My friend has an Element too. His wife uses it to lug flowers - she's a florist, and it's got good clearance, and it's easy to clean. They love it. Ya I agree with you the back row seats suck - I am 6'1" and it wasn't a comfortable ride even for 15 mins.

I've leased an Element and loved it. I'd get another - very versatile, great for pets, huge cargo capacity for its footprint, and you can hose it out!
Now we have a Odyssey van for the family. Definitely the best in class. My only complaint is that the rear fold-away bench seat isn't comfortable for anyone over 5'2".