I love my wife and kids, and want to make sure that whatever car
we're driving is safe and fun and economical -- so I'll pass on
the Hummer and the Mercedes :-).

The Element is definitely a fun vehicle --great for a trip to the
beach for example-- but it has only come close to being a safe
car by 2004 standards. A superior side airbag like the one in the
Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute would put the Honda Element in the
"Good" category on both the side-impact and frontal impact
collisions. There's no decent reason for Honda to have used a
dinky side airbag.

Nothing's stopping you from buying one of the Element models
without side airbag if you're giving more weight to fun than to
safety. That's your prerogative. I'm not saying all models
should have side airbags (though that's not a bad idea). But if
I'm going to pay extra for the model with side airbags, they
should work and work well. They should be more than "window
dressing".

Tim

In article <SIdWb.12035$M8.6421@nwrdny02.gnilink.net>, moo@moo.com
writes...
><Snip>
>I still think the Element is one kick-ass car, you want safety............
>get a Mercedes or a Hummer!
>
>Joe