Looked at Hondas today.

Re: Looked at Honda's today.

Electric AC also provides more consistent engine power. The AC in the Insight takes power from the drive train during hard acceleration. In the Prius there is no such loss.

 

Re: Looked at Honda's today.

I didn't include the trade, since it would be about the same for both.
She did apply for the PA rebate 2 weeks ago, which expired March 6th. I got $500 for my Prius a couple of years ago. The best AAA internet price I saw for the 10 Prius in Feb. was $21.8K locally. It was up another $K March 1st.

I just wrote a lengthy comparison of my Prius vs Insight based on driving both in the Insight thread.

 

Re: Looked at Honda's today.

Not really. Pretty much any vehicle made in the last 10 years or so is designed to cut out the A/C compressor during hard acceleration. Typically this goes unnoticed by the driver since it is usually only for a few seconds. The Insight is no different.

 

Re: Looked at Honda's today.

The issue is when you are not flooring it. When the A/C pump is running, you can feel the belt robbing the torque from the ICE. It may not impact the acceleration but you hear the ICE RPM revving higher.

 

Re: Looked at Honda's today.

What you say is true - but is isn't really any different in the Prius. While it is true that the Prius A/C compressor runs on electric power, that power has to come from somewhere and one way or another it comes from the engine. I doubt seriously that on a hot day the prius gets enough power from regenerative braking to run that compressor.

 

Re: Looked at Honda's today.

This is a good point. Energy is energy, and it all comes from the gas engine one way or another.

There are three main advantages to the electric compressor on the Prius:

1) Being electric, it can operate at any speed regardless of what the engine is doing.

2) Better efficiency. The electric direct drive design is more efficient than a traditional belt driven unit. In addition, its variable speed allows it to cool only as much as needed, when needed.

3) More reliable. The electric direct drive allows the compressor to be permanently sealed. There are no rotating seals to wear out and leak.

This type of design is so good that it is starting to be used in non-hybrid cars.

Tom

 

As many of you know I've owned and driven both the Prius (2G & 3G) and HCH-II's for a good while, and I can safely say that I would normally very much prefer an all electric AC compressor over a completely ICE driven compressor mainly because on normal days, I can leverage my ability to manage my SoC, to feed my AC use with minimal FE loss. It just works very well and a normal ICE driven compressor cannot compete.

However, in very hot days and over longer driving distances, I would rather have a modern ICE driven AC compressor at work. As stated, since the energy originates further upstream in the energy conversion chain, an ICE driven compressor is still more effective under heavy loads.

With this said, I am duly impressed with the 3G Prius and its more efficient AC compressor when compared to the 2G Prius. Despite this I think a blend is still the better option. Having a fully hybrid AC compressor (as in the HCH-II, start in electric and assisted by the ICE) delivers the best results and I just wish that this solution became the norm instead of the rare option. Too bad the new Insight does not have this.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

I own both the 2010 Insight and the 2007 Prius. You guys need to read the Insight specs. In Eco Mode the AC compressor does not run all the time. I can post the details of everything the ECO Mode does if you would like to see it

 

Sure, please do. Does that mean you get no cold air?

 

I test drove a Honda Civic Hybrid yesterday, and a Prius the night before. I like the HCH better to drive, and its lower priced, I was offered a great deal ($18K for leather seats package). But now I have been reading about the software upgrade and how it reduced milage, so now I am rethinking this . Has anyone here had the software upgrade on their HCH?

 

Karent,

Is cargo room important to you? The HCH can't fold down its rear seats because that is where the battery is located. That was deal breaker #1 for me.

Seawolf, I suspect the "no cold air" in that older post is probably referring to what happens during ICE shutoff. On my HCH test drive in hot temperatures, I encountered a very, very busy intersection that took two long traffic light cycles to pass through. By the end, I was getting very uncomfortable with the progressively warmer and more humid air coming out the vents. I suspect that was due to a conventional A/C system and the compressor wasn't running. That was deal breaker #2. Deal breaker #1 was enough I didn't check further into #2.

 

I don't really care about cargo room, my DH has a wagon so I would use that if I needed cargo room. I do like that the HCH has a trunk, and I do like the handling and the package. But I am troubled by the software upgrade, and whether it actually gets the milage it is rated at.