As someone who's also owned a lot of manual cars (sports cars, grocery getters, bikes whatever) I agree with your "manuals are more fun" thought. However to me an element isn't a throw around the block, race around town car. Also in a manual you have a little more control. But at the same time, humans aren't perfect. Everytime you ride the clutch too long, you cringe. Everytime you hear a grind while shifting, you cry. Or maybe the previous owner didn't know how to drive a clutch right and your syncros grind no matter how good you shift. Meanwhile the automatic shifts perfectly, everytime.
I have an Element SC (overall more aggressive handling) in automatic and I never wish I had manual, but maybe that's because I take things slower in this car; again it's not a sports car. Even the SC.

I can tell you, living in a city with traffic, I see manual cars in stop and go traffic and laugh because I know just how miserable they are.

My vote is auto for the element.

 

on the other hand...
manual is the way to go because they are more fun to drive. if you're not enjoying your driving you might as well Lyft/Taxi/Uber. all of our Hondas (past and present) have/had manual transmissions. i have always preferred manuals, but back in my pre-Honda days i did own a vehicle with the supposedly ideal combination of rotary engine and auto transmission, for the shortest time that i've ever owned a vehicle. went to the rotary/manual combo and was much happier. with our current manuals, stop and go traffic doesn't bother me, as i can use the engine braking to maintain a smooth pace, with almost 1 footed driving. maybe your traffic is worse, what i've essentially done is eliminate the stop and the go and have a more even creep.

 

Thankfully, I live in a rural environment, the closest source of “city” style traffic would be Dover or Portsmouth New Hampshire, most driving is on 2 lane secondary roads, and highway driving is minimal

I’m far more likely to encounter a fun set of twisties than I am traffic

 

I drive a mix of city/highway driving. I got a manual because, when I bought the car, I didn't give it much thought; I've driven manuals most of my life - and still had a bit of the purist in me...after all, the Element is a utilitarian vehicle, yes? Plus - my impression of automatics was formed back in the 50's and 60's - they're "sloppy and slow, plus they cost a fortune to fix when they go down, which they will". Well...times have changed. And so have I. I find the shifting to be bothersome in town; on the highway, I find turning the higher rpm's in the manual (the automatics run at a lower rpm at a given speed, i believe - could be wrong here) to be worrisome. I know, I know. It doesn't bother the engine - just me.
So - all other things being equal - I'd vote for the automatic every time.

 

I'm a little biased owning a manual '07 myself, so I'm going to obviously vote manual. I've driven both auto and manual Elements, and if you think the normal manual>auto saying is relevant, it's even more so in the Element. Yes, the Element is not a sports car, but due to the weight of the vehicle relative to the engine size, the manual lends a bunch more pep to the E. This is due to the pretty steep gearing of the manual (1st gear is super short, but gives excellent and fun pickup.)The suspension is relatively stiff and body roll is not that bad considering it's an SUV, so twisty fun can be had.

The plus going for the auto in the '07-'08 is that it would have a 5-speed auto rather than the previous 4-speed, The overdrive gear in the auto is a bit lower than the manual, so you'll spin sliiiightly lower RPM's when cruising in top gear. The 5-speed auto also TECHNICALLY gets better mileage, but I don't think that difference is regularly realized by anyone.

 

I'm biased but my vote is manual. I'd say they are more reliable in the long run but my E's clutch lunched itself at 90K miles (about 2 months ago). Not worn out but the steel part of the clutch plate broke where the springs are held and caused the clutch to not be able to disengage. Apparently it isn't that uncommon and happens at various mileage figures - I'm pretty easy on clutches so it's not how I drive it. At 93K miles something to keep in mind, I don't think there is any way to tell it is impending.

 

Well, I made the decision, and it even caught *me* by surprise.... I went in looking for this one
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...terViewInventoryListing.action?shopperListingsSearch=49152581#listing=202964664

And turned out placing a deposit on this one;
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inven...terViewInventoryListing.action?shopperListingsSearch=49152581#listing=203434616

Yes I decided to go with the moonroof-less automatic, why, i hear yourself and myself asking...

“But MacTech, you *hate* automatics, find them immensely boring to drive, tell me it isn’t true! Has Dante’s Inferno fully glaciated?

Nope, while I’m sure I’ll miss the rear sunroof, I also imagine it as a source of potential water leaks, at the very least, a roof with a hole in it should theoretically be less structurally sound than a roof with no hole...

What truly surprised me was the manual transmission driving position, it felt uncomfortable, I had to lean forward to reach the shifter into a more awkward position, the automatic was more relaxing and comfortable, don’t worry, I still dislike automatics but I understand that they have their place

....plus the blue one had scruffy looking rims, very minor scratches in the paint, dog claw scratches in the front dashboard and the pup obviously saw the handbrake as a chew toy

Plus, the check engine light was on, the automatic was in nearly perfect shape overall and had the extended upper console as well

 

Well, I did it, I’ve got a 2011 “Blue Pearl” (chromatic bluish-white) automatic in the garage now, I still can’t believe I voluntarily purchased an automatic, but after the 1.5 hour drive home, I can’t say as I don’t hate it, the 5 speed sludgebox may be primitive by modern “flappy paddle” dual clutch setups or even those more soulless and horrifying CVT units, but it does the job, simply and predictably.

Coming from my previous car, a 150 HP/170 TQ VW Rabbit, the Element feels
*slightly* faster and torquier off the line, handles just as flatly through the twisties, and actually has a much sportier feel than anything with the aerodynamics of a brick wall has a right to

Oh, and Cooper, my shelter rescue Portuguese Water Dog absolutely *loves* the new car, as soon as he hopped in through the rear suicide door, he immediately jumped up on the right rear passenger seat and sat down with a “This is *MY SEAT*” expression.....

Can’t wait to set the seats into “Bed-mode” and see what he thinks.

Definitely going to do some more camping this summer in my new “hard-sided tent on wheels”

One last trivial bit of questionning

Mom’s ‘14 CR-V has “AWD” on the rear hatch, my E has 4WD, i thought the elements were AWD, just like the CR-V, what’s the difference, which is better on road (snow) and which would be better for actual (light) off road adventure, I know the Element is no rock-crawling Jeep Wrangler, but it does have a very truck like driving feel, feels far more substantial than the Civic/CR-V it’s based on

I just love the simple, unpretentious *honesty* of this truck.

 

The 2014 CR-V and the Element have very similar 4WD systems, also known as Honda's Real Time Four Wheel Drive (RT4WD). The "AWD" of the 2014 is a bit of a misnomer, as the CR-V and Element both operate in 2WD (front) until wheel slip is detected, at which point torque is transferred to the rear to aid in regaining traction. The difference between the Element and the '14 CR-V is that they use slightly different mechanisms for the torque transfer to the rear, but it's a minor change in the grand scheme of things. For all intents and purposes, they're the same, though the CR-V might have a slightly better reaction time simply for the case of it being newer, and being electronically controlled, vs. the Element's purely mechanical system.

 

Congrats on the purchase MacTechG4 - make sure to update your profile with your new E.

I've been a MT person my entire life and my E landed in my lap from my next door neighbor about 10 years ago and just happened to have a MT...it wasn't until more recently that I realized they are fairly rare in the world of used Elements. The original clutch lasted 150k before one of the clutch plate springs broke loose and jammed everything up...I can't complain with that sort of longevity out of a clutch.

I just purchased my second E last week - a 2004 SSM EX AWD that just happened to have a MT. Now I'll have side by side Es that are nearly identical, except for once I'll have AC, cruise, moonroof and AWD after years of driving a FWD bare bones DX model.

 

After a few days driving the automatic Element exclusively, and ignoring the glares, pouts and whines of the VW Rabbit (I thought we were best friends, think of all the good times we had together, how could you abandon me for...."IT", it doesn't have a soul, it's just your shiny new plaything**", I'm kind of starting to enjoy some of the temptations of the "dark side" of the automatic

It makes relaxed cruising down back roads too easy, yet still has acceptable acceleration when i punch it, i just need to hit the higher end of the RPM bands, the 2.5L 5 cyl of the Rabbit builds power and torque down in the lower RPM bands

driving the Element puts a *smile* on my face, driving the Rabbit puts a *GRIN* on my face and a hearty laugh

of course, now that i own the ultimate "practical" vehicle, i need a *FUN* vehicle as a companion, and just like the Element i'm looking to keep the price affordable, i'm thinking either a first-generation Mazda MX-5 with pop up headlights, Scion FR-S/Subaru BR-Z/Toyota 86 or Austin-Healy Bug Eyed Sprite

**the Rabbit (2007, MTX 2 door hatchback) is being handed down to my nephew as he needs a good, reliable starter car, and the Rabbit's treated me well, the idea of the Element was originally for him as he has a taste for unusual or offbeat cars, and you can't get much quirkier than an Element, but for some reason he claims he didn't like them, as he's basically a 15 year old version of me, i find that "dislike" highly unlikely, once he sees how versatile it is, he'll probably end up wanting one anyway

best of all, the Element is the best kind of vehicle on the road, one that's *PAID FOR*, for reasons unrelated to this thread, i happened to have more than enough to pay cash for the E ($10,450), I don't think i'd like it as much as i do (esp. it being an automatic) if I was stuck financing the bloody thing