2012 LX buying questions

[Mathspiffy]

Hi all,

I went to my local Honda dealership to trade in my 2007 Honda Civic LX Coupe for a 4 door hatchback.

I went in looking specifically for the Fit, but after test driving it, I was not terribly pleased. I test drove the Insight LX and really liked it a lot better.

However, Edmunds mentioned that the air conditioner shuts off when the vehicle stops, which would be a big problem for me since I live in Miami. I am wondering if this is true or if this feature can be shut off.

Also, I can't seem to find out what specifically the ECON button does besides what is on the Honda website, which is fairly vague.

Please let me know if any of you have any suggestions about this vehicle. I really enjoyed driving it and am giving some serious thought to it over the Fit, but I've never owned a hybrid before so suggestions are welcome.

Thanks!

E.

[Cobb]

Welcome aboard.

True the ac or heater for that matter does turn off at stop lights with the econ feature, however you can turn that off. Basically it alters the way the car works in our favor for increasing mpg.

It mutes the gas petal, it turns the engine off at stops, it uses higher ratios for the cvt, if cruse control is used it also lets the speed vary by 5mph vs being dead on.


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[Mathspiffy]

Originally Posted by Cobb

Welcome aboard.

True the ac or heater for that matter does turn off at stop lights with the econ feature, however you can turn that off. Basically it alters the way the car works in our favor for increasing mpg.

It mutes the gas petal, it turns the engine off at stops, it uses higher ratios for the cvt, if cruse control is used it also lets the speed vary by 5mph vs being dead on.


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*sigh of relief*

I really liked this car and was very worried reading Edmunds review with vision of roasting like a turkey in my car come summertime.

Thank you for your prompt reply. Much appreciated.

Is there any information about the difference in fuel economy between the ECON on and ECON off modes?

Are there any quirks or things about this car I should know about before buying?

[Cobb]

There are people here who find use of econ helps there mpg, others find it hurts. For me it hurts my mpg and I use it as a go between sport mode. I typically turn econ on all the time except when traffic gets heavy on the interstate. THen I turn it off and in extreme hot or cold weather.

When I need to take off hard, merge, etc I shift to sport mode.

The hybrid assist isn't always there. The car thinks if you are going to drive inefficiently it will use that extra power to charge the hybrid battery.

Also by the nature of the system it looses track of the charge and will do a reset and you will see the battery is empty, then it slowly fills back up.

The rear window is a great green house, so I would suggest the darkest tint legally for your area. I generally suggest that anyways.

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[Jayemtee]

You should read up on the Honda IMA system. You should define your driving distances and conditions.

The system will use the big battery to assist the engine starting off and getting up to speed and periodically to maintain speed. That battery will need to be recharged by coasting and braking, or it will try to recharge on its own which may or may not be convenient for you. The worst conditions would be stop and go rush hour traffic where you use the battery for acceleration but you never give it chance to recharge. It is aggravated by electrical draws of HVAC and lights. The best condition would be long flat state highways cruising at 55. You are probably somewhere inbetween. If you spend more than 15-20 minutes at a time in rush hour stop and go traffic, you might want to think long and hard about whether you want this system or not.

Otherwise, it is a very cool system. It has lots of interactive features that teach you how to drive it well. You will need to adjust your driving style for slower acceleration and longer coasting to the stop. While that is good for mileage, it is essential for battery management. It is a different kind of car and you should be willing to make the commitment to yourself to adjust to a much less aggressive driving style.

The ECON mode is very good for helping you learn how to be smooth. Many seasoned Insight drivers can get close to the same fuel mileage with ECON or or off. If you are new to the system, you'll get much worse mileage with ECON off. ECON on will smooth out the drive while you learn to go easy with your foot.

You might want to go back and read some past notes on Autostop and see if that meets your needs. And you might want to glance over all the topics and look for interesting notes that might prepare you to make a smart decision.

[zzzptm]

I'm in Dallas, and the AC stopping at lights has happened for me, but it's less likely to happen when the engine is cold or when the climate control system is on.

On the days when survival matters more than economy, I will be leaving the climate control system on and enjoying my life support systems not shutting off.

[gilbertguy]

I have a 2000 Gen 1 Insight, if I have the enviromental controls in Auto the fan turns off during Autostop. But if I manually tell the fan to run, lets say i wanted more air so bump the fan up to setting 2 or 3. In this manual fan setting even during Autostop the fan will keep running unlike if Auto is in full control, is the G2 Insight the same way?

[Cobb]

Exactly. If in auto setting the fan goes off and on with auto stop assuming its not too humid, etc, etc, etc. If you have it in manual mode the engine will stop, but blower will keep on, unless its in defroster, extremely humid, etc, etc, etc.


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