Buy a 2010 EX w/low miles or spring for a 2012?

[insightfulone]

I'm with Cobb about the heat reducing MPG on a 2010. The auto stop only lasts 15-20 seconds if the heat is on, even if the heat temp is close to the outside temp. It also dramatically increases the time it takes to warm-up to the point where auto-stop will engage, and reduces the fuel cut off on downhill when the engine hasn't warmed up. My scan gauge actually showed the engine temperature dropping from 150F to 138F if the heat is turned on during engine warm-up when it is around 20F outside.

[Undutchable]

Originally Posted by SilvrHwk

....Now that I have the 2010 Insight, can someone please educate me on how or why I should use the paddle shifters?

TIA!

The shifters can be used in 2 modes:
- With the stick in 'D' you can use the shifters to temporarily shift up or down (there are 7 "gears"), for example when you need more acceleration power. After ticking the shifter, the gear number will be displayed. After a few seconds the transmission will return to normal mode and the gear number will disappear. I find this mode not very useful.

- With the stick in 'S', the gear will remain in the position you selected with the shifter (a small 'm' will show up above the gear number) unless you exceed the max RPM, when the tranmission will change gears for you. This mode is useful, for example, when you are driving in the mountains as you don't want to hold the brakes all the way when descending. When you pull both the up and down shifter simultaneously (hold for a short time), the transmission will enter "L" mode (shows on the dash instead of the gear number). My son especially likes this mode as it resembles the race games he has on his xbox and he can drive high RPM. I can share with you that this is not very good for fuel efficiency

[SilvrHwk]

Thank you, Undutchable. That was very helpful! Looks like I may not be using those paddle shifters after all, unless there is a mountain pass in my future.

[Diana]

Alright well, I'm an Insight owner now!

The shift paddles kind of get in the way for me. I never use them either. Driving stick was a tedious enough experience for me while getting my driver's licence (manual transmission is mandatory in Europe) and paddle shifting reminds me too much of video game controllers

It's best not to think too much about gears when learning to drive this car. As a new hybrid owner I'm still adjusting to the car's behavior while cruising... my MPG is averaging 50 already but I know I can do better! And I told myself I wouldn't be thinking that way, but what can you do? This car is changing everything about my driving!

[proneizm]

Here's another one: there's a black 2010 EX w/NAV, 31K miles for $15k near my home at a lexus dealer (just dropped $1k in price) and a new '12 EX w/out NAV for $22755,
Polished metal metallic. I realize that the '12 is more refined, but is it worth $8k more? Note: the '12 has been on the lot for a while and the salesperson offered to 'work some deals'. Wuddya think??


Sent from my iPhone using Autoguide.com Free App

[SilvrHwk]

Originally Posted by Diana

Alright well, I'm an Insight owner now!

The shift paddles kind of get in the way for me. I never use them either. Driving stick was a tedious enough experience for me while getting my driver's licence (manual transmission is mandatory in Europe) and paddle shifting reminds me too much of video game controllers

It's best not to think too much about gears when learning to drive this car. As a new hybrid owner I'm still adjusting to the car's behavior while cruising... my MPG is averaging 50 already but I know I can do better! And I told myself I wouldn't be thinking that way, but what can you do? This car is changing everything about my driving!

Congratulations, Diana! I hope you enjoy your new Insight as much as I am enjoying mine (just got it last Sunday). I am rather jealous that you have a manual transmission, as that is what I learned on (and prefer). Please let us know if you get better mileage over the CVT transmission. I am learning all I can about driving my Insight too. Hopefully I can improve past 52 mpg.

Happy driving!

[Diana]

Originally Posted by SilvrHwk

Congratulations, Diana! I hope you enjoy your new Insight as much as I am enjoying mine (just got it last Sunday). I am rather jealous that you have a manual transmission, as that is what I learned on (and prefer). Please let us know if you get better mileage over the CVT transmission. I am learning all I can about driving my Insight too. Hopefully I can improve past 52 mpg.

Happy driving!

Oh! No, no, the Insight is Automatic, thank goodness!

Today I drove it a little longer than usual (24 miles) but it was cold and rainy, I really couldn't score any good mpg so I just practiced my efficient driving with smooth accelerations and braking.

One thing I noticed is the Auto Stop behavior. Maybe because it was sort of cold outside (50 degrees F) the engine would start again after being off for less than 3 seconds at a red light. And my foot was still on the breaks. Not sure if this was the IMA charging the battery (it was 3/4 full) or Auto Stop anticipating for start so that I wouldn't gas too hard... I could never get passed the first Econ level either!

We'll see how this evolves after a month or two...

[Undutchable]

Originally Posted by Diana

...One thing I noticed is the Auto Stop behavior...

There are several situations where the autostop will not kick in or will restart the engine while the break pedal is still engaged. I assume you have the Eco mode activated.

Not kick in:
- engine coolant temperature too low;
- transmission coolant temperature too low;
- transmission in S or L;
- on a slope;
- front window heating is on;
- more than four bars on the blower speed indicator
- low IMA charge.

Restart engine:
- IMA charge getting too low;
- engine coolant temperature getting too low;
- fiddling with the break pedal;
- activating the front window heating;
- climate control starts dehumidifying

Hope this helps.

Btw, my previous car was a HCH and I must conclude that de Civic's autostop system was better than the Insight's.

[Diana]

Originally Posted by Undutchable

There are several situations where the autostop will not kick in or will restart the engine while the break pedal is still engaged. I assume you have the Eco mode activated.

Not kick in:
- engine coolant temperature too low;
- transmission coolant temperature too low;
- transmission in S or L;
- on a slope;
- front window heating is on;
- more than four bars on the blower speed indicator
- low IMA charge.

Restart engine:
- IMA charge getting too low;
- engine coolant temperature getting too low;
- fiddling with the break pedal;
- activating the front window heating;
- climate control starts dehumidifying

Hope this helps.

Btw, my previous car was a HCH and I must conclude that de Civic's autostop system was better than the Insight's.

Thanks so much for this list Undutchable! I'm sure it will come in handy in the future.

Another thing, I hope the slight jerking will dissipate over time? It happened once or twice at slow speeds, I don't remember if I was accelerating or decelerating. I put it on the fact that my Insight is super new and needs to be worn down a little.