Who dives an I2 in the mountains? Reason I ask is our I2 spends 99% of it's driving on flat surfaces, and I am reasonably happy with it's performance/ mpg's etc...
I had to pick my wife up one time in an area that required me to climb a steep grade on the freeway, roughly a mile long. The performance under this condition was drasticlly dissaponting. I was struggling to maintain the posted limit where my Gas 2008 Chevy 2500 HD w/ 6.0L V8 easily does 75-80 withought breaking a sweat.
Only reason I bring that comparison up is I have had Prius's 2nd gen & 3rd gen's pass me going up that hill in my truck as if they wern't struggling. My wife and I took a family trip this past weekend in the mountains, and she made a comments "I don't think our Insight would be able to make it up here" I got to thinking why not? as I saw countless Prius cars.
Sorry for being all over the board, but I'm wondering how your I2's do when travelling through steep grades and such. My experience was as soon as I hit a grade the car instantly went into asst, then quickly used up about 50% of the battery and did a forced regen. When this happend it felt like I was towing a 3K lb boat up the hill with me.
I live in Las Vegas and 99%+ of my driving is relatively level. I've drove to Utah once through some pretty good mountains. Like you, it was a little weak at first went into assist and pigged down the rest of the climb. I stayed in the right lane with the 18 wheelers and let the V8s cars and trucks pass me, no big deal.
I don't consider this a problem. It's the cost of doing business. I knew that I was buying a low powered car when I bought it. I knew there would be advantages and disadvantages. If I drive that route again, I have confidence that I will conquer the hill...in time. I don't really care what the 2008 gas Chevys or the Prius cars are doing. Those cars also have advantages and disadvantages.
I live in Las Vegas and 99%+ of my driving is relatively level. I've drove to Utah once through some pretty good mountains. Like you, it was a little weak at first went into assist and pigged down the rest of the climb. I stayed in the right lane with the 18 wheelers and let the V8s cars and trucks pass me, no big deal.
I don't consider this a problem. It's the cost of doing business. I knew that I was buying a low powered car when I bought it. I knew there would be advantages and disadvantages. If I drive that route again, I have confidence that I will conquer the hill...in time. I don't really care what the 2008 gas Chevys or the Prius cars are doing. Those cars also have advantages and disadvantages.
I'm not comparing this car to my truck, it a work truck anyway. And your right about the cost of doing business (I get that) I was just wondering if the car can handle a weekend trip in the mountains, say 70 miles of pulling grades and such or will the Hybrid system or motor end up getting over worked and something just fails or puts the car in limp mode? Like I said I love the car and it works great for what we need it to do. I just want to know If we decided to take a trip with it can it handle it. Or will I be on the far side of the road with all the big rigs and 1970's VW buses.
I could be wrong but someone said when pulling a steep grade it's better to turn the econ off and or use the paddle shifters. Does this hold any truth or improve pulling power? Or cancel out the forced regen process when you hit a hill? Sorry I've had the car a month and my wife drives it 95% of the time, I've only driven the car 3-4 times so I'm not entirely familiar yet with the dynamics.
I don't live in the mountains, but I have some pretty big hills to drive up. The car is pretty sluggish until you give it some serious gas.
I kind of expect it from such a small motor with low torque.
On a similar note. This car does come with cruise control. I would think long trips using cruise control would really hurt gas mileage. Wouldn't the cruise control constantly be increasing the accelarator to maintain speed, in-turn decreasing mileage? Anyone have any experience with this?
My experience was as soon as I hit a grade the car instantly went into asst, then quickly used up about 50% of the battery and did a forced regen.
True. We could really use a bigger battery in the I2.
But things are not that bad after all. It is a small engine car with a small battery pack consuming (overall) small amounts of gasoline.
I seldomly check the battery-gasoline display in the MID but keep my eye on the instant fuel consumption. This latter i try to keep where i want it.
We have nothing but mountains around here...
As powerless as the Insight is, it shouldn't be the only car on the road having issues climbing inclines. Many V4 gasoline cars are slightly heavier than I2 and their engine+auto transmission+torque converter isn't as efficient, so their slight hp advantage can be minimal.
As long as I'm not the slowest car on the road I'm happy
I'm not comparing this car to my truck, it a work truck anyway. And your right about the cost of doing business (I get that) I was just wondering if the car can handle a weekend trip in the mountains, say 70 miles of pulling grades and such or will the Hybrid system or motor end up getting over worked and something just fails or puts the car in limp mode? Like I said I love the car and it works great for what we need it to do. I just want to know If we decided to take a trip with it can it handle it. Or will I be on the far side of the road with all the big rigs and 1970's VW buses.
Actually, you were comparing it to your truck. You have a small 1.3 liter engine to get you where you need to go. The battery is limited assist and will need to be recharged if drained. I think you know this. There are no magic bullets.
The car will make it up any regular road. How you manage the power, how much you baby or abuse the engine is entirely up to you. If you're smart, you will be in the right lane with the big rigs and VW busses while climbing hills.
I am a new owner of a 2010 Insight EX w/Navi. I have only had it 2 weeks today. Most of my driving is flat or very mild grades; however, there is a mountain that I have to drive over occasionally. I checked my battery right before I hit the bottom of the mountain, and it was around 90%. I started up the mountain, and my I2 started to regen almost immediately. I checked the battery again, and it looked more like 55-60%. I had two people with me, and I was a little disappointed by the performance. I was hoping it would give me a good boost at the bottom of the mountain.
Now with that said, I really love this car! I have been getting about 47 MPG since I purchase it. I have almost 1,000 miles on it, and I am very happy so far. Just thought it was odd that I did not get much boost on the mountain. Also, I did not even think about turning Econ off. I just leave it on all the time, but I will remember to do this next time.
BTW, I really like this forum. Spent hours reading all of the great comments and advice everyone has contributed. It defiantly helped me make up my mind to buy the Insight. Thanks to all!
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How does your car do when climbing a steep grade?
