When I first saw the advance photos of the Honda Element a year and half or so ago, I thought to myself, “They must be kidding. That thing is butt ugly.”
   But judging from the thumbs up reaction of the younger set to the boxy shape of my test Element EX, it seems like Honda has another winner on its hands. It’s based on Honda’s Model X concept vehicle displayed at last year’s major auto shows and is built in Ohio.
   Frankly, the more I drove this almost paramilitary looking box with its dark blue paint and gray scratch-resistant plastic cladding just about everywhere but the doors and hood, the more it grew on me. By the end of my test period, I was sorry to see it go.
   Although primarily aimed at high-spending Generation Y males (16 to 29 years old), based on my observations while on the road with it, the Element also appeals to a fair number of young women as well. I can also see where it would make a highly functional vehicle for a young family on the go.
   Honda believes it can sell 60,000 Elements a year, with the Gen Y age group accounting for a big increase in young buyers who they expect to make up the largest proportion of first-time new vehicle purchasers. The problem is no automaker knows for sure exactly what this age group really wants.
   Let’s fact it, no Honda buyer is taking any big risk where the actual mechanics are concerned — and the Element is no exception. It’s based on Honda’s well-proven CR-V sport-utility vehicle (SUV) but is more functional because it merges the features of an SUV and pickup with a car’s fuel economy and overall performance.
   Under the hood, the Element sports a high revving 2.3-liter, 160-horse 4-banger that delivers spirited acceleration. My test vehicle had the four-speed automatic, but a five-speed stick is also offered. Gas mileage is in the mid-20s, which isn’t bad for a 3,400 pound, boxy SUV with high-rev powerplant utilizing “short” gearing to boost acceleration.
   Surprisingly, it also handles much better than you would ever imagine, in spite of its high, boxy profile. One downside of the shape is wind noise gets excessive over about 60 mph.
   The Element is offered in both front and 4-wheel drive versions. The base model is the DX and there’s a more upscale EX trim level. The DX has features like an adjustable steering column and power front windows, door and tailgate locks — but oddly, no radio. Honda marketeers believe most young DX buyers will just rip out the standard audio unit and replace it with something better anyway. The EX however does include an AM/FM/CD system, along with air conditioning, cruise control, anti-lock brakes, alloy wheels and power mirrors.
   The interior is strictly no-nonsense. Instrumentation is straightforward and easy to read, although I found the tachometer to be a bit small for a vehicle that requires so much shifting with the manual transmission.
   The shifter is easy to grab since it’s in the center of the instrument panel like a European rally car. The climate and sound system controls are conveniently located and quite large. There’s no console, so the cupholders sit right on the floor, which is only a slight annoyance.
   The front seats provide above-average support and are pretty comfortable overall. The outside mirrors are fairly large, but the rear windows can impede vision from those mirrors because they swing out instead of sliding down due to structural reinforcements and various mechanisms in the rear doors.
   The rear seats flip up to the sides to create a big cargo area, although they too block rear vision in that position. They can be removed or made to lay flat to form a lumpy bed with the folding front seatbacks. There’s also a very large, flip-up sunroof located in the rear of the vehicle over the back seats and cargo area.
   The split rear tailgate bottom opens down to reveal an utterly flat, low load floor, which makes cargo loading a snap, while the upper part of the tailgate swings smoothly up on hydraulic struts.
   I’ve seen the Element described as a “rolling dormitory,” because the seats are covered with a waterproof material and the utilitarian urethane-coated floor resists dirt and water, allowing for easy clean up. My first thought when I saw it with the rear “suicide doors” open (Honda calls them “clamshell” doors) was that you could just hose the whole thing out it you needed to.
   Speaking of those doors, they have no visible center post — it’s hidden inside the rear doors) making it easy to load cumbersome items such as surfboards or mountain bikes — not to mention lawnmowers and other more mundane and domestic items.
   I found the Element lots of fun to drive. It has quick, power assisted steering and handles much better than you expect such a tall, boxy, vehicle would. The brake pedal is a bit too sensitive, but stopping distances are short. While generally good, the ride becomes what you might initially expect from its appearance when on rough roads.

Whines: The windshield is huge, but you can’t see the front of the vehicle from the driver’s seat, which makes parking and other maneuvers in a tight area a bit dicey. The front seats could use armrests and rear-seat removal is a bit of a hassle.

Bottom Line: No one is going to mistake the Element for a styling trend setter, but it has a unique character, is highly functional, fun to drive, reasonably priced for an SUV, and is a most unusual crossover vehicle with surprisingly high appeal.