seriously lowered which, believe it or not, lends a streamlined and--I swear--almost sporty look to the ensemble.

New Interior
Another important change in the Honda Element SC is the interior layout. The interiors of the basic versions, the LX and EX, remain true to the previous years' models. However, the modernized SC has been jazzed up a bit while the characteristic feel of the vehicle has been maintained. The shifter is still smack in the middle of the dashboard.

The SC comes equipped with 18-inch wheels that are much more suited to its overall styling.

< page 1 - 2 >

Excel Honda Group
www.excelhonda.com	www.encorehonda.com	www.stconstanthonda.com	www.excelhondamoto.com

Excel Honda 5400, rue Paré, Mont-Royal Québec, H4P 1R3 Tel.: 514 342-6360 Fax: 514 342-4826	Encore Automobile Ltée 266, boul. Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Châteauguay Québec, J6K 3C2 Tel.: 450 698-1060 Fax: 450 698-2368	St-Constant Honda 270, Route 132, St-Constant Québec, J5A 2C9 Tel.: 450 632-7155 Fax: 450 632-8922	Excel Honda Moto 5480, rue Paré, Ville Mont-Royal Québec, H4P 2M1 Tel.: 514 342-6360 Fax: 514 342-7192