I test drove an Insight today. I was curious so I tried it and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. It is comfortable and has very light steering. Perfect for pottering around town. I took it onto the highway for a bit. I never got the impression that I want to get out and push. It felt zippy from the word go. It is smaller inside, but I didn't feel cramped. It's a perfectly lovely car.
I was surprised to find features such as parking radar and auto door locking when you drive off, in this car. When the Insight is in ECON mode you do notice the aircon going off in AUTO STOP mode. This can be annoying when the weather is hot, but then I guess one can just switch to normal mode. Although my Prius' aircon can run without the engine running, it does eat up the battery quickly in hot weather in which case the engine has to come on anyway.
I really like the styling of the Insight. It's a very attractive little car. I'm just curious how long its' going to be around. I get the idea that Honda is looking at an early update to the model considering its' poor sales overseas. I think any comparison of the Insight to the Prius is unfair and the Insight is probably suffering because of it. Standing on its' own, the Insight is a car I would be very happy to own. No problem.
It is puzzling to me too why the I2 hasn't been more popular.
Where do you live? And what year Prius are you comparing it to?
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2001 Insight 5spd - #0160 (233K miles and counting. Needs new shocks, needs new CAT, needs EGR Valve, syncros are gone...but still love it.)
The only thing that bugs me is the bar in the rear window. Bad design.
All other things I can tolerate.
I do enjoy the economy, and when I'm driving it (wife's car) I find myself doing things to get the best score (highest number of trees at the end, when you shutdown the engine, was 4.5).
That means I'm driving like the a$$holes that I like to make fun of when I'm driving my BMW.
Yes, I have to agree that the Prius should not be compared to the Insight and
one point that comes to mind is that the Prius is classified a Mid-size car and
the Insight is a Compact car.
Car reviewers seemed to forget that point when they complained about the
interior room of the insight.
And I believe Honda really shot themselves in the foot by supplying LX models to
car reviewers when the Insight was first released thinking that Price was the most
important issue for new buyers. The 2010 LX models did not have Vehicle Stability
Control or Traction control so when car reviewers took the LX Insight out for a
test drive thay all came back shaking their heads and telling the world that the
Insight handled horribly.
I test drove both models and there really is no comparrision.
The 2010 LX model would not be your choice if your driving style is "spirited" or you have
long highway comutes in windy places.
I guess Honda realized their error because all 2011 Insights now come standard
with Vehicle Stability Control & Traction Control but the LX price is now higher.
Welcome aboard. Wow, you got a demo model with wheel covers and fog lamps? Yeah, econ makes it a bit sluggish. I can get and maintain 90mph, its just the sudden movement from a dead stop and rather or not you got the IMA assist thats the question.
What if any short comings have you experienced from the prius? You got a gen 1 or gen 2 prius model?
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Enginer 4 kilowatt PHEV, 3000k 35 watt fogs, Eco bulb highs, 4300k 35 watt low all w/relay kits, DRLs/Rear Wiper removed&rear interior gutted, Sony HU W/front speakers, Tanabe nf springs, 35% tint all around, all LED lamp replacement, 09 fit progress rear sway bar, OEM block heater, full gril block, KN Filter, Honda vent visiors, group 51 battery, home made balancer/grid charger Best/Worse MPG 96/36
Good to hear from a Prius owner. One quick question though: The most annoying issue of I2, namely, recalibrations; which puts the engine under forced recharge mode even if you're going uphill, does the Prius suffer a similar problem when battery is drained at a time when you need power?
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2001 Insight 5spd - #0160 (233K miles and counting. Needs new shocks, needs new CAT, needs EGR Valve, syncros are gone...but still love it.)
Good to hear from a Prius owner. One quick question though: The most annoying issue of I2, namely, recalibrations; which puts the engine under forced recharge mode even if you're going uphill, does the Prius suffer a similar problem when battery is drained at a time when you need power?
In Cape Town where I work, I have to go up a long uphill against Table Mountain almost immediately after driving out of work. In summer, the air conditioners' motor can drain the battery to almost nothing before I get to the hill. So, when I want to go up the hill the battery is empty, ie no assist. The engine then revs to about 6000rpm+, and starts to recharge the battery and drive the car. So it gets kinda sluggish. Is this what you guys call a "recalibration"? I've never heard that term used before.
The Prius doesn't have a gearbox like the Insight to convert engine RPM to torque. Instead the Prius has two motor/generators. MG1 and MG2. When you get into the battery empty situation, but you still demand power the engine will rev high. The engine will then use the one motor as a generator to feed power to the second motor to increase the available torque. It's like an electric gearbox where the ratio of MG1 and MG2 input and output speeds determine the gear ratio.
To clarify, the air conditioner is driven by a motor from the HV battery. There is no connection to the engine.
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I drove an Insight, and I liked it
