Honda adds its real-time four-wheel-drive system to the list of standard features for the 2008 Element LX 4WD, giving it a leg up over the standard LX. The hydraulically actuated 4WD system engages automatically when it detects slippage to provide grip when needed.
The 4WD system joins a list of standard LX features that includes air conditioning with air filtration, cruise control, steering-wheel-mounted controls, easy-to-read blue-backlit instrument gauges, power door and tailgate locks, and a four-speaker AM/FM stereo system with a CD player and an MP3 input jack.
Honda dropped a 166-horsepower, 2.4-liter, double-overhead-cam i-VTEC four-cylinder engine under the hood of the Element LX 4WD. Variable valve timing and other technologies help improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, while still providing 15,000 pounds of towing capacity.
Other features include a standard five-speed manual shifter or optional five-speed automatic, as well as a remote entry system, power side mirrors, and alloy wheels.
Many of the Element's features, including its roominess, versatility, and suicide (front-opening) rear doors, have proved popular with drivers in the past, and more than likely will do the same for 2008. But drivers also noted that the Element's engine can be noisy, and that it tends to guzzle gas.
