Honda Insight LIVE REVEAL

STUNNING !!!!

wow! I can barely wait to see how awesome the next Prius is going to look, in response to this!

 

You know Rybod, your optimism is growing on me.

 

zenMachine, let's be clear, however. The posted article was a little misleading. The title was 2009 Prius, but the car shown was the Hybrid X shown in 2007. The Hybrid X is NOT equal to the 2009 Prius. In fact, the 2009 Prius is out now, and is no different than the 2008, 2007, etc. The Hybrid X is also NOT equal to the 2010 Prius. We will see what Toyota has done with that in a few months. We -may- have already seen the 2010 being tested in disguised form (and pictures posted here). -It- is certainly NOT anything like the Hybrid X.

 

We'll have to see the interior and exterior dimension compare to the current Prius. I thought Insight II is going to be smaller than Prius because it is based on the Fit platform.

 

We have no information on the acceleration and emission yet. Will 0-60mph still be 12.5 seconds like the Civic hybrid? Will it be SULEV-II? What will be standard equipments?

We still need a lot more data points to gauge against the current Gen Prius.

 

I'd be thrilled if it handles like the Fit, which can out-slalom a lot of sports sedans and cars, including the Corvette.

 

The HI-II is a bit quicker than the HCH-II mainly due to the fact that it is smaller and lighter. Because of this the FE is slightly better than the HCH-II in combined rating. Also, the power plant is the same (gen 5 IMA, but more like gen 4.1) so no surprises there.

In terms of emissions it matches the HCH-II (Tier2-Bin2 and AT-PZEV).

Cheers;

MSantos

 

The HI-II measurements (converted to inches from metric):
Length: 172.1 inches
Width: 66.8 in. inches
Height: 56 inches

Roughly 4-5 inches shorter than the HCH-II and also with a 2 inch smaller track.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

From the initial pics here it does seem significantly smaller inside than the Prius. It's essentially a Fit hybrid with a much much nicer interior.

At the price point I think it will sell like mad. Excellent fuel economy, good utility ( better than the Civic ), modern look and interior, however compared to the Prius it will not match the Gen2 and certainly not the Gen3 in fuel economy, it will not be as roomy inside, it will not be as fast as the Gen2 nor the Gen3 Prius. Also as noted NO SKS!

I've been saying for several weeks now that there is no magical wand that Honda has. The vehicle is priced at $19000. It has a $1500 hybrid option. Thus it's actually a $17500 gasser 5 door hatchback. That in fact is exactly what the Fit is.

The two vehicles will appeal to two different demographic groups. Certain buyers currently in luxury and semi-luxury vehicles looking to get better fuel economy may appreciate the Insight but they won't buy it. They will ( are ) buy(ing) the Prius. OTOH for a certain younger demographic that may not be able or willing to pay $25000+ for a vehicle with excellent fuel economy the Insight is right down the middle of the plate.

Both should do very well. Congrats to Honda for expanding the market spectrum for hybrids.

 

Can we make the Insight II front any uglier?

I mean with that big opening appearing like the grin of Uncle Joey's third cousin Fred, you know, the one that's not too bright..... Well I'm sure you get what I am saying. There is a market for ugly. Some will buy it.

Didn't someone on TV say, "if the money is right, you can make people drink blue paint."

 

Ugly grill & bumper

 

I actually love that Front end, (and I typically dislike Honda's designs).

As far as it being less expensive then the Prius, lets wait and see what the market dictates. It is only cheaper if the dealers sell it at MSRP. If the Honda Dealers have a lot of demand and start selling them above the MSRP and then Toyota Dealers with less demand start selling Prius under MSRP they may end up the same price or with the Prius even being a tad cheaper.

 

I cant wait until April of next year to look at both the Insight and the re-designed Prius. No matter what I will be buying one of those for my wife. I have owned Hondas for a long time mostly Accords. Prior to my 2008 Prius my last Accord had 440K miles on it before I gave it to my son. He has since put another 20K on it and it is still running great. Because of my job I drive about 30K per year so I needed a car with much better MPG. My Prius I purchased last Oct. and it has 31K on it already. Rumor is that the Insight will get about 60 MPG. Hopefully it will get at least the same or better than the Prius with a much lower price.

 

Honda says the CO2 emissions and fuel economy are targeted to be similar to the existing Civic Hybrid and thats the result of two decades of HEV R&D...

Paris 2008: Live shots of the new Honda Insight... at last! - AutoblogGreen

 

Does that mean HI-II will not have an electric AC?

From what I have gathered, HI-II in comparison to the current gen Prius:
- Will be smaller
- Not as quick in 0-60, especially in merging 30-50 and highway passing 50-70
- Less combined MPG (highway MPG may beat Prius)
- Less standard equipment
- No electric AC (gas engine will be on when you use the AC)
- No EV mode
- Not plug-in upgradeable
- Cheaper
- Handling is better

Sounds like a Prius for a poor corner craver. Will there be a big market for it? Probably... considering most people are not aware of HSD premium features over IMA and only care about MPG and price.

 

The HCH-II has an electric compressor. Actually, to be more accurate, it has a hybrid scroll compressor that can be driven by either or both of the power sources. The HI-II is expected to inherit this design as it is a critical attribute of the GEN 4 architecture.

Cheers;

MSantos