I love my Matrix - bought it to hold my dog and horsebackriding tack and saddles but now that I started diving, its great for that as well - tons of room and relatively easy to clean up (horse/wet neoprene mixed is not a pleasant smell). My sister has the Element, and if I could justify the extra space, I'd buy it in a heartbeat - you can hose that thing out! The gas mileage actually isn't bad for highway - I've driven it from Sacramento to SF and been amazed at how good it was on gas. I'm also one of the few people on earth who likes how it looks, though 
