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Audrey's New Car


Audrey bought a new (to her) car! She bought a 2005 Honda Element with all the bells and whistles. The Element is an interesting vehicle, to say the least! It's a combination of a car, a minivan, and a panel truck!

The Element concept was conceived around achieving ideal functionality for a cross-country road trip, hauling surfboards, mountain bikes, snowboards or just about anything else as it combines some of the best features of a pickup truck and a sport utility vehicle. The Element was first conceived by a core group of young R&D engineers in 1998. They wanted to develop a vehicle that they could use for their activities and conducted informal on-site focus groups at colleges, beaches, campsites and in the mountains.

The 4-seat Element is designed to carry large and possibly messy loads. The floor is made of textured urethane that is easy to clean; the fabric is tough and stain-resistant; the individual rear seats recline, fold up, and are completely removable to leave a large load space. The rear clamshell tailgate arrangement is large and the vehicle is tall, allowing large loads to be carried. The rear side doors are not suicide doors, despite that they open backwards, but they are called "clam shell" — Honda refers to the rear doors as rear access panels. There is no central pillar and this gives unobstructed access for side loading.

Good luck with it, Audrey!

 

 

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