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Honda Insight Hybrid
Is it a Toyota
Prius in disguise?
No. It's
the new Honda Insight, and it's not a copy cat
Prius. In fact, both the Prius and the Insight hybrid
are copy cats of ideas based on German research that
happened decades ago. But that's a different
story.
Still, the
second generation Insight is the rebirth of the original
2-seat Insight that debuted back in 1999. This time,
however, the Insight is here to stay.
While Honda had big hopes for the Insight hybrid, Honda's Insight has not yet lived up to the hype. For instance, Honda had hoped that it could immediately sell at least 100,000 of these
hybrids in just the first year.
Yes,
that's no big deal compared to the Prius, but no other
automaker has come close to such a number, and it appears it will take a different Honda hybrid to achieve such numbers.
Nonetheless, Honda is not giving up on the Insight hybrid. Changes are already planned to make the Insight more appealing.
For instance, a new suspension with “an adjusted spring recoil-rate, new rear axle mounts and an adjustment to rear camber angles" is planned to fix what Consumer Reports called a stiff ride.
Likewise, better interior materials are also in the works - addressing another CR complaint - including a leather option.
Currently, the
aerodynamically-focused Insight hybrid, four-door,
five passenger hatckback lists for about $19,800 plus
destination fees and comes in three main trim
levels.
Powered by
the same 1.3-liter gasoline VTEC engine and 13-hp
electric motor as the Civic
hybrid, the Insight churns out about 98 horsepower.
However, the new NiMH batteries powering the Insight
hybrid are 30 percent more efficient than those in the
Civic hybrid, which helped lower the cost and weight of
the Insight's battery pack. The new batteries are also
about 30 percent more durable.
On the
downside, expect cloth seats on the Insight until these new updates are worked into production, something a
number of reviewers have already noticed.
Nevertheless, the
cabin design still exudes ergonomics and intuitive controls,
and the cargo area makes the Insight's hatchback
functionality quite fantastic.
All-in-all
the Honda Insight is still a good hybrid car, but a few updates should make it much better.
Good fuel economy
numbers and a pretty unconventional price, make the Insight hybrid a pretty compelling hybrid choice, and a few updates will only make it more compelling.
What do
you think about Honda's new Insight? Add
your Insight hybrid comments. |
