I will still read CR's reviews but I put absolutely no worth in them. Their testing methods are often odd and their findings sometimes defy all logic.
Their "preview" of the 2010 Insight a few months back was not complimentary - of course most of it was pointing out faults with the first generation Insight - a car that the 2010 Insight shares virtually no characteristics with.
I didn't read the whole article but in response to the parts you mention...
"The new Insight seats five and gets excellent fuel economy, but it's a noisy car with a stiff ride and clumsy handling".
--- It's quieter than our 03 CR-V and we find the noise levels to be very low. Other car magazines (ones that don't also review refrigerators and ironing boards) have not complained of interior noise. handling is not clumsy. It's based off the Fit, a car CR loves. It doesn't handle quite as agile as the Fit but it's not far from it. If you want clumsy look no further than the 2010 Prius.
"The aerodynamic roofline impedes access. A hatchback design makes it versatile, but that's one of few saving graces. Reliability is likely to be very good, but it scored too low in our tests for us to recommend it."
--- I can see the complaint for the backseat but the front is just fine.
Other phrases stood out - "steering is imprecise and has a numb spot on center".
---I think just the opposite. I'll be anxious to see what they say about the Prius. We test drove a 2010 Prius II and an Insight EX back to back.The Prius was sloppy, wallowed around curves and had a very floaty suspension. The Insight, I will agree is no NSX, but it is on par with other cars in it's price range and is worlds better than it's true competition from the Prius.
"An ECON mode works by muting the throttle response but made no difference in fuel economy in our tests, where the Insight averaged 38mpg overall."
--- I can't comment on if it makes a difference or not since we always leave it on. I'm not at all sure how they managed a measly 38 mpg. The last few days we have been averaging over 50 mpg in town. Even on a blazingly hot day with the AC blasting we got 48.3 mpg.
"...the center console can rub the driver's right leg."
--I've not noticed this at all.
"Interior plastics are hard to the touch but the pieces fit together well."
--Again, look at the competition. We were very surprised at how cheap the interior materials and fit and finish of the 2010 Prius were. They looked worse than that of the Yaris. The Insight interior shares much of it's feel with the Fit and Civic - both cars that CR complimented.
"...the steering wheel can block the speedometer for some people."
---Perhaps if you used the TILT AND TELESCOPING wheel in conjunction with the seat that can be adjusted FORWARD/BACK and UP/DOWN they could get a comfortable position with a decent view.
We bought an insight EX a little over a week ago and LOVE it. It's nice looking, comfortable, solid feeling, fun to drive and gets much higher mpg than the EPA sticker indicates.
Perhaps that's why real car magazines like Car & Driver and Motor trend choose it over the Prius.
Last edited by The Beard; 06-26-2009 at 05:15 PM.
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