Is it just me or is this thing kind of jerky crawling around at low speeds?
One of my other cars is parked about 1/4 mile away (I live in an apartment), so sometimes I lug a couple gallons of water in a bucket and drive it over there so I can do a rinseless wash. However, creeping along in the Insight is pretty damn frustrating. Between the gas engine coming on and off and the CVT seemingly not knowing what to do, it always seems that I get a couple big jerks in the drivetrain which cause water to splash everywhere!
It's also kind of frustrating when trying to parallel park in tight quarters. You back in, then start creeping forward. Then since you are on the brake, the gas engine turns off, then you let off the brake and it turns back on, causing the car to lurch forward again. ARGHHH!!
I have never had a problem doing the same thing in other cars. I guess this is just the price we pay to drive a cutting-edge fuel efficient vehicle! At speed, the drivetrain seems smooth enough, but at low parking lot speeds, it is unacceptable!
It's interesting how 99% of the time, the autostop feature seems to work great, but then that 1% of time can be so annoying! Must be because I'm not used to it.
I never tried putting glass of water / bucket of water in the car to challenge my driving skills "not spilling a drop during drifting" in Initial-D style. But I never had that problem with parallel parking: Once I put into reverse, there's no more auto-stops for me.
The engagement and disengagement of the CVT is definitely an annoyance at low speed. Being a passenger and paying no attention to what was going on I've had my head thrown into the headrest before as the result of it.
You may want to consider selling it.
__________________
2011 Insight EX, 36k+ miles now.
What I do to earn some extra cash for gasoline (or whatever). PM me if wanted!
Disclosure: Affiliate link, note, you may simply do nothing.
The engagement and disengagement of the CVT is definitely an annoyance at low speed. Being a passenger and paying no attention to what was going on I've had my head thrown into the headrest before as the result of it.
I never tried putting glass of water / bucket of water in the car to challenge my driving skills "not spilling a drop during drifting" in Initial-D style. But I never had that problem with parallel parking: Once I put into reverse, there's no more auto-stops for me.
It really depends on how charged the IMA battery is, I think.
That reminds me, once I went to a Mazda test-drive event at FedEx field, and they had this one course that was driving around a Miata with a bowl of ping pong balls on the hood. The goal was to drive around the course as fast as possible while losing as few ping pong balls as possible.
Having the two gallons of water in a bucket really reminds me how violent some of these lurches are (which would otherwise really not be noticed that much, or have been gotten used to).
I guess this is just the price we pay to drive a cutting-edge fuel efficient vehicle! At speed, the drivetrain seems smooth enough, but at low parking lot speeds, it is unacceptable!
I have the same issue when pulling into the driveway. I want to get far enough in that I'm off the sidewalk, but I also want to avoid hitting the other car in the driveway.
For these situations turning Econ off and putting the climate control in auto with the temp at either max should minimize the lurching.
The price we pay indeed; but for 50+ MPG it's well worth it....
The AutoGuide.com network consists of the largest network of enthusiast-owned enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
AutoGuide.com provides the latest car reviews, auto show coverage, new car prices, and automotive news. The AutoGuide network operates more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share opinions as a community.
Dang IMA drivetrain!
