It's here at last. Honda's new Insight hybrid was built for the sole purpose of taking on the Toyota Prius and while it's not technically in the same class of vehicle, being somewhat smaller than a Prius and therefore only a compact car, Toyota sees the car as a credible threat and has slashed Prius prices to meet the challenge.
So the question remains, can this all-new model compete with Toyota's third-generation Prius? Let's take a look.
With an MSRP of $19,800 ($23,900 CDN) the Insight is the cheapest hybrid on the market. It was supposed to be drastically less than a new Prius, but with Toyota cutting prices as well the difference is now just $2,200.
And with the styling of the two cars being almost identical, it's hard to judge either vehicle on its visual appeal. Besides, if you're looking at a car like this you probably already like the futuristic look of aerodynamic efficiency. It's actually growing on us, although sometimes and from some angles the Insight can still look dorky. We really love the Clear Sky Blue Metallic paint though.
With those factors out of the way, we're left to judge the car on its remaining categories: comfort, functionality and fuel economy.
Unfortunately for Honda, the "fun-to-drive" factor (a strong hand for every one of the company's cars) really isn't of much concern here.
More:
2010 Honda Insight on AutoGuide.com
2010 Honda Insight Review
