How About 60 MPG?
Honda expects that the EPA will officially rate the Insight at 40 mpg city, 43 mpg highway, or 41 mpg combined. But our drives indicated that it's relatively easy to exceed those figures. During a 52-mile drive on mostly two-lane roads in Arizona, over varying desert terrain, and with the Econ mode on, the 2010 Honda Insight achieved an indicated 56.5 mpg. At times, I saw an average as high as 61 mpg. The entire morning's drive, with two different drivers behind the wheel of our Insight, gave us 49.3 mpg over 99 miles.
Later, on a 16.1-mile loop that Honda set up to maximize mileage, I achieved 59.2 mpg, but I discovered 4 miles into the drive that I had the CVT transmission in Sport mode, which would lessen efficiency. Some of my colleagues achieved figures in the mid to high 60s over the same route.
If you drive the Insight like any other car, though, not worrying about keeping the speedometer "green," our experience indicates that you'll get much lower numbers, closer to the EPA ratings.
It Drives Like a Honda
It's nice that the Insight is so efficient, but it's even better that it doesn't suffer from some of the dynamic drawbacks that plague many hybrids. Both the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal have natural feel and feedback, with none of the weird surging and artificialness that we've seen in some hybrids. The powertrain itself provides linear, predictable power. Unlike the Prius, which moves away from a stop with eerie quietness on solely electric power, the Insight is drawing on its gasoline engine from the beginning, so it sounds and feels quite conventional. The electric steering is a bit dead on-center, but then it tightens up nicely. Body control and ride quality are impressive, especially given the fact that the Insight rides on skinny, low-rolling-resistance tires to maximize fuel economy.
I drove the Insight at 60 to 80 mph on a mildly challenging, two-lane road in the Tonto National Forest outside Scottsdale, and its chassis, brakes, and steering were up to the exercise. Although it's certainly no sports car, it did not feel like a soggy mess. Essentially, the Insight feels like any other small Honda, except when you're really hammering it, its tiny four-cylinder engine is really working hard.
There's some wind and road noise at freeway speeds. The sightlines are not quite as good as the Honda Fit's, but forward and side visibility is still excellent. The cabin itself is typical of Honda: great ergonomics, a superb radio interface. The iPod interface in the center console works well.
Where Does It Fit in the Hybrid World?
The new 2010 Honda Insight is a bargain hybrid. Its cabin is not as roomy or sumptuous as those in the Civic Hybrid, the Toyota Prius, or the new Ford Fusion Hybrid, but it should cost a lot less than those cars. With its hatchback configuration, it's a good car for a single person, a couple, or a small family who have been intrigued by the Hybrid revolution but found Hybrids to be too expensive. This is a Hybrid for anyone, not just tree-huggers and Hollywood actors.
To read more about the 2010 Honda Insight, go to our 2009 Detroit auto show blogs coverage. All the latest blogs from the Editors of Automobile Magazine can be found HERE. We've got our whole staff wandering the floor at Cobo Hall bringing back live photos and more information about all the new debuts from Detroit.
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