Photos: 2008 Honda Element SC

The Element is designed to easily take cargo in through its wide opening side doors and high roof.

With the SC trim, the Element gets lowered in an effort to appeal to the urban market.

The 2.4-liter 4 cylinder engine in the Element provides a surprising amount of power, but its fuel economy and emissions are average.

We find the rear half doors inconvenient, as the front doors have to be opened for the rear doors to open.

The boxy styling of the Element isn't for everyone.

The seats in the Element fold in various configurations, offering many options for cargo room.

The car's interior appointments have a rugged styling, keeping with the Element's mission, but we are disappointed at the lack of cabin gadgets.

The Element's handling is surprisingly good. We enjoyed driving it around on mountain roads.

We like that the stereo is standard double DIN size, meaning you can easily replace it with a navigation unit.

The shifter for the five speed manual sticks out at an odd angle, but we had no problems using it.

XM satellite radio is standard on the SC trim model, although you will have to pay the subscription costs.

With satellite radio, you can hit the Display button to see information about the currently playing track.

The single disc slot in the stereo can read both MP3 and WMA CDs.

The display also shows ID3 tagging information from MP3 tracks.

An auxiliary input is mounted in the console, but we would prefer an integrated iPod option.