Impressions of driving a Honda Insight after 15 months of Prius

I own a Prius 2010 since Sept. 2009. My parents owned a Honda Jazz/Fit and needed to change car. After analysing the market, the km travelled each year, personal preference, etc. my parents decided to buy a Honda Insight. The Prius is more expensive and bigger for smallish streets of Florence (Italy) where they live, and the Auris has an abysmally small and *even* oddly shaped (!) trunk (I wonder how many Auris they have sold so far...if at all).

I had the chance to drive the Insight for a 2 day trip of about 500km and recently again in the snow.
My impressions/differences to the Prius as follows, in no particular order:

• Honda offers a really nice and helpful rearview mirror with integrated LCD display connected to a rear camera, for a reasonable 300€ (no need of a Navi - Toyota doesn't even know what I am talking about; only (expensive) beeping sensors...)
• a more detailed (i.e. more screens) information display vs Prius; but Prius' dashboard is way more elegant and subtle; Insight's is more "modern", "colourful" and "bright"
• the speedometer is *way* more accurate (within less than 5% compared to 10% of the Prius)
• apparently fuel consumption is more accurate (displayed vs calculated) - over the last 6 fuellings - around 3-4%, rather than 6% in my Prius
• narrower body that yields a more compact front seating area and less space behind, though practically being of same length
• the "auto stop" feature is a bit unpredictable and when at a traffic light it will start the engine again, apparently for no reason, while still pressing the brake
• in "ECO mode" the fan of the AC will simply *shut off* instead of blowing at least some fresh air when stopping the engine ("auto stop") at a traffic light
• useful, though possibly "annoying", programmable chime to tell you when going faster than a set speed - 2 (!) speeds can be programmed
• compared to EU Prius, a counter telling you when the car should be serviced
• all information is in front of view and no head-up display; I know people find this better, but after several months of use, I find the display "at a distance", albeit not in the middle, easier to read and easier on the eyes (I am shortsighted); the Prius head-up display (standard on EU Prius) is *really great* and it is now always on...
• rear view is about the same of the Prius - i.e. you don't see much...
• less kick and *way* more engine noise when accelerating harder than normal
• plastics look not as cheap as in the Prius
• seats are more "sporty" and fit more snug
• electrically foldable rearview mirrors are standard (and really helpful especially in tight parking in EU cities)
• clearly the drivetrain of the Prius is *way* more advanced and efficient; e.g. when turning off the car, the gear selector needs to be moved from D to P via N: if you are in "auto stop", the engine will be turned on *again* simply because you moved to N...
• practically impossible to understand if the electric engine is pushing the car by itself (within a very small speed range), since the only way to recognise this is by checking the instantaneous fuel consumption - engine still spins moved by the electric engine, albeit consuming no fuel; or by looking at the energy flow display
• rough start from "auto stop" compared to the super smooth electric push of the Prius (the Insight cannot move from 0km/h electrically)
• auto lights available standard on Insight; the Prius EU does not even offer it as an option (makes the car slightly cheaper, by what? 5€ maybe?, but increases versions necessary worldwide and logistic costs - I don't understand Toyota's policy in this respect - less variations, less logistics costs!)
• Cruise Control is *way* smoother in Eco mode, than Prius' CC
• both cars handle the road pretty well (17" wheels on both cars) compared to what they can deliver, respectively, in terms of performance
• the Insight has an FM radio that actually works...
• trip A can be reset automatically each time the fuel door is opened
• parking sensors cannot be switched off at all
• traction control can be turned off (not on the Prius)

I would say that, if overall interior size is not of importance (e.g. driving often alone or with 1 passenger), and taking into consideration overall km driver per year, insurance costs, buy price, the Prius is better for km driven most in town (higher fuel savings) and suburban, and sometimes on highway; the Insight is better for suburban and highway driving and should be driven as least as possible in town. Each should decide based on personal necessities, budget and local costs (e.g. taxes, local dealer offers, etc.).

I cannot recollect any other striking differences at this time - will add them here later.
Anyone out there that has made a direct comparison like mine?

Interesting comparison; thanks for posting it.

Some of the differences are regional. For example, Toyota offers (or at least did with the Gen II) an LCD rear view mirror and camera for the Canadian market, but not in the U.S. Also on the Gen II, the Canadians received auto headlights, while the U.S. did not, although you could get HID headlights in the U.S. but not in Canada.

All of the market specific packaging makes feature comparisons difficult.

Tom

Hi Pakitt, any gen3 with HUD can have auto headlights by grounding one wire behind the glovebox - i've done it on mine! If you want the pro look then buy the stalk from toyota with the position for "auto", that will also work!

Really? Now I'm rather interested. Is it an easy diy or should I suggest it to the dealers - seeing as I'm a good customer n all.

Thanks, this is the best unbiased comparison of the two cars.

Yep. From looking around at 2011 Honda Insight Hybrid - Options and Pricing - Official Honda Site, it seems you can't get any backup camera on the Insight.

US Priuses don't have the HUD available at all.

Per Honda Insight Gets Tweaked Stop-Start System, Revised MPG Numbers | AutoGuide.com News and Honda boosts Insight's fuel economy by lengthening start-stop ability — Autoblog Green, apparently, the Insight's auto stop time limit was 30 seconds.

BMW has this cute commercial out, in which a boy goes through life refusing to settle for imitation products. In adulthood, he sees the BMW, which they call "the real thing," and he falls in love with it.

Toyota can tear a page from this add. The Insight is an imitation Prius, that's all. You can nitpick and compare the interiors (Speedometer is way more accurate? Lol, whatever. I'm calling BS.) But at the end of the day, the Prius simply drives and feels better.

Regarding the speedo, it really could be. See Speedometer Scandal! - Feature - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver about the goofiness in Europe. There's also a PDF you can download (under Downlaods) but of the samples they took, at the time (in 2002), Toyota speedos and odos were more accurate than Hondas.

No I believe it. It's just a stupid argument for the Insight. Does it really make a difference? No.

what about price and mpg?

Clearly you did not pay your Prius 25.750€ (base model in Germany), rather 17.732€ (Prius III - probably comparable, at current exchange rate).
If you don't mind, having a speedometer on car that costs 25.750€, or better, 34.500$ (how does that sound?!?!, uh?), that is 10% off, pisses me off - and far from being BS. And if the Honda Insight, costing 19.950€ (base model in Germany), is 5% better, you bet the Honda is in this respect is better than cheap-o speedometer Toyota.

I never said that the Insight is better or worse than the Prius in absolute terms (clearly you did not read my post from the beginning), I simply noted the things that struck me the most during a short trip and that are not offered by the Prius. And yes, I think a 35k$ car, even with the most advanced and genial drivetrain (still) available on the market, should offer a more precise speedometer, among other things.

PS: the Prius I bought, middle trim, costs 36.300$ (27.050€), and I am excluding the registration costs, transportation costs, the winter tires (obligatory in Germany) and few minor options here and there (bumper protections, mats, trunk mat) - it was more 29.000€...you do the math of how much that is in $$$. And with an FM radio that doesn't work properly.
Nevertheless I still think the Prius is better than the Insight, considering also how and where I drive it the most and I would buy it again.

It's so easy it's a joke. I could do it in under five minutes, and that would include time for a cup of tea! My version is rather crude (i've just grounded the relevant wire to the car frame) but you should really put an override switch in one of the blank positions, and that would take a few minutes more. If i have time when messing round with the PHEV kit i'll take you a couple of pictures to show you what to do.

I re-drove the Insight again today in a short trip downtown and I am still puzzled by:
1) Auto stop that will re-start the car after only 30 secs or less; this with A/C off and in ECO mode...???
2) when pressing the accelerator, even in ECO mode, the car "jumps" and is very non-linear in acceleration compared to the blissful smoothness of the Prius (especially in ECO mode) - it is *much* easier to control the gas pedal reaction on the Prius - period.

I got an overall fuel consumption (with A/C off, 2 passengers, very bad traffic, lots of traffic lights and *very* short constant speed sections) of 6.1L/100km with 6C outside temp.

i'm sure it's from reading prius chat, but don't most people who test drive both cars wind up in a prius? is there really any good reason to buy an insight?

One good reason here in the UK is that the Insight is £5,000 ($7,700) cheaper than a Prius! That buys a lot of compromises.

And in the overall budget/TCO (total cost of ownership), it does/can play a *big* role, especially if you drive a lot outside of town or not enough km/year.

Honda boosts Insight's fuel economy by lengthening start-stop ability — Autoblog Green claims the auto-stop length limit is 30 seconds but yet some comments further down claim that's inaccurate.

At least with our previous '06 HCHII, and maybe Honda in general, any inaccuracy in fuel consumption display is on the pessimistic side, ie: when you calculate mileage it's usually better.

Again, coming from HCHII, and assuming the second gen Insight is similar, Honda's dash and gauges are head and shoulders better than the Prius: bright and clear, directly in front of the driver. The Prius's green "oscilloscope" display, off to one side, detracts from your attention to the road, and is even hard to see in bright sunshine with sun shining on wet roads.

All in all, we voted Prius with our checkbook, but the two makers would benefit from some cross-pollination.