Honda Insight Disappoints

See http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...prius-vs-insight-comparison-2.html#post888131 for a bit more info.

 

CR makes it tough on hybrids by categorizing by vehicle size. Further, they don't elevate a car's rating (ie give it bonus points) just because it hits a homerun in a certain area. That can seem slightly unfair to high-mileage cars like the Prius and Insight. We treasure that trait and gladly sacrifice some performance.

I test drove the new Insight on two occasions and found the ride just fine. However, I came to the conclusion that the Prius 2nd gen was a better vehicle. Against the new Prius, Honda has a huge gap to make up.

 

Hmm...I haven't test drove an Insight. My reason for not comparing is that I don't like IMA in comparison to HSD. But that's a long story...

It's too bad for Hybrids in general and Prius consumers specificly if the Insight isn't at least moderately popular. The base price of the 2010 Prius pkg 2 and 3 I think are very good values, and I also think it is in part due to Toyota wanting to stay competitive with the Insight. Even though I'm not a fan of IMA, I'd rather the Insight does well.

It's interesting there does seem to be a wide, wide difference in how the Insight is perceived. I've heard everything from hideously loud, choppy and stiff and almost undriveable, to relatively quiet and "Fun" to drive like a Honda Fit. I almost want a test drive just so I can get a handle on the reality. I don't think I remember an automobile that had such a polarized set of reviews.

 

I test drove the Insight Saturday and have ridden in and driven a Fit. To me they handle and ride almost identically. Of course that makes sense considering the Insight is built on the Fit platform and shares the same suspension.

One thing I did notice is that due to the CVT, the Insight can be loud when accelerating quickly. Instead of the RPM's rising and falling as the car accelerates through the gears, the Insight jumps to 4500 RPM and holds. For people that are not used to a CVT this can be very strange.

 

I, too, test drove an Insight and was pleased with the performance.

However, I was disappointed in the trim level of the Insight compared with the Prius. As I just bought a 2010 Prius, the deciding factor was that for only $1000 more I could buy a car with more style and features. Where is the Smart Key on the Insight? Why isn't satellite radio built into the car instead of an add-on?

Toyota was very smart to cut the base price of the Prius within $1000 of the Insight to be competitive.

In my book, there's no contest!

 

In the month of June Honda posted 2079 Insight sales whereas the Prius (old and new) garnered a rather robust 12,900 units sold, over 6 times more. Honda actually sold 2780 Insights in May.
Honda had been hoping for 100,000 in US sales. At this pace they would only sell 24,000 in a year.


Toyota Prius Sales Outpace Honda Insight 6-Fold - AllCarsElectric.com

 

CR likes plush, as do most Americans. I liked driving the Fit more than my Prius. It's just a matter of personal preference here folks, and to CR's credit they are reasonably clear what they score high or low, so the the consumer knows what can be safely ignored in the review to match personal expectations.

Don't just read the final grade; read the details.

 

I've seen only four Insights at most since march.

Saw my first 2010 Prius in action 6/24. yesterday, saw 2 more!

I have no bad will against Honda, but the Prius is plain and simply going to whup the Insight's butt, really badly over time.

There is just not enough of a price savings on the Insight. And the Pruis is so much more of a roomy, powerful, substantial car.

The Insight is too small except for very petite people in the back seats.

 

I am current Honda owner and have driven an Insight and ridden in a Fit as a passenger. Although I do not feel that the Fit lacks room the seats do not feel comfortable especially for any length of time. The Insight has similar interior and seating material and would probably be uncomfortable for those long trips.

With a 6 hour travel up the coast of California for 4 passengers on a vacation I would definitely pick the Prius over the Insight

My 2 cents.

 

Base $22k Prius has Smart Key, Touch Tracer and tonneau cover over the Insight EX. If you add Navi for the Insight and the tonneau cover, the price difference is only $500.

There is no "after-market" option for Smart Key and the Touch Tracer. You can just add Garmin Nuvi for a few hundred dollars. Prius is a very good value!

Another issue with the Insight is the operating cost. A smaller, less refined, and less powerful car should be cheaper to operate. For example, it is cheaper to own Civic than Accord because Civic is more fuel efficient. This is not the case for the Insight because Prius is more fuel efficient.

It is really a no brainer. I saw the Insight hype from the start and the hype train seems to have ended already. The real hybrid for everyone is the Prius.

 

Wow, that is quite a surprise. I was expecting 4:1 ratio like the Prius vs. HCH. How did the Insight affect the HCH sale? I wonder if Honda actually gained hybrid market share or customers simply bought the Insight instead of HCH.

This dispel the belief that Prius sold like a hot-cake because of it's unique shape. It is what the car can do that matters.

We have one camp saying how ugly Prius is. Then there is another camp saying Prius is selling because of it's look. Both camps did not give the credit where it is due.... Hybrid Synergy Drive plus the hatchback is a mind blowing combination from MPG and utility point of view.

 

It looks like the Insight stole sales from HCH. In June HCH sold only 1,583 (44% drop) but the Prius sale increased by 6%.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. :: American Honda Reports June Sales

 

I was considering the Insight with my wife having last years Hybrid Civic. The ride was good, I wish Honda would have offered choices like leather and built in XM, but add on is ok. I really liked what Honda did with the rear tail light. I was unsure of the new Lithium Ion battery, it is unproven, will it still work in 10 years. Have you ever seen what happens to a lithium ion battery that gets improperly charged. I am sure Honda thought all this out, still the thoughtrs were in the back of my mind, will this new battery hold up? But I was waiting to see this new 2010 Prius. I was getting angry, and going to give up on the 2010 Prius. Toyota seemed to be dragging their feet getting them to dealers. But dealers started getting them. There was a Toyota and Honda Dealer a couple blocks apart. Finally I could compare the two. I think the deal breaker was that the Honda seemed to sit about 6 inches lower to the ground. I hate having to look up at Drive Thru's feeling like I am in a Kiddie car. The Prius roof line was half a foot higher, the Prius had better options and leather. They improved the look, cooler head lights and tail lights. I was also disappointed in the Insights analog display thinking the Civic had a better display, why didn't they do something like the 08 Civic. I did think the padal shifter was cool on the Insight, but I couldn't get past the 6 inch lower roof line and that was when I knew I was sold on the Prius.

 

Don't disagree that the Prius is a better car & value, but I think you're mistaken about the Insight battery.

http://automobiles.honda.com/insight-hybrid/specifications.aspx

 

The Insight also use NiMH chemistry. Please note that not all battery packs are created equal. The Insight uses cylindrical cells that takes up more space and provide less power. Prius has prismatic (rectangular) cells that are more compact in size and lower in internal resistance.

The difference in the result is... Prius can charge/discharge 4x faster than the Insight's HV pack. For re-gen braking, Prius can capture four times more power before friction brake pad need to kick in (wasting energy).

Insight HV pack is rated for 100 Volt @ 50 Amp. Prius pack is rated for 200 Volt @ 100 Amp.

Insight HV Battery Cylindrical Cells (orange and green):



Prius HV Battery Prismatic Cells:




Prius Battery Cell spec: http://www.peve.jp/e/hevjyusi.html

 

Consumer Reports reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. As a subscriber and reader for many years; there writing leaves me shaking my head many times, because their wording does not match the statistics provided or they get way too hung up on performance parameters that are not that big of deal to the average Joe. I read the review of the Insight and wondered what kind of a ruckus it would cause after quite a few positive reviews in other road tests.