I drove the Prius for the first time. There are some pros and cons comparing to my Insight after the drive. So I am going to share to you.
Pros:
1. The Synergy Hybrid Drive is more advance. I think it's the main reason Prius remain the number 1 selling hybrid on the market. The car can start from rest powered all by electricity. There's no more "auto-stop". In the stop and go traffic situation, it can "roll" just using the battery. Furthermore, the battery seems larger than the Insight.
2. MPG. With all the training the Insight gave me, I average 54 mpg on a 330 miles drive, a round trip from Miami to Key West. I expect the real world number should be 52 mpg and my Insight could be 42 mpg or so. So the different in MPG around 10 mpg, but you have the advantage to use AC when the Prius is at rest. It doesn't feel stop.
3. Space. The Prius has a little bit more space than the Insight. To me, Prius is more like a average size vehicle and the Insight is like a compact.
4. Sound. The JBL sound system is even better than my already upgraded polk system on my Insight. It has more bass and refined tone.
5. The Display. Looking back at the Insight's Multi Functional Display will feel like I am back to the 90s.
Cons:
1. The Steering Wheel. I miss the 3-spokes-wheel of the Insight. Also the Insight's steering is better than the Prius. Driving the Prius sometime would make you want to sleep...zZZ.
2. The Seats. The seat is uncomfortable comparing to the Insight.
3. Visibility. The rear view mirrors are smaller than the Insight.
4. The Joystick. It is a joke. Just like some function of the Insight. Sometime Hybrids are trying "too hard" to be different. I prefer a Stick transmission.
Conclusion:
- Which one is better? Prius. It's a true hybrid. I think Honda is cutting too much conners to make the Insight prices competitive to the Prius. If they can make a car with identical technology to the Prius and sell the same price, I will prefer Honda, for it's driving feeling.
- Which one should buy? This is a trick question. Does the Synergy Drive worth $4000 more on the prices tag? What is your future plan? Because 5 years down the road, plug-in hybrid is going to kill the hybrid and mild hybrid market. For people who love MPG and the earth, plug-in is the way to go. Lithium-ion will be the main stream battery of the future. Paying $4000 now to get the best hybrid of the day, or save it to buy the best plug-in hybrid of tomorrow.
- Which one is better? Prius. It's a true hybrid. I think Honda is cutting too much conners to make the Insight prices competitive to the Prius. If they can make a car with identical technology to the Prius and sell the same price, I will prefer Honda, for it's driving feeling.
"Better" is such a subjective term.
I for one find Honda's IMA system perfect for the type of driving I do. I've been driving an IMA equipped car since 2002. I travel 100-150 miles on a typical day and most of it is highway so I don't have a lot of stop and go traffic, therefore EV mode doesn't really buy me anything. The auto-stop function is good enough for me.
Also I drive in the NE so I don't need AC all day/everyday. I have no problem averaging 50+ MPG in my Insight and I do even better in my 2003 Civic hybrid.
As for price the 2011 Prius base is $24,289 where the 2011 Insight base is $18,200, a difference of $6,000 not $4,000.
I certainly have no problem with Honda adding a full hybrid to their line, but I for one would be very disappointed if they discontinued their IMA equipped product line.
My main concern is that there are non hybrids out there that are creeping up on the i2s mpg. Kia, Hyundai, Ford and even Chevy just to name a few are making non hybrid cars the same size or larger that gets 40 or more mpg epa.
I think Honda and Toy should work on making a new sub ultra mini compact with all the mpg bells and whistles to launch an ultra mpg car. As is Prius is launching a larger version of the car that gets less mpg.
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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
I hope that Honda will put their new plug-in technology on their compacts too. Lithium-ion, plug-in, plus possible tax credit, who can resist that. As the plug-in technolog matures, there would be little room for mild hybrid. Because MPG lovers would go for the best milage car, hence, plug-in or fully electronic. The cost savers might look for high mpg regular car. Auto-stop is just a transition for company couldn't make a technological well equipped hybrid with competitive price. It's not that Insight is a bad car, but Prius is more advance and comes with a higher price.
My main concern is that there are non hybrids out there that are creeping up on the i2s mpg. Kia, Hyundai, Ford and even Chevy just to name a few are making non hybrid cars the same size or larger that gets 40 or more mpg epa.
Informed buyers will know the 40mpg of those cars are highway numbers. In city they're stuck with 30mpg at best.
Quote:
Originally Posted by way2hand
I hope that Honda will put their new plug-in technology on their compacts too. Lithium-ion, plug-in, plus possible tax credit, who can resist that. As the plug-in technolog matures, there would be little room for mild hybrid. Because MPG lovers would go for the best milage car, hence, plug-in or fully electronic. The cost savers might look for high mpg regular car. Auto-stop is just a transition for company couldn't make a technological well equipped hybrid with competitive price. It's not that Insight is a bad car, but Prius is more advance and comes with a higher price.
2012 civic hybrid will use li-ion battery for slightly increased mpg. Tax credits are not something Honda can decide, unfortunately, they can only price the car as competitvely as possible. I believe the next generation of fit hybrid will be full hybrid.
"The tax credit for new plug-in electric vehicles is worth $2,500 plus $417 for each kilowatt-hour of battery capacity over 5 kwh, and the portion of the credit determined by battery capacity cannot exceed $5,000. Therefore, the total amount of the credit allowed for a new PEV is $7,500"
I believe when car makers make a plug-in targeted to US market, they will consider this incentive to price their cars. They can sell more at the price that generates them a decent profit while customers can embrace the new technology at a lower price. The government can ends our oil dependence and jump starts green renewable energy industry at home. 40 MPG will be consider low in 5-10 years from now.
On the other hand, if you're considering what the resale value of a hybrid will be in 5-10 years, both cars will be worth well under $10 grand. If gas prices are as high - or even much higher - in 5-10 years, our used hybrids will be looking a lot better than used cars that get much worse mileage.
no full hybrid pushes only the price; i hope Hondo remain in mild Hybrid but with new and bigger battery and the 1,5ltr engine from the CR-Z+plug inn and voila´.
that mustn´t be such expensive because the ne akku´s come in vivic 2012 and the engine is always there....only thing is to make it plug in.
for the cvt i think many people did´nt like that at all or would´nt give it a chance....so Honda should change this to a modern 6 or 7 stage automatic like the Koreans do in their new KIA Optima Hybrid next year which uses similar Hybrid system as Honda....otherwise I see Honda´s Hybrid no more competitive....except the price does a lot, hope so because moneysystem is going worse the next years and cash wil be not available for more and more buyers; even in Europe.....except the Greeks
Last edited by hessebauer; 06-03-2011 at 02:07 AM.
I hate the steering wheel of the Insight. I just can't get a comfortable grip on it, especially for long commutes/drives. It's too slippery to really get a grip on, and the spoke shape is kind of awkward to rest my thumbs on. I usually just end up putting my arms through the area above the two side spokes and just resting my hands near the instrument cluster, which is admittedly dangerous in case I get into an accident and the airbags deploy!
Maybe I should get one of those steering wheel covers, but that would look hideous and would probably slide around.
As much as I wanted to like the Prius when we looked at them, it drove to much like a scaled down Avalon. Even though the Insight is slightly slower, it “feels” more nimble around down, almost like a Go-cart. I love the seats in my Insight, they are almost like Recaros. The seats in the Prius are like two bags of flour.
IMO it’s not fair to compare the two cars as they are really in two different categories, the Prius being a mid-sized car and the Insight an obvious compact. The Insight really competes with cars like the Kia Rio, Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris. It’s safer to say that the Insight really is a Hybrid Fit for all intensive purposes, it’s by coincidence that the shape of the Prius and I2 are similar. The HCH is more of a rival to the Prius III overall in terms of size and pricing, ride & driving dynamics. If Honda really wanted to go toe to toe with Toyota they should have just made a five door HCH and called the CR-Z the new Insight.
__________________ 2010 Honda Insight Ex-Nav, Spectrum Pearl White w/ dark blue interiorOE Mud-Guards, Trunk Tray, All-Weather Mats, Aftermarket Full Clear-Bra, Door Edge Guards and Bumper cover.
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Prius III Vs. Insight II
