Hi there!  I own the 2004 Honda Element 4WD EX (top of their line,
black, fully loaded) that I love.  It is versatile (back seats easily
& quickly "disappear" by folding up against the side walls), quickly
converting to "van-like" cargo space. However, I recently saw a
"concept" vehicle by Toyota called the "FJ Crusier" at a car show and
fell in love with it -- it is supposed to be on the market in March
2006.

Can you compare the Honda Element to the Toyota FJ Crusier?  

I need to know if it would be a wise decision to sell my Honda and
acquire the Toyota. I'd appreciate a comparison of features, gas
mileage, price, etc if possible. When it comes to "what I like" - I am
equally proud of Hondas and Toyotas (have owned and cherished both)
but the FJ Cruiser affected me in a very emotional way - I loved the
way it looked and it "spoke to me" like no other vehicle.

But - I know the Element is an excellent car/SUV and don't want to
jump to conclusions and ditch my loving ride pre-maturely; I realize
the Toyota is more expensive but want to weigh all the factors.

Here are the links to the two sites - but no comparisons are given, of
course. Your thoughts?  Liberal tipper - commensurate with response. 
Thanks!  -s

http://automobiles.honda.com/models/model_overview.asp?ModelName=Element

http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/future/fjcruiser.html?s_van=GM_TN_FUTURE_FJ

Appearances alone, it seems that Honda's Element and Toyota's FJ
Cruiser are in competition with one another. However, they are very
different cars which really shouldn't be considered in the same class.

Looking at the specifications, it seems that the FJ Cruiser is more
suited for serious off road excursions than the utilitarian Element.
The FJ has a 4.0 liter six cylinder engine as opposed to the Element's
2.4 liter four cylinder motor. The upside of the larger motor on the
FJ is more power for rotating those massive tires up steep grades such
as an outcropping of rocks. No doubt the Element's four cylinder motor
is more suited for less strenuous outings.

Though even if the Element had more power, it's low ground clearance
would not make it a wise choice for serious off-roading. The FJ has
much more ground clearance than the Element. No doubt this will help
in getting over those rocks without bottoming out, but if used for a
general conveyance, this extra ground clearance is unnecessary as
ingress and egress from the vehicle will be tiresome, and a higher
center of gravity might be more dangerous when having to make evasive
manuvers at high speeds.

There is also another glaring difference between the two vehicles,
that being fuel economy. Because the FJ Cruiser has a large engine,
large tires and a high ground clearance, it will not have good fuel
economy. Preliminary estimates are 16mpg in the city and 20 on the
highway, but real world averages will most likely be less depending on
your driving style, where you live, how much extra weight the vehicle
is carrying and how often the air conditioning is on. There is an
optional six speed manual transmission, which might allow the car to
achieve slightly better MPG (we're talking like 1mpg better, depending
on how well you can drive a manual), but some automatic transmissions
are fairing better these days.

As for reliability, I would suspect that the FJ Cruiser's core
components such as the suspension, chassis and other body components
are built to a higher standard of quality since the vehicle is
supposed to be a serious off-road vehicle. But if you aren't planning
on doing any off roading, I suspect that the reliability of both cars
will fair equal if maintained properly.

With this information, it seems that the FJ Cruiser's primary
competitor is the Jeep Wrangler. A smaller Hummer will be comming out
in the future, and I suspect that car will also be a good contender
for entering this segment.

The Honda Element is a great car. It's not suited for serious off
roading, but it does have better utility than the FJ Cruiser. The
option for having all wheel drive will outfit the Element to handle
any incliment weather conditions just as good as the FJ, but it will
drive more like a car and less like a truck; the FJ will drive like a
truck.

I just saw it for the first time the other day and did some
digging...very close to the concept vehicle from 2003.  I LOVE the
look.  Bought my first Toyota last year and can't wait to upgrade to
either this to replace my van or to the new Celica(?) to scratch the
40year old itch next year!

I would agree with blymagister in that these vehicles are not targeted
to the same user.  The Element, to me, is for the Urban Outdoor
enthusiest...where the FJ will be targeted more to the Hummer/Jeep
crowd.

I would think a real head to head might occur in a Motortrend or
Car&Driver but they usually put vehicles that are close in intent in
their comparisons.
Motortrend defines its competition:
t's a front-drive high-roof wagon that plays in the same league as
such car-based efforts as the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Toyota Corolla
Matrix, Suzuki Aerio, and so on. An equally convincing case could be
made to paint it with the same small SUV brush as the Ford Escape,
Toyota RAV4.

Elements also start at around 18k US and the FJ base is
$21,700...there is a fun little build you specs application here:
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/future/fjcruiser.html and click on
Build my FJ.

Here is a review that does mention the Element...it isn't a head on
comparison type though:
http://trucks.about.com/od/2007suvs/ss/07_fjcruiser_2.htm

C:net's take (they review
cars???):http://reviews.cnet.com/2007_Toyota_FJ_Cruiser/4505-10868_7-31677240-2.html?tag=nav

Cars.com: http://cars.com/go/crp/reviews.jsp?makeid=47&modelid=7838&year=2007&revid=49560&revlogtype=22

Here are their stats side by side:
http://newcars.cars.com//compare/CompareFrameset.asp?Language=EN&ExtPrimaryCode=&ModelID=8137&Acode1=USB70TOS171A0&Acode2=USB60HOS041A0