Disappointing MPG in new 2010 Insight

[firsthonda]

You have to be light on the pedal to get good fuel economy with the Insight. Dog it and your MPG will suck.

[mrkcohen]

I think something we have to take into consideration is that with the information we can get from the Insight about driving style and mileage, we're much more aware of our situations that we would have been in other vehicles.

I couldn't agree with this statement more. If all the automakers incorporated some kind of feedback I believe this would be a very cost effective way to achieve potentially enormous fuel savings.

To be honest the feedback doesn't even need to be as fancy as the Insight's ambient meter and multi-screen MID. When I got my 2003 Civic Hybrid coming up on 10 years ago all I had was the instantaneous mileage slider gauge but I quickly realized how important this feedback was to achieving better fuel efficiency. It was what I searched for first in my Insight and I still key on it today.

In my opinion some kind of instantaneous fuel consumption feedback should be standard in all vehicles.

[Willie Williford]

There are a lot of vehicles that have that function now.
I can't remember which ones have it, but if you search for specific brands and models, I'm sure you will find them.
HtH
Willie


The new Ford F-150 with the turboed v6 has it.

[Zwolfe]

A family member with a HEMI equipped Dodge RAM has a instantaneous MPG readout.

Basically, it's just there to make you depressed. 14 MPG is normal, 17 MPG is stellar. Yay.

[mikejbb]

I have a 2006 GMC Safari minivan with instantaneous readout and while I accelerate normally from a stop, I get single digit mpg, as in less than ten, until I let up. So 17 mpg avg is great for that car. I get more than 50 mpg in my insight, even in the winter.

[zzzptm]

I first saw an instantaneous MPG readout in a Mitsubishi mini-SUV that I rented back in 2007 for a 5000-mile Civil War battlefield road trip. Loved the readout, and thought I was cool for keeping things in the mid-20s.

I'm rocking the 40s now, even with short trips mixed in.