[tennisjunkie]

I am new to this forum..but have been considering buying a new insight and need some advice. Manual or Automatic? which would get better MPG? I am looking at keeping the costs down..nothing fancy? Air conditioning is a must? Buying advice? Live in Indianapolis? Mainly highway driving to and from work..30 miles each way..I am open to any advice..thanks Dennis

 

[Dougie]

Well, the 5-speed gets better mileage, but the CVT puts out less pollution. The only option on the 5-speed is A/C, which comes standard with the CVT. It seems to be easier to find the CVT version. If you don't care about color, and are willing to travel to pick up the car, it's not too hard to find one. If you get particular then you'll probably have to order it, and delivery seems to be taking over three months.

It's worth looking at the Civic, too.

 

[masscommuter]

Interrestingly, Civic Hybrid '06 is not available with manual.

I drive a manual Insight -
it's hard to adapt from coasting to deceleration in gear,
i.e. - battery recharging probably gets done better by CVT.

To compensate, I accelerate more slowly to not drain battery as fast.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Hi tennisjunkie and welcome to the forum.

In addition to the other good replies a CVT by design will better manage the IMA batteries SoC (State of Charge). And in theory provide a longer battery service life. YMMV

I drive a manual Insight -
it's hard to adapt from coasting to deceleration in gear,

If your not coasting in gear with a 5 spd your:

1) Wasting fuel. The injectors are turned off on decel and no throttle.
2) Missing regen opportunities.

 

[masscommuter]

Right -
But the point is that driving a stick-shift hybrid is different, and takes extra effort.
( The poster was looking for advice on choices )

In a Jetta, I save gas by shifting to neutral for slowdowns.
It's the opposite in an Insight.
And, regen has extra behavior - adds load, and disengages around 15 mph.

I definitely prefer stick shift in the Insight -
but I can understand why some recent-year hybrids droppped manual and
ship only with CVT.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Depending on the year model of your Jetta (and AFAIK it would also have to be MPI) there should also be a fuel-cut mode on decel. 0 fuel used vs an idle amount.

Given the other inefficiencies of 99% of all sub Insight cars I doubt you'd see an MPG difference, but its there :!: And using the same technique will keep you on top of your "game" when swithcing back to the Insight.

HTH!

 

[masscommuter]

Nope - in the Insight, I need to decelerate and brake *in gear* --no coasting --
to charge the IMA battery.

Maybe some of us just drive "highway miles" on the flat, but not me.

Keeping up the battery charge meter requires
- Careful acceleration to minimize ASSIST meter
( rolling hills can bring down SOC )
- Careful de-celration to re-charge IMA batt with regen

 

[Insightful Trekker]

You've got the Insight technique down pat. I live in the Appalachain mountian chain too.

:?

Re-read my post. I was referring to your Jetta which may have the same fuel cut mode when decelerating in gear (braking or not). But without regenerative braking the Jetta will not see the bigger MPG difference that the Insight is capeable of.

 

[kari]

tennisjunkie, I got the 2006 manual insight primarily b/c I wanted a small manual transmission hybrid (the insight is the only manual hybrid car currently available). and I like being able to tell people that I bought the most efficient hybrid!

It was so hard to find a car that I took the first manual transmission insight that turned up, which had AC, no questions asked. I haven't had an opportunity to drive it in the summer, so I don't know how AC will affect gas mileage. I am not used to an AC car so I hopefully won't be using it much.

the manual insight does not qualify for the 2006 tax credit, so you might want to see how much tax credit you'd get for the CVT and figure out if that will influence your decision.

I got mine by calling lots of dealers and telling them what I wanted (manual insight, silver preferably but no red) and then harassing one until they came through with the car. I wouldn't recommend this method (it was a stressful, and a giant pain), but I did find one within 1 month. It helped that I told them I HAD to buy it by the end of 2005 b/c I wanted to get the old tax deduction.

reasons to get an insight and not a hybrid civic for me were: no manual transmission in civic, and extremely long wait time for the civic. it was easier to get an insight. YMMV, of course.

 

[tennisjunkie]

Advice on purchasing a 2006 Insight

Thanks for all the replies..still undecided on manual or CVT..but a few other basic questions: Is there room for another person in the back seat?
The last one I saw only had basically room for storage..? How does the insight handle in windy conditions? Thanks in advance..

 

[devin1955]

Re: Advice on purchasing a 2006 Insight

Is there room for another person in the back seat?

There is no back seat.

The last one I saw only had basically room for storage..? How does the insight handle in windy conditions? Thanks in advance..

Really good. The tight suspension and aerodynamic shape makes the Insight the most pleasant car I've ever driven on a windy day.

 

[Valiant118]

Bear in mind, the Insight is a very small car by US standards, one of the smallest on the road. It is strictly a 2 seater with limited, mostly unsecured storage. (There is a small cubby bin in the rear with the capacity of a small cooler.) If you need to haul more than one passenger, or routinely carry a lot of stuff around with you, this isn't your car.

Also, be prepared for a purchase hassle with most Honda dealers. Thei is a very limited production vehicle and it seems like a lot of the dealers just dont; want to be bothered with selling them. Most will try to shift you to a Civic Hybrid. If they will order one for you, expect a 2 - 6 month wait, and to pay sticker or more for it. Honda allocates these on soem kind of ad hoc basis, apparenlty as favors to the dealers. Dealers in turn demand a premium. The cars hold a bit of a premium on the used market. FWIW, I finally gave up on the dealers and found a nice used '04 on Ebay last Fall. $18k for a clean CVT.

 

[Cap'n Ron]

I bought my '06 Insight 4 weeks ago tomorrow for MSRP...no haggling really...They didn't even try to sell me accessories. I've e-mailed the sales guy a few times since then and he implied that mine was the last one going out the door at MSRP...and they'd be tacking on a $2-3K premium on future '06 Insights...

In four weeks I've saved the planet 65.4 gallons of gas over driving the car in the garage! Does that ever get old?

Cap'n. . .

 

[tennisjunkie]

Car Insurance costs for an Insight 06 model

What is an estimate of car insurance rates for the Insight? :?:

 

[b1shmu63]

No Cap'n, it just gets better!

I checked insurance rates before buying mine and found them similar to a Civic. Your experience may be different. Shop around!

 

[tennisjunkie]

Extended Warranty?

Is it worth purchasing an extended warranty for the insight? I will blow by 36000 in no time? Appreciate any advice..Thanks

 

[merigayle]

Re: Car Insurance costs for an Insight 06 model

What is an estimate of car insurance rates for the Insight? :?:

Insurance rates vary widely from town to town. We moved 5 miles down the road and our insurance dropped, that is a question better asked to an insurance broker.

 

[Fred]

[the manual insight does not qualify for the 2006 tax credit, so you might want to see how much tax credit you'd get for the CVT and figure out if that will influence your decision.

Kari;

Regarding the 2006 Federal Tax Credit, are you sure of that?

Also, if I may ask, I live in NE Pennsylvania and you're not all that far from me ... by chance did you purchase your Insight from a Pennsylvania dealer?

Fred

 

[jimb517]

get the CVT if...

I'm very pleased with my CVT. I drive carefully and slowly and am able to get around 60 mpg round trip on my commute. My lifetime MPG is 56.6 after 10,000 miles.

If you have to drive in heavy traffic with lots of stop and go, well, the CVT makes it easy.

If you have long trips with light to moderate traffic the 5 speed you can get better MPG, probably 75+ pretty easily.

I had a 5 speed before and my clutch foot used to burn so bad in the heavy southern CA traffic. Very happy with the CVT. Having the AC is nice, I usually only turn it on, on steep downhills on very hot days or else it takes away about 5 MPG.

I did purchase the extended warranty (120,000 miles) plus this package came with prepaid service at the dealer every 3500 miles and clearcoat + stain protection inside for about $3000. Its nice to pull into the Honda Care facility and just hand over a sticker for your oil changes.

I ordered Honda floor mats and also the Honda mat for the cargo bed. Very nice quality. I put my own Hawaian print seat covers on.

My friend is a Honda mechanic and he told me to change the CVT fluid 3 times as often as Honda says. He said the CVT is very expensive and keep the fluid like new at all times. Use ONLY Honda fluid. His words to me were "an Insight is a car for someone who likes gadgets".

 

[Fred]

Re: Car Insurance costs for an Insight 06 model

About that mandated auto insurance ...

In Pennsylvania auto insurance rates vary by ZIP CODE.

Something to take into account/think about if you're planning to move within the "Commonwealth".

What is an estimate of car insurance rates for the Insight? :?:

Insurance rates vary widely from town to town. We moved 5 miles down the road and our insurance dropped, that is a question better asked to an insurance broker.