Getting fooled by the new Insight

the insight has cool gauges that all

 

I read a few reviews for the Insight and all have had combined mpg rating in the upper 40's and some hitting 50. I think the EPA ratings are keeping it's sales down. Do you think Toyota paid off the EPA to keep Prius buyers from going to the dark side ? I think until the 2010 Prius 1 comes out the Insight will sell very well.

 

I saw one on the road last week but it was near a Honda dealership so I assumed it was a test drive but I did not see a window sticker. The blue color is really sharp.

 

Not a chance, the Insight testing should have been done by Honda's own people.

It is easy enough to beat EPA ratings with just a bit of hypermiling practice. The ECO button (similar to the new Prius) and the video game (similar to the new Fusion hybrid) help the drivers who previously didn't know what it really takes to get good fuel economy. These tools cannot be used during the EPA test cycle, which have been increasingly geared towards imitating the average leadfoot.

 

The EPA of 41 on the Insight is under estimated. The EPA only tests in the standard mode. Eco button was not pushed which WILL push it over 50 easily.

 

Neither the front nor the rear have anything in common with Prius. The headlights are long & narrow. The lights in back are red triangles.

So if you ignore the obviously similarity in side profile, it's very easy to see the difference.
.

 

New !
Poll on CNET!
Best hybrid: Prius or Insight | The Car Tech blog - CNET Reviews

 

I saw two insights in San Francisco last week. A blue one and a black one. They do look pretty nice. The EPA ratings is probably holding back its sales, when I first learned of the insight's mpg, I didn't think it was that impressive since it has a lower mpg rating than the civic hybrid, which has been out for years.

 

I checked out the new Insight at a honda showroom before I ordered my new Prius. I'll tell you one thing......sit in the back seat of the Insight with its cramped legroom and it makes my 2004 Prius feel like a limo by comparison!

 

I can definitely second that! The Prius2 rear head room is nothing to boast either, but trying to squeeze in the rear seat of the new Insight is like begging for a neck cramp!

As for looks, I think the new Insight looks awesome! (in certain colors) But I would never buy one because:
-> rear seat is cramped! Can't fit baby and mom back there. Maybe if I were 20yrs old and single... not for everybody.
-> road/wind/engine noise is no better than first gen Insight, not good at all.
-> The engine rev doesn't feel right, like it has a stall to it. I don't like that.

I've read the Insight Central forum and people are reporting 50's in MPG easy. The EPA rating is deceiving. I wonder if Honda's tactic was to set the expectation low and hope customers make a lot of noise when they surpass it.

 

I took an Insight for a spin around the block before deciding on the Prius. I noticed that the ICE came on in and engaged in the Insight if you barely eased up on the brake pedal at a stop, causing the car to lurch forward a bit. Very noticeable and annoying. Why wouldn't the electric motor inch the car forward? I also had trouble seeing the instrument panel over/under/through the steering wheel, even after adjusting it.

OTOH, it had nice turn signals on left & right external mirrors

 

Agree - I noticed the very same during my test drive. As for the nice mirror signals - agree there as well. But everything between the mirrors... Prius shines.

 

Unlike the full hybrid in the Prius, in the mild hybrid system used by Honda, the ICE starts as soon as you lift your foot off the brake. It is the same in the Civic Hybrid.