Consumer Reports Review - August 2009 issue

[b1shmu63]

Some reports tell you more about the reviewer than the car!

CR published a negative review of the original Insight. When I read it years ago I had trouble believing that they had even seen an Insight. After 7 years I still love my 2002 Insight.

[OuttaSight]

Yeah, I thought the I2 was generally very quiet except when revving the nuts off it during the test drive to see how it would handle 40-60 overtakes. All the fixtures and fittings were quiet too (no annoying squeaks or rattles from anywhere). But other cars might be quieter (I haven't driven any other modern cars) and my 13 year old Accord isn't a model citizen, being as it had a modified intake and exhaust and if I bip the throttle in a multi-storey car park I can set off a few car alarms

Perhaps the noise of a throaty 2.2 engine on song is one of the things I'm gonna miss with my new green-machine. I hardly used the radio in my Accord as I loved listening to the engine

A car show in the UK (Top Gear) tested a Prius against a BMW M3 and they both posted about 20 mpg on the race track, only the Prius was going flat out and the M3 was just cruising behind it. Difference is that the Prius does 50+ mpg on the congested streets of London and the M3 still does 20 mpg.

An I2 may well fare worse on a track as it's only recovering 50% of the accelerating power in regeneration and spending the straights recharging the batteries too. If I ever go back to the Nurburgring, I'll let you know what mileage I get

If the I2 can really get as much as 38 mpg in a race with a M3, the I2 would win an endurance race on pit stops!

I thought the handling of my I2 test car was pretty good. It didn't roll in the bends and didn't nose-dive under heavy braking (unlike my Accord before I upgraded it's original boat suspension). It also was pretty good on rough badly maintained country roads, not being too soft or too hard and jiggly. I couldn't really test its grip levels on bends much as the salesman came with me and was already giving me odd looks at times and I wasn't even trying that hard to find its limits.

I played with the Eco controls the other half of the test and still managed to average 60 mpg in the test (better than any of the previous test drivers, so my training on squeezing up to 40mpg out of my Accord must really pay dividends on an I2).

[bish79]

Originally Posted by b1shmu63

Some reports tell you more about the reviewer than the car!

Very true.

I read a review about the Insight II that was the nastiest review I have yet to see about any car. He went on about how the CVT was worthless and the "top speed" was like 40 mph, the handling sucked, etc. etc. etc.

Only a few years back I read a glowing review from the same guy who felt that the S2000 was quite possibly the greatest car ever made.

Guess what, I have BOTH and I love them both. I just recognize that the two cars have their different strengths and weaknesses and know what to expect from each. Once you do that you realize how great the I2 really is.

[RICHCPA]

Not sure how CR panned the Insight 2. I only drive short trips under 10 miles with the AC on and I easily get 43-44 mpg. The car is very quiet and the handling is fine. Yes, rear set access is limited and the interior may have excessive use of hard plastics and rear visibility can be obscured, but, for the price (EX) around 23k and the looks, give me a break. While I do not agree with CR, I am concerned that their review will actually hurt the resale value of the car. I originally paid MSRP for the I2 and I rationalized it away by thinking that the resale value will always stay high.

[Sluday]

Originally Posted by RICHCPA

Not sure how CR panned the Insight 2. I only drive short trips under 10 miles with the AC on and I easily get 43-44 mpg. The car is very quiet and the handling is fine. Yes, rear set access is limited and the interior may have excessive use of hard plastics and rear visibility can be obscured, but, for the price (EX) around 23k and the looks, give me a break. While I do not agree with CR, I am concerned that their review will actually hurt the resale value of the car. I originally paid MSRP for the I2 and I rationalized it away by thinking that the resale value will always stay high.

Consumer Reports should stick toaster and waffle makers reviews. I could not care less about rear seat access. If the car was a two door or a two seater I still would have bought it. As far as retail value goes, car reviews do nothing to affect that. People forget car reviews 5 minutes after they come out. On the other hand, the repair and problem area charts may help or hurt your resale value but the Civic Hybrid has proven it's reliability so no fear there.

[bish79]

You know I watched motorweek this weekend and found another example of media bias against the Insight...

They were doing the comparison between the new Insight and the new Prius. On their real world side-by-side MPG tests the Insight got over 44 and the Prius got 46.X. So you get real world numbers of only 2 MPG better with the Prius??? What about the 9 MPG advantage it has in the EPA estimates?? Anyways, they concluded that the Insight was a much better value due to its cost, it handled better, it looked better, the MPG difference was minimal, the instrument layout was far superior, but they gave the win to the new Prius because it was "more refined." Seriously? I guess its easy to say something like that when you aren't actually spending your money on it. (Or Toyota is paying you off)

[SR45]

My opinion only about this "more refined." comment by Motorweek....

Toyota had a lot of years with the first few generations of their Prius's to get it finally refined, and so will Honda next time around with the next full make over. But the Prius is a not a sub-compact car anymore, but the Insight is and should be compared with other sub-compacts not the III generation of toyota's prius.

As far as being more refined....

Some issues reported with the new 2010 Prius links below....

3-day old 2010 Prius already in shop - advice needed - PriusChat Forums

Fix for difficulty seeing red arrows on Energy Monitor Screen in daylight (2010 Prius II)? - PriusChat Forums

Brake problems???? - PriusChat Forums

Prius Deal Breaker - PriusChat Forums

Dash Rattle... already! - PriusChat Forums

Disappointing G3 exterior - PriusChat Forums

Red Background on Multi-info Display - PriusChat Forums

Navigation Package or not? - PriusChat Forums

Radio reception on base model.... - PriusChat Forums

[bish79]

But to say that the Prius wins the comparison over the Insight because it is "more refined" is missing the point of the Insight. IT'S MEANT TO BE AFFORDABLE!!! If you wanted a more refined hybrid you could buy a Civic Hybrid.

I remember just a couple of years ago when I was interested in a Prius. I went to two different Toyota lots and could not find one for less than $26k. I don't want all of the crap that goes with an economy car that makes it $26k!! Thank you Honda for finally building the basic hybrid that I wanted all along.

[BruceClark]

The Consumer Reports review news is starting to appear in other articles:

Consumer Reports Faults Honda Insight for Its Ride, Handling, Noise, and Rear Seat


CR's engineers say Insight's 38 mpg overall fuel economy is one of its few highs

YONKERS, N.Y., June 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The new Honda Insight posted a lackluster "Good" overall road-test score in Consumer Reports' testing for the August issue. The Insight achieved an excellent 38 mpg overall in CR's tests but fell short in ride quality, handling, interior noise, acceleration, rear-seat, access and visibility.

"The Insight is the most disappointing Honda Consumer Reports has tested in a long time," said David Champion, senior director of CR's Auto Test Center. "The Insight is a noisy, stiff-riding car with clumsy handling that is nothing like the Fit on which it is based. Also, Electronic Stability Control is only available on the highline EX version."

In a ratings chart of small hatchbacks and wagons, the Insight was rated 21st out of 22 vehicles, with a road test score of 54 points. It was followed by the Dodge Caliber, which scored 49.

(....and later in the article....)

The Honda Insight seats five and gets excellent fuel economy, but it's a noisy car with a stiff ride and clumsy handling. At its cornering limits, the Insight plows straight ahead early on in tight turns and the tail can slide out too quickly for stability control to completely prevent it. The Insight EX, ($21,790 Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price as tested), is powered by a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine with a 13-hp electric motor combine for 98 hp that delivers 38 mpg overall. The continuously variable transmission performs smoothly. Unlike a full hybrid, the Insight requires the gas engine to turn whenever the car is moving. Braking is Very Good. Cargo space behind the rear seats is adequate.
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CNNmoney.com also picks up the news with an online piece:

Consumer Reports knocks Honda's new hybrid - Jun. 29, 2009

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Honda's new hybrid-only Insight, touted as a low-cost competitor to the Toyota Prius was dealt a major blow Monday after it failed to get a thumbs up from the influential magazine Consumer Reports.

"The Insight is the most disappointing Honda Consumer Reports has tested in a long time," said David Champion, director of the magazine's auto test center.

(later in the article...)

Honda defended its car's performance. "Initial feedback from most customers and automotive media regarding the all-new Honda Insight has been very positive," according to Honda spokesman Chris Naughton. "In fact, the Insight has won several hybrid comparison tests completed independently by automotive media outlets," Naughton said.

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Something just doesn't seem "right" about this. The CNN piece states: "The Prius was redesigned for the 2010 model year and has, again, earned Consumer Reports recommendation."

As far as I know, the 2010 Prius has NOT been reviewed or tested by CR.

[BruceClark]

Meanwhile, back in the real world, reviewers are falling in love with the 2010 Honda Insight!

From today:

Road Test: 2010 Honda Insight hybrid: it is a winner

"I’ve just spent a week with the 2010 Honda Insight, and I’m in love. Not just with the 38mpg fuel economy – okay, it was 37.9 – but with its visibility, handling and a bunch of creature features you don’t expect in a car at this price."

(snip)

"In a week of normal driving around Los Angeles, where I was visiting, the Insight was flawless on highways, with ample acceleration for zooming onto the 405 and the 101. And when traffic allowed, there was plenty of power to cruise at 70mph. It has a super-tight turning radius that allowed me to u-turn even in a private home driveway. And on the city’s famously curvy and hilly Mulholland Drive, the Insight was lively and precise, like it wished it was a sports car. Maybe that’s why the EX model has paddle shifters."

"Let’s repeat this – paddle shifters! A $21,300 hybrid with paddle shifters! And a reason to use them."

(More at link above)