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My Next Dog Car? The Dog Friendly Honda Element?

March 16, 2010 By 5 Comments

I’ve been talking about getting a new dog car for what seems like forever (over two years anyways).  A few months back I went to the Los Angeles Auto Show and came away with a few new ideas for a dog car, but didn’t actually pull the trigger on purchasing a new car.  So I guess I’m going to have to drive around in the 2K Green CRV for another few more months years.

Anyhow here are a few pictures from the show.

My Next Dog Car

Lexus LFA

It might get a little cramped in this bad boy with three two oversized dogs.  Also, the price may be a little steep at $350,000 and Lexus is hand picking the people who will be allowed to purchase one of the only 500 cars going into production.  I guess I might have to pass up on the Lexus LFA as my next dog car.

Fiskar Karma

I know what you’re saying…you need a four door car for those dogs of yours.  I hear ya, we’ve also been talking about going green and getting an eco-friendly dog car…something that gets good gas mileage and has minimal impact on the environment.  I give you the Fiskar Karma…What say you?

The Karma uses plugin technology along with solar panels to power it’s engine.  It can go up to 50 miles before burning any fuel…and it has 4 doors…perfect for dogs? no?

Okay, maybe this is a little over the top as well and I’m not even sure how much it would cost for this dog car.

Dog Friendly Honda Element

Yep, we did talk about the dog friendly Honda Element just before we visited the LA Auto Show and much to our excitement Honda impressed us with their new upgrade to the boxy SUV car minivan wagon.

That’s me in the front seat of the Dog Friendly Honda Element.  You can kind of see the rubber mat with bone shaped notches.  Also, the seat covers had doggy designs as well.  You can’t see it in this picture, but there were also climbing latches in the back seat to tether your dog’s leash to the floor.

Me again with baby going up the dog ramp.  I’m not sure if it’s a standard sized crate, but it fits nice an snug in the rear storage are of the Honda Element.  You can also see the dog ramp in this picture.

Here are a few other accessories included with this Dog Friendly package.  There was also a list on display of all the additional upgrades included with the dog friendly model of the Honda Element.

Dog Friendly Honda Element Accessories

  • Rear Car Kennel
  • Pet Bed
  • Stowable Ramp
  • Dog Pattern Seat Covers
  • All Season Dog Bone Floor Mats
  • Spill Resistant Water Bowl
  • Electric Fan
  • Tote Bag
  • Dog Friendly Emblems
  • A Leash, Collar, and Dog Tag
  • Dispensor Bag

All of this for an additional $995 on top of the regular price for the Honda Element EX.  It’s nice to see that Honda is thinking about us dog owners.  However, I still have two glaring issues that keep me from purchasing a Honda Element.

  1. First, the fuel economy is not good on this car.  EPA City/Highway driving: 19/24mpg.  That’s just not cutting it.
  2. Second, the clamshell doors.  As I’ve mentioned before my RX-8 had the clamshell/suicide doors and they drove me nuts trying to get people and dogs in and out of the back seat.  A car as large as the Element could very easily have regular doors.

So now I sit back and wait for Honda to redesign the Honda Element.  Hopefully they will bring the fuel economy up or possibly add a hybrid version to the lineup and remove those awful clamshell doors.

I also looked around for the dog friendly Toyota Venza, but Toyota did not bring any of the dog friendly accessories to the LA Auto Show.

What kind of dog car do you own?  I’d love to hear about it and perhaps you can convince me to trash the old CRV for a new dog friendly vehicle.

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Dog-Friendly Toyota Venza

November 17, 2009 By 5 Comments

We’re just a couple weeks away from the LA Auto Show and I’m hoping to get a glimpse of the Dog-Friendly Toyota Venza.  We are also hoping to see the dog-friendly Honda Element as well.  Unfortunately we only saw the plain old vanilla versions of the Honda Element and saw nothing of  the dog-friendly accessories for the Toyota Venza at the OC Auto Show.

Dog Friendly Toyota Venza

Dog-Friendly Toyota Venza

So what is it that we hope to see at the LA Auto show?  Well, the Toyota Venza was designed with the dog owner in mind.  Toyota is offering pet accessories for the Venza.  Here’s a list from Suite 101:

  • Waterproof hammock style seat covers
  • Pet ramps for easy access via the rear hatch
  • A booster seat pet restraint system, complete with adjustable harness
  • A zipline for the rear seat, with matching harness pet restraint system to allow for movement while keeping pets restrained during an accident
  • A dog leash tether to keep dogs from jumping out of the car or into the driver’s area
  • An adjustable pet barrier to keep pets in the back seat or rear cargo area

I’m glad that Toyota has decided to keep the dog owner in mind when designing their latest vehicles.  Even if they do not have the Venza pet accessories on display at the LA Autoshow I’ll have to take a closer look at the car to see if it meets my needs.  Who knows?  The Toyota Venza may be my next Dog Car!

As you all know I’ve had my eye out for the perfect dog car for the past 2 years.  My tastes have adjusted over that time and not only am I looking for a great dog car, but one that is eco-friendly too.  Unfortunately, larger cars such as the Venza don’t usually get great gas mileage while green cars that get good gas mileage are often on the small side for me and my two large dogs.  Is there a happy medium?  If you’ve already found the perfect eco-friendly dog car I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.

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“Dog Friendly” Dog Car – Honda Element

October 19, 2009 By 5 Comments

It’s been a while since I talked about dog cars.  I’ve been on the look out for a new car to accomadate my dogs for quite some time now.  My 2000 Honda CRV has been holding up very well, but I must admit it’s not the greatest dog car.

Earlier this year I heard about the Dog Friendly version of the Honda Element.  I heard that they had the dog friendly Honda Element on display at the Orange County Pet Expo last April.  Unfortunately, I did not see the Element at the OC pet expo.  However, I have been thinking about it from time to time.

This past weekend we visited the Orange County Auto Show at the Anaheim Convention Center.  I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the new Dog Friendly Honda Element.  Once again I was met by disappointment.  They had the Honda Element SC, but it did not have any dog friendly upgrades.

Dog Friendly Honda Element

Today I received an email from a friend from the Car and Driver blog titled: Honda Element Adds “Dog Friendly” Package.  I was happy to finally receive some definitive information on perhaps my future dog car!  November 16th, 2009 is the release date and it’s listed on Car and Driver as a canine convenience package.  Here are the details:

  • There is a special kennel made of seatbelt like webbing that fits conveniently in the hatch.
  • There is also a soft floor in the back to keep your pooch nice and comfortable.
  • There is a special ramp in the back to allow your dog to walk rather than jump into the vehicle.
  • Dog designs on the rubber car mats, seat fabric, and exterior of the car.

The price tacks an additional $995 on top of the regular price of the Honda Element.

The Honda Element and I

I had already heard that the Honda Element was a great dog car.  If you read the dog cars blog then you’ll know they give the Honda Element their highest marks even writing “best dog car, ever!”  The Honda Element has received all these great dog car reviews and now to add on top of that the “Dog Friendly” package?  How could I go wrong?

I actually test drove this car about two years ago and I’m sorry to say I wasn’t extremely impressed.  I loved the plastic floors and the roomy interior.  The boxy shape makes it easy to accomodate even the largest kennels.  However, that boxy shape may be part of it’s downfall (in my mind).

First of all, I’d like a car that gets good gas mileage afterall we’re trying to be eco-friendly and the Honda Element is not the greenest of vehicles (gas mileage is somewhere in the low 20′s).  this is perhaps partially due to that boxy design that gives it such a spatious interior.  Second, I’m not a big fan of the suicide doors (doors swinging the opposite direction).  The car appears to be large enough to accomadate regular doors.  In my experience it is much more difficult to load and unload dogs, people, large items with suicide doors.

We are trying to raise Stetson and Linus as green dogs or eco dogs.  Our latest goal is to work on our eco dog training.  You might be wondering what exactly is eco dog training?  Well, we like to think of eco dog training as a slight modification on regular dog training.  We’d like people to make eco-friendly choices when it comes to dog training, dog food, dog products, dog cars, or even when choosing your next dog.

The Dog Friendly Honda Element’s poor gas mileage is the main reason why we will not choose it as our next dog car.  Our goal’s have changed over the years and as EcoDogs we hope to find a dog car that also does less harm to the environment.

How about you?  Have you found the perfect dog car yet?  Is it an eco-friendly dog car?

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