Still outshined by the Honda Insight !!

Yes, the Insights unquestionably get better mileage, they're just not as practical: only two seats, no trunk to speak of, and no high-tech gagetry like the Prius.

I have a friend with an Insight who says he's never had to get anything but an oil change, and hasn't even had to change his brake pads because of the regenerative braking.

 

Dave, as a MPG machine the 5 speed Insight has no equal in a production car. But if you want to beat the Insight find some heavily congested urban (in the city) streets and you can take the prize. But don't tell Wayne Gerdes or the other guys at the Insight Marathon, I don't want to find an Insight outside my front door during my morning commute.

Wayne

 

Delta Flyer makes an occasional appearance here. He's an Insight driver. Maybe he'll see this and respond. Otherwise, he's very active on both CleanMPG and GreenHybrid (as well as other Insight drivers).

 

RangerDavid, The Honda 2 seater hybrid can't pulse and glide like a Prius . . . that, among other goodies is the beauty of the prius ... which unlike the Insight, is still in production, with many more to come. As for 70mpg?



I spit on his 70mpg

This is actually my ongong best tank so far ... less than 90 miles to do 700 on ONE TANK ! ! !

 

We test drove the Insight right after it came out. It was pitifully underpowered and noisy. I will only compromise so far to get good mileage, but for those who are happy with their Insights, more power to them.

 

Insight is over half a ton lighter than Prius. The extra energy has to come out from somewhere to move the extra 1,000 lbs around.

If we take your 56 mpg and his 70 mpg, Prius HSD moves 52 lbs (2890/56) per mpg while the Insight IMA moves 27 lbs (1887/70) per mpg.

You are clearly doing better than him, pound for pound.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hill @ Jun 9 2007, 09:14 PM) [snapback]458945[/snapback]</div>

Yesterday an Insight got 78mpg to win the rally. When parked next to the Prius it's smaller size is obvious. As a two person commuter it is tough to beat but that changes once a pile of stuff needs to be transported. If it's any consolation, the other Insight brought up the rear.

 

It was my friend's Insight which led me to the Prius. I'm not much for cars low to the ground, and his Insight rides very harshly. However, the Insight was truly the pioneer in the modern hybrid industry and deserves it's place in history. PS he very much likes his Insight, but when we go for drives in the country we always take my Prius, and he likes driving it tremendously. Oh, and since I 'just drive it' I get around 49MPG and when he drives my Prius he consistently gets around 52 MPG. Same car, 2 drivers, 2 results. I find this amazing.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hill @ Jun 9 2007, 09:14 PM) [snapback]458945[/snapback]</div>

Not in the same way as a Prius but with FAS or a injector kill switch it sure can. The Insight marathon used pulse and glide to get over 1500 miles on a tank.

Wayne

 

Add a little perpective too... for fairness:

The basic Insight technology saw its first light in 1999.
The current Prius II platform appeared in 2004 (roughly 5 years later).

A more appropriate comparison of the underlying technologies and FE potential would have to be made with its contemporary competitor, the Prius I.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

I used to own a Honda Insight before I got my Prius. It was a CVT Insight and still got better mileage than the Prius. But you have to remember the Insight is a much lighter vehicle and only carries two people. I like my Prius much better as it is more normal looking and it uses regular tires. The U.S. version of the Insight doesn't have a NAV option. Also the Insight aluminum body dents easier and is harder to repair.

 

Last summer, I took a 40-mile round trip from I470 and I70 leaving Denver west to Idaho Springs and back - a little over 70mpg on my 2000 5-speed Insight. Was pleased that I could go the speed limit (unlike the 1988 CRX HF[essentially a non-hybrid Insight] I had - maxed at 50mph ) Still, it was not easy in this extreme mountain country - a gain of 1,500 feet overlooks the constant acents and decents. So the answer is mountains can be done, but it's going to be more work.

If a Prius is like a Mac, then an Insight is like a Linux computer. I look forward to getting more time in a Prius this summer. Again, the Insight is like a Linux in that extra discretionary power can help or hurt you. Specifically, it's using a manual transmission in a hybrid in the hands of the careless can deep drain the hybrid pack and shorten it's life. It's caused by those with a heavy foot that upshift too much too soon - approching the lugging zone. The solution is don't treat the Insight like a sports car - that's not what it was intended for.

Clearly the Prius is more marketable than the Insight, but it could benefit from it in a couple of ways. First, make the Prius lighter with materials less expensive than aluminum - advances are being made in high strength steel and carbon fibre. The other things is put more instrumentation in the dashboard - it seems they are doing that with the Camry hybrid.

I don't know what Honda will do next, and the Insight is a hard act to follow in fuel economy, so last week I ordered a MIMA kit - a manual override so the driver can control the Assist/Charging. (www.99mpg.com) Other users of this generally get 20% more fuel economy.