The New Honda Insight
Sponsored links:
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FUEL ECONOMY:
n/a MPG n/a L/100km
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BODY TYPE:
Sedan
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TECHNOLOGY:
Hybrid
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BASE MSRP:
$19,000
Honda revealed the name and the first official images of its new small hybrid vehicle today. The car will revive the name of the first hybrid gas-electric car introduced in the United States: the Honda Insight.
"The original Honda Insight pioneered hybrid technology in the US and remains a symbol of Honda's commitment to innovative technology and fuel efficiency," said Takeo Fukui, Honda CEO. "This new Insight will break new ground as an affordable hybrid within the reach of customers who want great fuel economy and great value."
In September 2006, Honda stopped making the Honda Insight, a teardrop-shaped two-seater—widely perceived as impractical by consumers. Despite real-world fuel economy approaching 70 miles per gallon, the company sold fewer than 2,000 Insights in 2005, and fewer than 1,000 units through September of 2006.
The new Honda Insight, which goes on sale in the US in April, is expected to sell in relatively high quantities. Honda is targeting annual global sales of 200,000 units per year, with approximately 100,000 in North America. Honda is aiming for affordability with the new Insight, which is expected to sell for approximately $19,000—several thousand dollars below the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius. At the same time, the new hybrid should match or exceed the fuel economy of those vehicles. The new Honda Insight will be unveiled at the 2008 Paris International Auto Show in early October.
The new Honda Insight will be more practical than the earlier Insight. It’s a five-door hatchback with ample room for five passengers. The aerodynamic design borrows elements from Honda’s FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, and bears resemblance to the Toyota Prius’s iconic hatchback profile. Along with Honda’s Civic Hybrid, the new vehicle will be produced at an expanded hybrid vehicle production line at the Suzuka factory in Japan.
Design Puzzle for 2010 Honda Insight
It’s been five years since a hybrid-specific car was introduced to the market. That was the second-generation Toyota Prius. The Prius’s design—raking windshield, rounded roof line and swooping hatchback—has been emblazoned in the public consciousness as the very definition of what a hybrid is supposed to look like. That certainly presented a difficult design challenge for Honda, as it prepared to launch the 2010 Honda Insight
Some of the questions Honda designers faced in creating the look and feel of the new hybrid: How do we achieve groundbreaking aerodynamics? How do we steal the Prius halo without stealing its design? How much do we borrow from the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle? How do we make it crystal clear that this new car is a hybrid? See the photos below and judge the results for yourself.
2010 Honda Insight Concept. Final version will be very similar.
Toyota Prius
Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle
The previous two-seat Honda Insight, now discontinued
2010 Honda Insight: Just the Beginning
Honda appears to be just warming up with its hybrid plans. “After our next hybrid comes out in 2009, we will then introduce another hybrid based on the CRZ Concept, and then later a Fit Hybrid,” said Chris Naughton, a Honda spokesperson. Naughton told HybridCars.com, “We have not said whether the Fit hybrid or the CRZ will come to the United States.”
The next wave of Honda hybrids—which have been somewhat speculative to this point—are quickly becoming reality. The re-emergence of Honda into the hybrid market with multiple vehicles is likely to intensify competition between all global automakers for gas-electric, all-electric, and other more efficient alternative vehicles.
The Honda Insight is amazing!!! Who could do ANY better tan that. If you know of a car with better mileage than that e-mail me at j_thomas16@hotmail.com ... Greetings.....Justin Thomas
I just bought a 2002 Insight with 13,000 miles on it last week. I cannot believe how well it drives. Even though it's a CVT I get over 50MPG combined. That's wintertime driving in a very hilly area. Some of my friends on Corvetteforum laughed when I told them about it but how can anyone ignore this kind of "performance"? BTW- My 2004, 6 speed Vette gets 32 MPG highway. Not bad either.
A Corvette and an Insight...very opposite combination, wouldn't you say? lol I like it
Hey, my folks have agreed to help me buy a new car but are really apprehensive about used hybrid batteries. They would rather buy me a new prius than trust a used insight. But I insist that I really want an insight.
Can anyone tell me anything about their battery life? When will I have to replace it, will it be hard to find, and will it cost an arm and a leg?
Thanks for any advice
Lauren,
All Honda Insights in the U.S. have the hybrid electrical parts such as the Batteries all covered for the first 10 years or 150,000 miles by Honda... so anything in that period is no cost to you.
My 2000 model year Insight has 118,000 miles on it and no issues with the original Hybrid battery.
After the 10 year / 150,000 mile Honda warranty, you have many options.
Remember that the local Honda dealer is privately owned and is not Honda the Company.... Honda the company has given discounts to good customers even when there is no warranty or legal reason that says they have to.
Cheapest... $ only cost the time of a qualified person... it has been shown that unlike other hybrids the Insight can be modified to run without the NiMH Hybrid battery pack... without it you loose the electric assist and the regenerative braking... but the car can easily be made to do everything else.
2nd Cheapest... $ only the time of a qualified and properly equiped person.... the most common issue that happens with the Insight battery packs is that the sub-packs in the car get out of balance with each other over the years ... the Insight does not have the ability to correct this on its own so it just gives a error code... a qualified person can remove the battery pack and repair most imbalances.
3rd cheapest... $250+ .... the Insight battery pack can be rebuilt using the salvaged / used batter packs from other more mass produced hybrids... the 2005 and earlier Civic Hybrids use 20 sub-packs that are 99% identical to the Insight's 20 sub-packs .... other Hybrid battery packs require more modification to work properly.... In 2008 I bought a 2005 with under 30k miles on it civic HEV battery for $250, to experiment with.
4th cheapest... $600 + .... buy a salvaged / used Honda insight battery pack and the Honda Service Manual and replace the pack yourself.
5th cheapest ... $1,200 + ..... buy a new / reconditioned battery pack from Honda and install it yourself.
6th cheapest / most expensive... $2,000+ .... pay a Honda dealer to replace the battery pack with a new one for you.
good luck and enjoy.
Hey Justin Thomas:
There is a vehicle that you will be able to buy that not only gets about 55 mpg, but it doesn't have the negative environmental impact the honda insight does. You will not feel responsible for hundrends of pounds of unrecyclable battery material being dumped in our landfills. Also, you don't have to concern yourself with how much of our natural resources are being used to create the hundreds of pounds of batteries either.
Check out the new VW diesels that will be coming out shorlty. It takes about 1/3 of the raw material to make a gallon of gasoline as opposed to a gallon of regular unleaded. The new TDI technology has less greenhouse emission then even some of the newest Hybrids and best of all, no huge battery packs to replace.
THis blog is about a vehicle that's been running since the year 2000. Now VW is coming out with a vehicle that, if you can ignore the stink, pollution (the "clean" is relative to older diesels not not close to Insight's ULEV/SULEV ) and high price of diesel fuel might do as well. I'm going to wait until Honda comes out with their new hybrid.
I didnt know what an Insight was a year ago when I turned down the offer of one for free. A month ago I found out what it was and had to buy my own, a 2000 model with 172,000 miles on it for $13,900. Sure wish I had researched it earlier! BUT, its the greatest car I have ever owned in many ways. I get 65 to 75 mpg and it will drive at 85 mph all day if I want to (top speed is 110 mph) while also giving me a great ride and AC. Of course, getting 75 mpg at 85 mph and with the AC on and two passengers with luggage, is NOT possible.
But by slowing down to the speed limits, getting 65mpg with the AC on and a full car (as above) from Corpus Christi to Tyler TX (400 miles) last Tuesday, was possible.
This is in response to Jay Thomas' comment about the diesel Jettas.
Firstly, I am excited about high mileage diesel cars coming to the market again in the US. Having Ultra Low Sulfer Diesel Fuel along with stricter emission requirements makes these diesels cleaner than they have been in the past. Although the emissions are not as clean as the cleanest regular gasoline cars, they are definitely "part of the pack" now as opposed to flat out pollution machines.
Jay erroneously asserts the Diesel TDI gets 55 MPG. This is simply not true. The EPA numbers are 29/40 city/highway, which are admittely low. VW claims 38 city/44 highway; even so, this is a far cry from 55 mpg.
Jay also overlooks the fact that because diesel fuel has longer hydrocarbon chains than gasoline does, a gallon of diesel has more energy than gasoline. Consquently it also produces more CO2 per gallon than Gasoline. So there is no way the Diesel Jetta produces less greenhouse gas than the current leading hybrids. To do so, it would have to post mileage numbers that are at least 15% higher than the Prius - this would be in the range of 55 city and 52 highway.
This is a great topic to discuss. I look forward to a few responses.
Here it is, the sign of the hardcore "macho-man" lol How old are you? I would not be surprised, if your answer, despite anger and sarcasm, would be 40!
I'm holding out for Honda to release their hybrid DIESEL car. Now THAT should get some awesome MPG. I currently drive 2 VW diesel TDIs (a wagon and a beetle), and they get 43mpg on average. I fuel them with Biodiesel (B100), so they are definitely cleaner than any gasser on the road.
The new Insight looks really nice! Sign me up!
It looks a little better than a Prius, but not substantially different. The nose is pretty appealing. Hopefully the interior will not make me think of my 8th grade science project. Then again, I suppose that is part of the appeal of this market segment now. The low anticipated price should be nice too. I can't wait to see it on the streets. : )
sn,
Fancy a diesel hybrid? Look at this:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/03/frankfurt-preview-citroen-c-cactus-co...
3.4l/100km, 78g/km
It was a concept in 2007...
-Let's hope Honda's integrity is better than Toyota's.
-Three years ago, we shopped for a hybrid, and our local Toyota dealer slapped several thousand dollars onto the base price of a Prius and even tried to sell us a "heavily discounted" used one at above market price. No, we didn't do this in Nigeria. We also drove the Prius and were less than impressed with its credentials -- cheesy interior, poor visibility, poor handling (especially in the snow). Mileage is wonderful but integrity counts. We still remember this.
-Result? We no longer trusted this dealer and no longer trusted Toyota (we bought another hybrid).
-We hope Honda does not succumb to Toyota's outright scammery.
Lauren:
No one can tell you how long your batteries will last, but based on New York City taxi experience and input from various websites (including this one) the batteries seem durable and a fairly negligible longevity issue.
The factory-advised maintenance on a hybrid may actually be less than a gas model, because they are more efficient. Oil changes are less frequent, the wear and tear on the engine and brakes are less, and hybrids seem to have better durability based on consumer reports data.
The weak point may be the transaxle assemble, which is fairly complicated and quite expensive to repair (one Prius owner reported his transaxle assembly had to be replaced out of warranty at $7000+).
Honda's hybrid system, unlike Toyota's, can run on the gas engine alone (although with much less power), so the Insight may be a better bet if you are paranoid about the batteries.
Hope this helps.
Probably the Insight would be more successful than its predecessor. Honda's improving hybrid technology would be much more promising since hybrid cars mostly got into real businesses today. I bet you that this could be one of the several reasons why Honda is trying to innovate theirs into more stunning vehicles. Auto Expert thus provides updated news regarding this one. The Insight does bear a strong resemblance to the larger FCX Clarity fuel cell car.
Hy Prius is the biggest piece of crap I have ever owned! Make me an offer.
@Jay Thomas
Where did you come up with the idea that lithium-based batteries are "unrecyclable" and thus will end up in landfills?
Just the opposite is true!
I don't know whether Honda is using lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries in these new cars but both are highly recyclable with today's technology.
In fact, scavengers would pull them out of landfills because recyclers pay more for the depleted batteries than the cost of transport...the valuable materials are cobalt, iron, aluminum, copper, and of course lithium as lithium carbonate.
Jay is maliciously spreading FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) around. Rest assured, these batteries won't be in landfills, they'll be recycled. Simple economics will ensure that since the recovered materials are worth more than the transportation + recycling costs.
I read that the batteries in the new Insight will be the older nickel metal hydride technology. But the same recycle argument holds, those batteries are also more economical to recycle than to throw away.
fredmurr, enough people disagree with you so that you could probably sell it at near or above your purchase price. You shouldn't have any trouble at all unloading it.
After pushing my 2003 insight over the 100,000 mile mark, I'm excited they're finally bringing the model back to life, but to me a two door hatchback is more practical..
I guess the definition of "practical" is highly subjective. I'm a city dweller, single passenger with no kids, none on the way and don't need backseats, never have never will. Smaller car = better gas mileage, period.
Too bad they didn't just make this the new civic as it looks more like a prius' identical twin than the old insight anyway. Oh, well.. the CR-Z is on it's way as well.. I'm anxious to see the efficiency claims and the pricetag for the CR-Z, which to me looks more a replacement for the insight than what they're calling the new insight.
I believe the poor insight sales were because of one thing: the fender skirts. If anybody would have given the car a shot they would have not been complaining 5 years later.
Everyone should buy the most fuel efficient car on the market to bring the demand up for these cars. Then in turn the car companies would start an efficient competition biding for the auto market. Anyway no matter what the cost of gas it is never cheep enough or free so no matter when you bought your Insight it is always great to be able to drive by you local gas station for 5 straight weeks without the need to fill up.
Buy this car!!!
If you don't like hybrids look at the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Smart, 2010 Ford Fiesta. Hypermilers report 49 mpg for the Yaris 5-spd hatch. See mpgomatic.com for the Yaris test.
Wish VW would make the 1-Liter 235mpg tandem car.
tandem car=motorcycle
There is so much incorrect and misleading information about these incredible little cars. For those who are worried about the battery packs there's now plenty of information to be found on the web that will attest "empirically" to the longevity of the Insight's batteries. Just google it. If you follow the web and the Insight blogs you'll see where most Insight battery packs are exceeding 150K miles and still holding an excellent charge. There were apparently some problems with the '00 and '01 years due to different charging algorithims but this was corrected via a factory upgrade. I have seen the inside of the easily accessable battery packs. There are twenty stacks of six typical "D" size NiMH batteries. A total of 120 standard Panasonic NiMH "D" cells. I've seen equivalent D size NiMH batteries on eBay for a little as $3 each. With very little effort you could actually replace the batteries yourself. SO DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF. As far as this cars other qualities I can give you some insight from the perspective of someone who has owned a silver 2002 Insight since new and has now placed over 102K miles on it. EVERYTHING STILL WORKS AS NEW. Typical Honda engineering, every switch, every adjustment, every system, indeed, every damn part seems to be functioning just like the day it rolled off the lot. I do have a little squeak coming from the suspension now and then. The mileage is'nt the 68 MPG that I thought it was going to get but rather only 62-64 summer and 58-60 winter. I will say this however, these cars were not designed to get high mileage in city driving. The mileage will drop drastically in stop and go driving. If I get into heavy stop and go situations my mileage will drop to the low 50's and even the 40's if it's too bad. That said I can now tell you that given ideal conditions, (wide open, flat highway with no stop and go, and no head wind), will get me 65-67 over an entire tank of gas. I have the CVT tranny and I suspect that if I had the 5 speed I'd get well over 70 MPG.
They are a bit on the noisy side (wheel, road and suspension noise), and the suspension is quite stiff but the handling is great.
Also, the sound system/radio is absolutely horrible. Get an aftermarket stereo. Finally, this car has never needed anything but routine service. This is a good thing because Honda service is deplorable. They will find ways to get money out of you. Find a reputable repairman and keep him.
I am the proud owner of a 2009 VW Jetta TDI sedan. Since Jay Thomas' obvious over exaggeration of things, I feel the need to state my opinion as well.
First, I have to say that comparing a car like the Jetta to a car like the Insight is like comparing apples to oranges. They are each designed for different purposes ultimately. The tiny compact hybrids we have seen in the past were designed to get nothing but the best possible MPGs available. Initially, the stated capable MPG were fabrications of these first hybrids as well. If all you are looking for is the highest mpg possible, then you may have found your car. However you also have to give up certain elements of comfort, quality, and convenience.
I certainly hope this new Insight takes big steps in those three areas too. However, moving from 2 to 4 seats and increasing the maximum load allowed, the days of almost reaching 70 mpg are gone with this car. But hopefully the trade off will be worth it.
With my new Jetta, I feel it fits what I was looking for in a car quite well. 4 (very comfortable) seats, excellent stock sound system, countless convenience features (such as heated seats, mirrors, washer nozzles (I am a snowboarder so heading up into the mountains, these features will be invaluable)) on top of excellent safety ratings (I believe 8 airbags total?) made this car very appealing to me.
To top it off, the mpg capabilities were the final selling point. While no, it won't get up to what the Insight will probably do, it also is much better than what the ridiculous EPA rates it at. I can also vouch that it gets even better mileage than the retesting VW had performed by an outside organization (I forget the name at the moment). On its inital voyage home from Seattle, after I pulled off the freeway and onto the final 10 mile stretch of local highway, I was getting just under 50mpg going about 58 miles per hour! This is my first TDI but I have heard that the mpg gets even better after the engine has been properly broken in. So far I am loving my new car and can't wait to find out what it is capable of!
(I also just talked to another Jetta TDI owner a couple days ago, this one a 2002, who told me his car gets steady 53-54 mpg, and actually can get up to 63 mpg when really trying hard to keep a light foot!) My car might not get quite that good, but I think the trade off is worth it with the quieter engine than the old, no more diesel smell/smoke, and better emissions with the new clean-diesel engine. Yes diesel prices are higher than unleaded but in my area (Spokane) the margin of difference lately has actually been getting considerably closer to unleaded prices. *fingers crossed*
Sorry- One more thing I forgot to mention....
My new Jetta has a 140 hp engine providing 236lb-ft of torque.
vs.
Insight has a 67 hp engine providing 66lb-ft of torque.
Anybody wanna race? ;-D
This new Insight seems to be about the same size as the Honda Fit, which is similar in size to the Toyota Matrix or Echo, but Toyota so far has not introduced hybrid technology for its smaller sized cars, atleast not here in the USA, perhaps because their marketing testing tells them such smaller subcompact hybrids would not sell well here.
But I think this may not be the case, with gasoline prices likely to spiral ever higher. In Germany, the cost this summer for an equivalent US gallon there, in US dollars, is about $12.50!! So with many parts of the world already paying much higher fuel prices, Honda's timing on the USA introduction of this new 4 passenger hybrid Insight is none too premature, infact, may turn out to surpass the Toyota Prius, if the gas mpg is much more impressive (due to the lower total car mass). I think they will give Toyota very good competition, so that both companies will strive even harder to get better fuel economy in future models. When/as soon as it costs $8/gal here, SUVs will be history. Money talks, BS walks.
I also heard something about Toyota coming out with a new form of battery which will tremendously boost the car's mpg, especially in city driving, but this remains to be seen. Some have said closer to 90 mpg may eventually happen if more powerful batteries get developed, as this is a big choke point right now.
One advantage with the Insights is that the replacement battery is much less, usually < $1K, whereas the Prius replacement battery can run up to $2500 or more. Hopefully this will come down, if it hasnt already, but even then the dealers will rip you on the installation labor charges.
Most important, the new Insight will force even greater innovations as both Honda and Toyota go neck and neck in stiff competition.
I am planningto buy the new Honda 2009 insight.
As this will go on sale in April 2009, I am going to have to wait few more months. My question to the forum is, do you guys think there will be high demand for it when it hits the showrooms? am I going to have to pay MSRP to get one or shall I have some bargaining room?
Thanks in advance for any responses.
Sadly, there could be a lot of dealer mark-ups given its newness and a high anticipated demand. There may be bargaining room, but only to bring it down back to MSRP. In all likelihood, you will not get this thing for below MSRP.
I like the older styles better than this one coming up...something about the 4-doors just makes me not like it.
I can race, an '84 Camaro SS with a 400hp engine! lol. That one's a blast to drive and is surprisingly not as gas guzzling as it sounds. It goes about 20 mpg, though I never bothered to see exactly how much it takes.
Unfortunately, diesels are noisy, smelly and diesel fuel is more expensive than gasoline.
The car of the future will be the all-electric plug-in. There are already are a few versions out on the road including the ZENN (Zero emissions, no noise) car. The main limitation is electrical energy storage limitation with existing battery technologies. That may be about to change soon with the introduction of mass-produced high-efficiency ultracapacitors which, if successfully produced, will make existing battery technology obsolete for the most part. With ultracapacitor technology, we are in a whole new ball game with all-electric vehicles having range and speed comparable to internal combustion engines and not using any carbon based fuel. Tesla cars has an all-electric sports car but it is going for $100K which limits access to it for most people. But Zenn is proposing to produce an ultracapacitor based all-electric plug-in within the next few years with a range of 250 miles on a charge and maximum speed of 85 mph. If that vehicle materializes, it will be a game changer.
Our 2002 Insight has 120K miles on it. We bought it in 2003 with 25 K miles and reset the overall trip mileage. Now it reads 61.3 mpg. Zero unexpected maintenance, NiMH battery continues to perform flawlessly, great handiling; we drive 820 miles one-way in one day to visit relatives. Love this car!
The old Insight, Prius, Chevy Volt, and new Insight have the same basic body shape. This is not an accident -- it is all about physics and aerodynamics.
Oh -- I forgot to mention that I'm 70 years old, and my wife is 69.
We chuckle at the other old folks driving Lincoln Town Cars that we routinely pass.
What about a hybrid Accord based on a four cylinder powerplant?
I of course realize that the headlines are made by the very high-mileage cars, but I am very tall, and the hybrids (other than Camry and Highlander) that can comfortably accomodate me are just not there.
We have a 2005 Acura MDX that was purchased for my wife's work and as our main transportation, after finding that the then-avaialble Highlander was somewhat cramped foprme.
I really like the car, except for its mileage and don't particulalry like the Camry style. As I move toward considering a new car, and I am committed to a "greener" future, i'd love the option of an Accord four cylinder hybrid. I suspect they could tweak oneto get 35-40 mpg. Honda has the technology for sure, witness my daughter's new Civic hybrid, which is great but too cramped for my needs. Anything on the near horizon?
My 2006 Insight has 52K mostly-highway miles. It's taught me how to drive for maximum mileage.
I recommend everyone getting their next car with a "real-time" gas consumption meter on it!!
My current lifetime average is 69.7 mpg. Best I've ever done is 91 mpg for two hours, driving with a tailwind, behind a truck (legal distance, of course!).
Too frickin' bad that no car maker is willing to dare approaching 100 mpg with a car.
Regarding the diesel VW's, their Consumer Reports-based reliability and maintenance costs are not terribly encouraging. The engine durability and economy may be great, but beware of total ownership costs too.
Diesel? Well it's more complicated, as we Europeans found out recently. See, the diesel is a product dependent on what you call "unleaded", because their production is connected pretty much as chicken breasts and chicken wings. If people start to buy wings because their cheaper (hypothetically, of course), then producers will have plenty of breasts and shortage of wings, so prices of wings will rise and prices of breasts will fall, so that price motivates customers to buy the less loved part of the chicken; it wouldn't be economic to thrown the breasts to bin...
So, the diesel. Don't forget that all trucks and buses, many locomotives, a lot of machinery, etc. are already using diesel. In Europe, a popularity of small diesel cars was growing overt the years, finally reaching it's tip sometimes in the end of last year. The producers struggled to supply market with enough diesel but they had enough "unleaded". So although diesel is generally easier (understand: *cheaper*) to make than unleaded, it's price went up, crossed the unleaded and continued to rise and disappoint the diesel owners. See, the main reason why they bought the cars was the price of fuel and a bit lower mileage. Today, to run a diesel in Europe is as expensive as to run ordinary car and the diesel is much less ecological.
I have an ordinary gasoline Toyota Corolla, but I believe in EVs and plug-ins and if I have had the chance I would have already bought it.
I love this concept (only) though: http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2008/07/01-tatra-903-concept/ It's a dream based on previous models from a manufacturer who brought many auto dreams to reality...
Almost a decade since the original and this car gets less mileage. Am I missing something?
Honda needs to take lessons from the old insight. Small efficient wheels, wheel skirts
and better aerodynamics.
And for all those people that think this car is ugly there is only one shape for low cg and that is a teardrop. Anything other than this is wasting energy.
We own a 2001 insight with about 125000 miles on it. I am getting 50 plus mpg in town - Torrance, Ca - and between 60 to 64 mpg on the freeway between Torrance and San Diego, Ca traveling at legal freeway speeds, i.e. hovering between 65 and 70 mph. I am a conservative driver. I am interested to find out what the new Insight will be delivering.
So far we have found that the 2001 Insight is reliable and it has given us much satisfaction. It still drives like new and we'll probably drive it until it turns to dust.
If others want a lot of horse power and get-up-and-scat, go for it. However this little car still travels at the same speeds all others do and costs us much less than almost any other car on the road. Imagine traveling from Los Angeles to El Paso and back on less than 4 tanks of gasoline. We travel from Torrance to San Diego and back on 1/2 a tank. This does give us a good sense of satisfaction.
I went the cheap route and bought the Honda Civic EX Coupe with the 5 speed automatic. I was worried about depreciation because I put so many miles on it. I get right around 42 on the highway at 70 and love it. I am really thinking that the new Insight might be the way to go for the family car and run the high miles on the Civic.
I love the new insight look! I'm really curious to what the fit hybrid will look like. I guess if you are looking for a 2 seater you can go with the fit or crz otherwise the insight.
I can't wait to get the new insight.
Hasib, you can get the new honda insight for 18,500 price tag. Here's the link:
http://jalopnik.com/5045333/new-honda-insight-hybrid-revealed-expected-1...
My Prius regularly makes 51MPG locally with a 20 mile commute mostly on freeways. Returning from Payson AZ to Mesa I managed 1.5 gal. of gas over nearly 90 miles. This thing likes the mountains. I have been up to 8,800 ft on Arizona roads and the hills seem to help with improved mileage (down hill the engine stops). I can watch the battery charge state and maximize the usage going up hill. The California people introduced "pulse" driving to me and it works. On my 9 mile commute to work I have managed 96.5 MPG on back roads and low speed limits. I'll provide a screen shot of the display. The display helps to teach high mileage. It matters not to me if you like the Honda or the Toyota. Just buy into hybrids and go.
My 2000 insight has less than 100 thousand miles on it and recently had its main battery replaced, under warranty. Other than getting now brake pads and rotors turned and a new oxygen sensor, my car has been trouble-free otherwise.
Running with air conditioning when outside temps were hitting tripple digits, and doing only short trips of stop and go driving in town, my mileage dropped into the low 40's. Now that the weather is cooler and I can run without air conditioning, and also running more freeway miles, I'm back up to 50mpg range in normal (read keeping up with the rest of the jackrabbits on the freeway) driving mode I am usually in.
i love this car it looks cool..
An improvement over the current and next gen Toyota prius. have you seen the spy shots???? Craptastic. Go Honda Insight and Go Chevy Volt!!!
Please tell me they will have some decent colors for the new Insight....like red and black. And perhaps some options....like leather! What was Honda thinking with their Civic Hybrid with their eco-neutral colors and almost NO options. It's like they said "We ain't selling many of these so why bother". Honda....are you listening?
God bless all of you who have bought hybrid vehicles. I have a 1995 Toyota Camry with 160,000 miles on it, as that is what I can afford, but by driving the speed limit, I get 30 mpg on the highway and 24 combined between city and highway driving.
I dream of the day I can own a hybrid car.
Thats about the same mileage (low 40s - about 50) got with my 1987 Honda CR-X HF that i bought used for $3000 a few years ago and drove for 200,000 trouble free miles. Can't believe how little progress we've made
Honda goes to copy Toyota.
Honda thinks that the Prius sells good becouse of the exterior design. Wrong!
The imago of Toyota's extreme quality is right.
Ofcourse the aerodynamic shape is important for the fuel economy and that's why the Prius looks like a drug capsule.
But i wil pay for a worse fuel economy and drive in a beatifull car! That's why muscle cars are beauties for your eyes.
Honda copied. I like the way Honda cars drives and accept the copy drift. In History the Prelude was a nice Honda original.
We will see what future brings.
rofl....Toyota quality.....lol
Honda blows them out of the water in every survey and study....hell, so does Chevy. I really don't understand peoples infatuation with them. they havn't made a good car since the 90's. A car for old folks I say.
kristen and sing loves this car............. woot woot.........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:)... :)...
o really thats cool..............
I have a 2000 Insight 5 spd with 230,000 miles on it, still running great and getting 70 mpg or better in the summer. Honda replaced for free the battery pack when it died at 180,000 miles. The only sign of age is some piston slap when cold . I do not ever expect to part with this car. I love the handling, the 2 seat design, I can carry 2X6X8 ft boards with the hatch closed. It has been across the country twice. It runs great in the snow with 4 studded tires. What more could you want? I put in a sunroof and a solid 4 spkr stereo with Ipod input, its a perfect car.
It's not about racing!
Hondas and Toyotas are at the top of all lists. "Blows them out of the water" is an exaggeration, and exaggerations don't help anyone make a point when dealing with reasonably informed people; such as the people on this forum.
Bill, Like you, my wife and I use our Prius to commute to our mountain house (in Colorado) each weekend. The round trip is 200 miles. On the trip, we go up 3,500' in elevation, and of course, go back down the same 3,500' on the return trip to Denver. Our average mileage (in our Prius) is 55 to 58 mpg. Like you, we have learned 'pulse driving' which can produce mileage averages in the 80's & 90's (mpg). After having a Prius hybrid, I would say that the vast majority of hybrid users (of all brands) do not know how to maximize the mileage of a hybrid. For instance, hardly anyone uses the "Regenerative Braking" lever/function on the Prius. Not only does it more than double the charging rate, but it also saves CONSIDERABLY on the brakes. Another way to save fuel on a hybrid (or any car for that matter) is to turn off the air-conditioner or heater at stops. (Doing so in a hybrid allows your engine to turn completely off!)
This discussion seems to mostly consider the environmental implications of recycling spent NiH batteries. What about the environmental impact of assembling these cars and their batteries in the first place? The aforementioned heavy metals that go into the batteries must come from somewhere. I'm guessing it's from the scrap yards and the mines of China. If so, the net environmental impact might be greater from the Insight, compared to a high-efficiency diesel of gasoline engine. IJS.
I never really understand how stupid people really are. They never research and pretend to be experts on hearsay. The Original Insight was produced on a total life cycle, ease in manufacture and recycling - something no other car maker can attest to. Honda has stated and achieved stringent ecological goals and is amongst the leaders in this area.
The Insight is without doubt one of the greatest modes of personal transport ever conceived and put into production what we need from Honda is more of them.
Purchasing an I.C.E either petrol or diesel without a hybrid drive train is like purchasing a 386 computer – old fuddy-duddy stuff for the old economy, get with the program the future electric vehicles are fun and fantastic or the Insight is a brilliant appetizer
Actaully, Volvo has the highest recyclability rates in the industry....just to let you know.
Volkswagen's Jetta TDI Named 2009 Green Car of the Year(R)
Green Car Journal Announces Winner at the Los Angeles Auto Show
interesting article:
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Volkswagens-Jetta-TDI-Named-2009/story.aspx?guid={62939B87-2D36-4DDE-A5C0-83F1D4F59DBD}
My 2000 Honda Insight is still running beautifully at 143,000 miles. The battery is still good, and I believe Honda has extended the battery warranty to 150,000 miles. I have not looked into the cost of replacing it, however.
The Green car of the year competition did not include the new Honda Insight.
I don't think it is out yet, which is why it wasn't included. It will be included next year probably. Might even win if nothing else comes out that can beat its potential high mpg and affordability.
I have test driven the VW TDI. It is a marvelous vehicle, BUT the cost of diesel fuel clearly offsets the advantage of the TDI vs. a hybrid--period! The national average of diesel vice gasoline (week of 24 November) was approximately 90 cents more for diesel. In So. Cal. today (11-28-08) diesel is on average about 60c more. It does not compute--advantage to hybrid, and diesel fuel stations are not nearly as available as gasoline. COSTCO, where you can enjoy up to 5% per gallon discount below their pump price does not carry diesel. End of discussion. Plz convince me otherwise--I like VW and I like the TDI, but .................................
Incidentally, to Dana who is a VW TDI fan--you concede that the Insight will get better mileage yet you do suggest that the TDI will get better mileage than it's advertised EPA numbers. Are you equivocating relative to the Insight mileage advantage over the TDI? If the TDI were to get better mileage than the Insight by 10-15% (and it will not) that better mileage is still offset by the diesel cost per gallon of easily 25 % more than gasoline, and on a national average an exceedingly greater disparity. You talk about apples and oranges comparison (VW TDI vs. Insight) yet I assume you bought the VW TDI while considering miles per gallon. Afterall, isn't that what we are talking about here? Clearly the TDI is a great improvement over other diesels of similar class, but it does not match the economy of ownership of the newer generation hybrids. The price point of the Insight is also less than the TDI. In Europe diesel, on aveage, is about 20 Euro cents cheaper than gasoline (verified--just returned from a 3 wk. driving trip in Europe while driving a diesel). That price advantage does not exist in the US, and if it ever does it will be years. I wish it were different because the TDI is a great car, but just not economically competitive.
nice analysis roberts. : )
Ford, GM, and Chrysler be damned..... Go bankrupt, go away. No more excuses, no more crying for handouts. Make a car better than this Honda and I'll buy one. Otherwise, just become extinct like all the rest of the dinosaurs.
you may get your wish..........
The cars are hideous looking, can't they work a better looking design?
Leon, are you talking about one of those GM clunkers from 1981? Thought so.
I just sold my '99 Beetle TDI and bought a new Accord (sure do wish they'd kept the Hybrid model!). I bought the Beetle because at highway cruising speed it was far quieter than a comparable gas-powered VW!! That previous-generation diesel had gobs of torque, was clean (as long as you maintained it properly) and was a blast to drive. The new VW diesel provides more power and torque than that of my Beetle.
As far as smell is concerned, have you gotten a good whiff of gasoline recently? Diesel smells different, perhaps, but to say it is smelly and gasoline isn't is, well, silly.
Finally, you are currently correct concerning the price of diesel vs. gasoline. Oddly enough, when I bought the Beetle, diesel fuel was actually about .10 cheaper than gasoline. Its price fluctuates to a different drummer than gasoline's so, while this may be true today, it might not be tomorrow.
BTW, I looked at the Camry Hybrid but didn't like the light show on the dash and felt that the Accord was far more comfortable and fun to drive.
Honda should be bringing their existing diesel engine to North America starting next year, and are working on a V6 diesel. They've stated that they will continue with hybrids in one or two of the small vehicles (the new Insight, and probably the Civic or Fit), but will likely produce the larger diesel for their large vehicles (Odyssey, Pilot, etc.). Diesel's have a lot of low end torque, which is useful for towing and moving weight, as well as accelerating in city traffic. Anwyay, Honda claims that the V6 diesel will get 30% better mileage than their gasoline engine.
The existing Honda i-CTDi diesel engine is impressive. Excellent mileage, quiet (low compression ratio for a diesel), and the amount of carbon emitted per mile driven is less than any of their gasoline engines. Check out the records they set with this, including 92mpg (UK gallons) in an Accord.
http://world.honda.com/news/2004/4040506.html
One other comment.
The price of diesel has risen for two reasons. The first is demand, primarily from Europe. The second is the requirement for clean diesel. Diesel used to cost less to produce, but it also had something like 500ppm sulfur content. The new requirement for ULSD is 15ppm, and estimates put the cost of decreased the sulfur content diesel at up to 25 cents per gallon.
The one advantage the VW TDIs have is that they can be bought with a manual transmission and get excellent fuel economy. I really don't like automatics. Additionally, I'd argue the VWs are better handling and more fun to drive than the current hybrids.
There's a lot of misinformation about the batteries in hybrids. They don't have the pollution you think they do.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9463
Owned a honda insight 2 seater loved it. I will wait for the new honda insight 2010. 70 miles per gallon seems the way to go.
Don't blame Toyota for the actions of a few unscrupulous dealers. I bought my 2005 for exactly the retail price ($24,042, I think) with no hassles, add ons, etc. This was from the only Toyota dealer in Charlottesville, VA. The salesman was great and kept his promise that the price quoted would have no additonal dealer charges.
What will the size of this be compared to the Prius?
Second, why no mention yet of the Camry Hybrid for 2010. I'm buying this spring and am deciding between the Prius, Camry, and maybe, maybe if it's of a decent size, the Honda Insight ...
Sir, if you are considering the Toyota Camry, I would recommend looking at the Nissan Altima hybrid and the Ford Fusion hybrid. Both offer better fuel economy than the Toyota Camry hybrid at lower price points. The new Ford Fusion has been rated at 38/41 mpg, rivalling that of the smaller Honda Civic and Toyota Prius, while simultaneously not giving up on comfort, style, and horsepower. These are EPA ratings of course, so you can actually get mileage beyond this if you are kind to the accelerator. Just something to mull over, if you are an individual looking for a good buy.
"A Corvette and an Insight...very opposite combination".
That's me. At least it will be.
I have had my 2003 Corvette now for 5 years.
I have put money down on a 2009 Honda Insight.
I think by May 2009 I will have both.
Can't wait. Sportiness and economy.
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