Dogmobile advice needed

#1 (**permalink**) April 27th 05, 08:07 PM

On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 03:39:29 +0000 (UTC),

Honda Element

My husband and I bought an Element in April of 2003 and we love it.
It's a great dogmobile for us.

If anyone has any comments on the suitability of any of these vehicles
for dogmobiling, please advise. I am particularly interested in:

(1) How many crates you can fit in it, what size crates, and what
configurations (I need space for two 30-36" crates, and one tiny shoebox
sized crate for The Maggot)

I don't know the crate sizes you can fit, since we have Dachshunds, we
only have to fit two small crates right now. They slide nicely in
between the front seats and the back seats. With the one or both back
seats up, you could easily fit larger crates. There are nice little
slots for tying stuff down all over the back of the Element, which
make securing crates easy.

(2) gas mileage (EPA advertised, better, or worse?)

I don't know our gas mileage offhand, but I think it's pretty close to
the advertised mileage.

(3) ride and comfort (I am used to driving a sporty hatchback)

The ride in the Element is very comfortable. My car is a Buick sedan
and I'd much rather drive the Element on long trips. It handles more
like a car than a SUV. It has a great turning radius, fits easily in
almost every parking space we've come across, feels nice to drive. I
do have a noticeable blind spot when looking behind, but that's easily
compensated for by correctly adjusting the mirrors. The driver's seat
is easily asjustable as well, moving easily between what I at 5'4"
need and my 6' husband needs. I've only noticed sway when driving in
very high winds across the panhandle of Texas.

(4) suitability for driving in and out of fields, i.e., as at sheepdog
trials (I would rather not spring for 4wd, since 99.9% of the time I
won't need it and it adds weight which subtracts gas mileage, and thus
far I have had no problems getting in and out of fields with my
front-wheel drive Integra -- but of course, the Integra only weighs about
two pounds)

We've been to several field trials and done some camping/tramping
arround undeveloped land with the Element and have yet to have a
problem getting out of anywhere. We did spring for the 4WD, but I
couldn't tell you how often we use it, because it automatically
engages/disengages and it's so smooth we don't notice the transition.

Right now it seems like the Honda Element would be the most logical
choice, but it's so tall and bulky that I'm not sure.

The Element looks tall and bulky, but it doesn't drive tall and bulky.
One of the nice human rider features is that the back seat is set
slightly higher than the front seats, so human passengers have a nice
view of the road ahead. The Element feels much roomier inside than it
looks from the outside.

It will be nice to have a car that I can crate dogs in, rather than having
to put up my stupid clamshell beach shade tent, and also to be able to
crate the dogs in hard crates instead of those mesh things so that I feel
like I have to check on Solo every five minutes.

We've driven the Element to Albuquerque,NM from just north/west of
Houston, TX with Rosie and all over Texas with both girls, and we love
it. It's a very easy vehicle to modify to your preferences if you
want to add equipment, Tim had no problems adding a roof-rack or any
of his HAM radio equipment. It's easy to load and easy to travel
with the girls in. I don't worry about spilled food, water, or urp.
It all washes right out.

We leave the girls crated in the Element at all our field trials, with
the doors anywhere from totally closed on very cold days, to all the
doors open on warmer days. At our last trial we spent a lot of time
with just the back hatch and the back doors open and the front doors
closed (but not latched, since they won't - one of the few failings)
naping with the girls happily crated and us in the front seats asleep.
Tim frequently lays the seats down and takes naps at agility trials.
We have yet to spend the night in the Element, so I can't vouch for
how comfortable it would be for more than a nap.

Drawbacks to the Element - Only 4 humans can ride safely. The front
passenger seat isn't removable. Comments you may get from your
friends about driving a box. These only lasted a few months until
they got used to the look. Front doors don't latch if the back doors
are open.

We love the Element enough that I'm seriously considering a second one
when I finally run the Buick into the ground.

Feel free to e-mail me for more, or to pass you over to Tim for more
information on gas mileage and modification options.

-Andi

-Andi Scott
Hamletkitty, Rosie, and GG

www.neodium.com/rosieblog

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