I picked up an Element early this year and have been quite pleased.   During my vehicle shopping I looked at many of the same cars you mentioned (aside from the VW . . .  ick).  The Element won out due to reliability, long term maintenance costs (it is a simple, easy to maintain car), superb interior utility (storage, hauling, sleeping, changing, etc), and acceptable gas mileage.  I also happen to like the styling, but some folks are resistant to driving around in a big toaster on wheels.

The only issue I caution potential Element owners is that the vehicle only has 4 seats.  If you would ever need to haul 5 people, then you are out of luck.  This would be a problem for families of 4 if the kids ever have friends along.