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86 Posts
It looks like the 2.4L engine has come to the end of the road-- The 1.5L turbo with a CVT is what you get, unless you are hankering for the hybrid version -
I retired from Chrysler in 2008- first at the engine block foundry and then at their transmission plant. We knew everything that was coming down the pipeline 3 or 4 years ahead, as the vehicle is built to fit the engine and transmission parameters. We knew in 1998 that the 4.0 L straight six we made for Jeep would be replaced with a 3.7L V-6 that was not yet ready for production-
Honda likely knew the 2.4L would be phased out at least 5 years ago- turbo with CVT was the future- They knew there would never be a new Element, as powertrain was not going to have anything to fit that concept. A toy Element perhaps, but not like our present utility vehicle.
The 1.5L turbo has the power on paper for a new Element and the CVT is rated for 1500lbs, but I doubt it will hold up like the old transmissions did-
I think our old Element is all we are going to get from Honda-
Added: the latest V6 Passport frame could have been an even bigger Element- instead, they made it into a smaller Pilot, which just poaches sales from it. They should have made that vehicle into a new Element, with plenty of room for two 6ft 2" beds in the back- space for a contractor/courier version similar to what Ford and Nissan sells and a tow rating of 3500-5000 lbs.
I retired from Chrysler in 2008- first at the engine block foundry and then at their transmission plant. We knew everything that was coming down the pipeline 3 or 4 years ahead, as the vehicle is built to fit the engine and transmission parameters. We knew in 1998 that the 4.0 L straight six we made for Jeep would be replaced with a 3.7L V-6 that was not yet ready for production-
Honda likely knew the 2.4L would be phased out at least 5 years ago- turbo with CVT was the future- They knew there would never be a new Element, as powertrain was not going to have anything to fit that concept. A toy Element perhaps, but not like our present utility vehicle.
The 1.5L turbo has the power on paper for a new Element and the CVT is rated for 1500lbs, but I doubt it will hold up like the old transmissions did-
I think our old Element is all we are going to get from Honda-
Added: the latest V6 Passport frame could have been an even bigger Element- instead, they made it into a smaller Pilot, which just poaches sales from it. They should have made that vehicle into a new Element, with plenty of room for two 6ft 2" beds in the back- space for a contractor/courier version similar to what Ford and Nissan sells and a tow rating of 3500-5000 lbs.