So, my husband and I have come to the agreement that the Element is a viable option that we can both be comfortable with. We went back Friday [yesterday] to take another test drive. It had been a week of thinking about the Element, reading boards, and looking over the brochure every time I ate [it's on the dining room table], so I was pretty excited about looking it over again.
We got back to the dealer, and this time my husband took a test drive. It was nice because it gave me time to just hang out in the model on the floor and really check out the interior and all the features. After hubby came back, I took a test drive again, this time in a GG 4WD automatic. It felt...van like to me, but I thought it was fine. Took it around the neighborhood for a couple of blocks.
After the test drive and visit, we got back into the our Forester [I drove home] and I *immediately* noticed how much better our Forester was to me than the Element. It felt zippier, more responsive, and smoother. Compared to the test drove that I took, the E felt downright generic.
By the time we got home I was pretty disappointed. Was this it? Was the obsession over? Was I just overcome with new car envy? The differences seemed really apparent, and this would be a deal breaker for me.
Undeterred, I went back again today to do one last test drive. This time, I would drive a standard, and take the Element out on 2222, a hilly road in Austin, then hit 360, a little stretch of highway. This time I was in a SOP 2WD standard. Here are my observations:
1.) The standard made all the difference: today's test drive was much more responsive, zippier and more fun to drive. Fairly responsive on the hills, accelerated very quickly. Though it did not have the same smoothness as the my Forester, it shouldn't as they are completely different vehicles. I did "spin out" from a stop on an incline. I had never done that before, ever. Don't know if it was from the 2WD, driving in a new car, or for me overcompensating from trying to be cautious in someone else's brand new vehicle.
2.) Got to close for comfort merging into a freeway, as the "A" pillar coupled with the MSRP sticker directly behind it made for a vicious blindspot. Will *definitely* have to invest in some convex mirrors. Perhaps on both sides?
3.) It was really, really hot and humid today in Austin, so my knees did some sticking to the seats. Since the E is so tall, I'm going to have to do more split venting for the air to circulate better. Also, it took a bit for the air to cool in the back, where my friend was along for the ride.
4. The gauges are kind of hard to read w/my sunglasses on. Anyone else have a problem with this?
Upshot is, still got some thinking and considering to do. I feel that this third test drive was the most realistic: I wasn't too excited to notice any shortcomings, and got a better feel for how the E handled. I just need to take one more test drive, in the model that I want: standard 4WD.
I wish we could rent the E for a weekend trip. That would really let me know if we wanted to buy.
Bee
We got back to the dealer, and this time my husband took a test drive. It was nice because it gave me time to just hang out in the model on the floor and really check out the interior and all the features. After hubby came back, I took a test drive again, this time in a GG 4WD automatic. It felt...van like to me, but I thought it was fine. Took it around the neighborhood for a couple of blocks.
After the test drive and visit, we got back into the our Forester [I drove home] and I *immediately* noticed how much better our Forester was to me than the Element. It felt zippier, more responsive, and smoother. Compared to the test drove that I took, the E felt downright generic.
By the time we got home I was pretty disappointed. Was this it? Was the obsession over? Was I just overcome with new car envy? The differences seemed really apparent, and this would be a deal breaker for me.
Undeterred, I went back again today to do one last test drive. This time, I would drive a standard, and take the Element out on 2222, a hilly road in Austin, then hit 360, a little stretch of highway. This time I was in a SOP 2WD standard. Here are my observations:
1.) The standard made all the difference: today's test drive was much more responsive, zippier and more fun to drive. Fairly responsive on the hills, accelerated very quickly. Though it did not have the same smoothness as the my Forester, it shouldn't as they are completely different vehicles. I did "spin out" from a stop on an incline. I had never done that before, ever. Don't know if it was from the 2WD, driving in a new car, or for me overcompensating from trying to be cautious in someone else's brand new vehicle.
2.) Got to close for comfort merging into a freeway, as the "A" pillar coupled with the MSRP sticker directly behind it made for a vicious blindspot. Will *definitely* have to invest in some convex mirrors. Perhaps on both sides?
3.) It was really, really hot and humid today in Austin, so my knees did some sticking to the seats. Since the E is so tall, I'm going to have to do more split venting for the air to circulate better. Also, it took a bit for the air to cool in the back, where my friend was along for the ride.
4. The gauges are kind of hard to read w/my sunglasses on. Anyone else have a problem with this?
Upshot is, still got some thinking and considering to do. I feel that this third test drive was the most realistic: I wasn't too excited to notice any shortcomings, and got a better feel for how the E handled. I just need to take one more test drive, in the model that I want: standard 4WD.
I wish we could rent the E for a weekend trip. That would really let me know if we wanted to buy.
Bee