I for one have never really trusted CR; for one thing, they seem not to really test the higher end products like appliances, etc. , perferring the 'middle' ground.......my opinion, of course. I would much prefer reall people relating their experiences, such as on this list.
If they gather data such as repair instances, and NHTSA crash, etc. that is one thing, but autos are and always will be a subjective discussion.
In comparing 2 brand new model year cars, 2010 Insight and 2010 Prius, there can be no data to have, save a few anecdotal stories such as those noted by SR45 in quoting the Prius boards.....
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2010 Insight EX/NAVI Clear Sky Blue Metallic
ex- 2005 Prius Millennium Silver Metallic
pkg#6
ex-2004 Civic Hybrid Opal Silver Blue Metallic 5spd manual
ex- 29 other vehicles
Civic, Auto trans, very short hops 1/2 mile one way ( City only ) then back mostly and a couple 3 mile one way trips to the beach and back, Air off and got 16 / 17 miles to the gallon. Remember, short drives never good for any car when not warmed up.
Insight, same driving distance with air on set to 73 degrees, no Econ Mode and drove just like I did with the Civic, and at the same station and same pump hand calculations and got 30.2 miles per gallon. No hyper mileage driving used, with 90 + florida heat. Not bad in my humble opinion.
What's not to like about speeding around, passing cars on the city streets just to see what this car can deliver driving normally.
Will go on a nice trip later to see what the highway driving does.
100 mile mixed commute, hammer the corners, use Sport in the country, ECON off, use Drive on freeway portion ...route is 1700' down to 55 feet altitude, did not exceed posted limit, but did use 5,000 plus RPM at times, climbed 7% grades, etc.
Worst MPG 41.7 ...........
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2010 Insight EX/NAVI Clear Sky Blue Metallic
ex- 2005 Prius Millennium Silver Metallic
pkg#6
ex-2004 Civic Hybrid Opal Silver Blue Metallic 5spd manual
ex- 29 other vehicles
100 mile mixed commute, hammer the corners, use Sport in the country, ECON off, use Drive on freeway portion ...route is 1700' down to 55 feet altitude, did not exceed posted limit, but did use 5,000 plus RPM at times, climbed 7% grades, etc.
Worst MPG 41.7 ...........
Apparently you're just not as good at "hypo-miling" as CR is.
"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)
This sounds alot more like my experiences with this car... Well except my mileage is much better.
100 mile mixed commute, hammer the corners, use Sport in the country, ECON off, use Drive on freeway portion ...route is 1700' down to 55 feet altitude, did not exceed posted limit, but did use 5,000 plus RPM at times, climbed 7% grades, etc.
Worst MPG 41.7 ...........
We were able to get 38 MPG while on our vacation. Just turn ECON off, hammer it up to 82 MPH, set the cruise, drive up and down 10,000 ft + mountains in Wyoming and Montana, make sure that you have a headwind, turn on the A/C at 72 and wait 4 hours. Seriously, that's the only time I've ever gotten below 40 MPG.
I think it says something about their testing technique when they only return 38 MPG. But hey, if I were expecting a sports car when I bought my Insight I guess I would be disappointed too.
I really have no problem with a reviewer pointing out the shortcomings of the Insight such as how tight the headroom and legroom is in the back seat. At least that is a legitimate and honest complaint.
But to say that the Insight is noisy and that it has clumsy handling is just plain false. It is the quietest car that I have ever owned and for the fact that it is not intended to be a sports car it handles quite well.
I am just absolutely floored by this review and I can't help but think that there was some bias of some sort. I do not know what caused the bias, perhaps they just hate hybrids and they think that everyone who buys them is an elitist or something. I really just can't explain why what was once a well-respected consumer watchdog would blatantly lie about something like that?????
I think I am going to start another thread on this subject to see what actual owners opinions are about the CR findings.
I really have no problem with a reviewer pointing out the shortcomings of the Insight such as how tight the headroom and legroom is in the back seat. At least that is a legitimate and honest complaint.
But to say that the Insight is noisy and that it has clumsy handling...
I'm left completely baffled by CR's review as well. I've never been overly confident in their ability to review cars but I've never seen one so one sided and off base - and I'm not just saying that because I own an Insight.
The only gripe that has basis in truth is the lack of rear seat room. It is snug for adults. For us though it is fine. we have a 4 year old and a second child on the way. The backseat is without a doubt roomy enough for them and will be fine up until they are older and we replace the car. I've sat in back, as has my wife, father and numerous friends and while it isn't a limo it is not in any way uncomfortable. Sure it's not as big as the Prius's rear seat but as has been mentioned multiple times it is in a different segment than the Prius.
I am irritated by CR's clumsy handling, stiff ride, cheap materials, etc. comments but what REALLY p*sses me off is their 38 mpg figure. I don't know what they were doing but that number is so far off it comes across almost lie-like. We are averaging 48 mpg with ours. That number is not all telling in that now that I am putting a small amount of effort into maximizing efficiency I am routinely averaging between 55-60 mpg. I have the econ button on all the time, ac pretty regularly (it's been HOT these last few weeks) and radio on. Reading other reports it seems that even when TRYING to get low mpg in the Insight it is virtually impossible to get below 40 mpg. What was CR doing?!?!
Materials, ride quality and a few other of the complaints that CR had are subjective so they can get at least a bit of a pass (though I personally disagree STRONGLY with them). MPG should be much more concrete. People considering a hybrid often will look at MPG before and over any other quality. The fact that CR reports such falsely low mpg is very damaging to the Insight. Even the EPA figures (which are also proving to be abysmally low) are higher. Again, what was CR doing?!?!
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