LOL! I wanted a Honda Element for basically that reason but to get one in good shape with a manual and 4wd was highway robbery for an older vehicle that's not particulalry great on gas.
LOL! I wanted a Honda Element for basically that reason but to get one in good shape with a manual and 4wd was highway robbery for an older vehicle that's not particulalry great on gas.
Yeah no uglier/dorkier than the Ridgeline we picked instead lol! It's what they offered despite looking stupid. The Element is super dog/adventure/camping friendly with real time 4wd, 5MT option, no carpeting (you can literally hose it out) and seats that completely fold up out of the way and it's powered by a bulletproof k24 engine. It's just not worth $17k for a 2009 with 70-90k on it when they retailed for like 23k when we were looking at them 2 years ago.
I would argue the Micra has a similar appeal (function > form). If you put it up against more polished cars in the same bracket with CVTs and less power to weight.
Oh Ridgeline. Didn't they have 2wd with 4wd assist? The Element reminds of the Pontiac Astek. It was very ugly but it had tons for features that would be awesome for camping etc. I agree that Micra is more for function then anything. I just can't believe that I considered getting a Mitsubishi Mirage before the Micra.
The aztec would have done well as would the Element if they had come out today and were marketed better. People that have them hold onto them for a reason.
The ridgeline is predominately FWD with a VTM4 system they call it. It sits between Honda's real time awd from the Element and CRVs and Acuras SH-AWD. It runs its own ECM that monitors the speed of each wheel to determine slippage and applies power as needed. It can be locked down low for hauling and getting stuck. It's not a heavy duty system by any means but the mechanics are fairly simple on the VTM4 system vs SHAWD. The biggest bonus is that my partner uses it as her daily driver and being unibody with 4 wheel independent suspension, predominately FWD with 4WD engaging automatically, she doesn't have to plow around a rwd body on frame tank of a truck to try and save on fuel and then switch to 4x4 after she's stuck. If you can get past the looks it's an awesome vehicle (plus it's built for drinking/tailgating lol).