Has anyone logged any miles on rutted washboard roads ??

I really like my E, and any vehicle I've had before I didn't even have a concern about blasting down rutted back roads---- but from what I've heard about broken windshields - rattles and such ---- I'm a little gun shy

I'm pleased with the Element's handling of washboard gravel. It has good directional stability, which is mainly what is needed on such surfaces. I have pickup who's back end dances all over the place on such surfaces. I sometimes put it in 4H just to control that bounce. The other car that I've done my share of gravel in is a RAV4, with same size tires as the Element, and similar suspension stiffness.

I haven't had any windshield cracking while on gravel roads - my only chip came from a rock a short distance after entering a paved highway. But my data point isn't going to say much about your chances, nor will the experiences of half a dozen people whos windshields crack overnight a few months after ownership.

Last summer I had a stubborn rattle in the far right dash, which could be heard on ordinary paved roads. I dealt with that with generous spraying of 303 lubricant. It may have been the same rattle addressed by the TSB that calls for spreading firewall panels and resealing the joint.

I do have a rattle in the left A pillar trim that appears only on rough roads. There is a TSB that calls for applying some felt padding there, but I haven't acted on it. While it appears on rough roads, I don't think it was induced by such roads.

paulj