The Element is wider than the CR-V and it has bigger 16-inch wheels, which helps it handle the curves better than one expects of such a tall vehicle.

The Element's ground clearance and ride height are sufficient to drive off the highway, but this is not an off-road vehicle by any stretch of the imagination nor is it supposed to be.

The new 2.4-liter four-cylinder is as sweet as any Honda engine, which means it revs freely and has good low-end torque. This is a front-wheel-drive car so there is a touch of torque steer, that tugging of the steering wheel under hard acceleration, but nothing of real concern. As long as you shift gears at a decent rpm the engine provides plenty of power with a manual transmission, which is delightful to use as the gearshift lever is mounted up in the dashboard in the same place one would find in a modern rally car. We found the available automatic transmission to be less fun as it almost spoils the funky feel of the Element.