[jeff]

hi guys im new here,
i do not currently own an insight, however i hope to soon. I currently have a 2001 mustang saleen. and am sick and tired of just pouring money into it (just yesterday i found out it was $400 for a new tire). so im selling it and hopfully getting an insight soon after. however ive been reading alot about these cars (must say im envious of you guys), but you talk alot about driving techniques and such. My question is are they sluggish or illpowered, it dosent seem like so, but ive never driven one, i cant find one around here (may be a problem when i go to buy). and another question of mine would be that my commute dosent really have any highway trips, would this defeat the whole purpose. and thanks for this site i think it drove the nail in my decision.
thanks for the help, and i cant wait to join the insight ranks sometime in the near future.

jeff

 

[sunhunter]

All the talk about driving technique is to maximize fuel efficiency. The insight has plenty of power and you can floor it and drive 100 mph all day if you want to. If you drive it this way expect to have mpgs in the 40s. If you drive it like a regular car you should expect mpgs in the 50s. You can really baby it and get much higher efficiency. All this is assuming it is the 5 speed.

 

[HafNHaf]

its no saleen, but its no slouch either. 0-60 in 10.5 is amazing for a car that can get 60mpg with normal driving. its quick in the lower gears. a lot of people use 1st and 2nd to get to their cruising speed, and then drop it into 5th. if you need to punch it from a cruising gear, you WILL be dropping down a gear or two. or you can sit and wait. its still only a 1 liter engine.

all in all, its a blast to drive. and it turns heads too! and the gas savings will pay for the car, in my case

andy g.

 

[figgy]

Do not look at the 0-60, but instead look at the form factor. To me the key is that they are fun because they are tiny and zippy in their tiny-ness - even if not under 5 seconds for 0-60.

I dropped my 4.7 sec car for an Insight and am happier, more relaxed, and driving without stress.

I am still fighting to get the turbo kit in Edwin working correctly, but when the kits are finally ready for production, you will be able to add a turbo which actually benefits mpg and gives you more pep in the same fun car.

Make sure you test and get the 5-speed.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

<snip>

and another question of mine would be that my commute dosent really have any highway trips, would this defeat the whole purpose.

jeff

With 100% "city" driving you won't be seeing the hyper MPG range you read about in here. Expect upper 40's to low 50's. Low 40's if your commute is less than 5 miles.

Which is _still_ MUCH better than anything else on the road under the same conditions.

And while a CVT (automatic) versions MPG will be slightly lower in the city. You may be happier with it vs. all the shifting in a 5 spd. and their easier to find. :idea:

HTH!

 

[figgy]

If things are good, I can get 80s mpg in around town driving. If things are bad, I get in the 60s or 50s if really bad. It will depend upon your stop and go flow and where your hills are etc. etc.

If is it cold and snowy, and you have 3-5 mile trips you'll be killed - of courrse.

Remember that if you get 'bad' mpg in the Insight, then you would get 'bad' in any other car, which would just be worse.

If all you ever drive is short trips around town, then the Toyota might beat you!

 

[lakedude]

Someone mentioned the CVT version as an option. Personally I'm not a fan of the CVT Insight for 2 main reasons. Reason one is that I've heard of some trouble with the CVT once the mileage gets up there. Reason two is that the mileage you get with a CVT is not that much better compaired to the Prius or Civic hybrid cars. The Prius and Civic are both much bigger and nicer cars. Neither the Prius or Civic can touch the mileage of an Insight with a manual transmission, but I'm beating a lot of CVT based Insights with my MT HCH and I'm driving a nicer car that cost less as well.

If you want maximum mileage you can't beat a MT Insight! (in the US anyways)

 

[Big D Insightman]

Jeff what area of the country do you live in.? Someone may know were there is one for sale. I was doubtful when I bought my CRX HF in 1988 with only 62hp and it turned out to be fine. The Insight feels faster than it was probally because of the motor that kind of throws the car away from a stop. A electric motor develops the most torque right when it starts turning and then it starts dropping after that. The 1.0L gas engine is as expected very low on torgue down low but only gets better after that. This is why the two work so well together. By the way I had a Camaro before the CRX and I wouldn't go back to that kind of gas hog vehicle if you paid me to.

 

[james]

"The Prius and Civic are both much bigger and nicer cars..."

Bit of a contradiction there. Smaller is nicer! I've decided that what I really want is an Insight drivetrain stuffed into one of the Smart roadsters they have here. (Which aren't the standard taller-than-long Smart ForTwo, but a little sports car about the size of the old A-H Sprite.)

But back on topic: The 5-spd Insight is pretty zippy, but not a muscle car. Rather like the classic British sports car, in fact. You can keep up with (or go faster than) traffic, but you have to learn a few new habits. For instance, doing 65 up hills in 3rd.

I don't believe the 100 mph all day, though, not unless you've got a real good tailwind. Mine cruises ok at 85 or a bit over, but much more and the assist starts kicking in, and you can only do that so long...

 

[sunhunter]

If you keep your speed above 90 mph in 5th gear the vtec is opened up allowing more power from the engine so no, you don't really need to use assist very much.

 

[james]

Well, I tried it - Las Vegas to Reno, lots of open road & few traffic cops. 85 or so was fine, much over 90 and the assist would keep kicking in. Of course that was right after I bought it, so it had tires at 30 psi or so, and an unfamiliar driver. Maybe I could do better now, but I haven't had any desire to go back to Vegas

 

[jeff]

thinking of insight

i live in sarasota florida (near tampa) so hills really are not a problem, unless you count speed bumps. ive looked around and saw that one was for sale in tampa, but really no more than that. there all mt also, which really isnt a problem. and as a wierd coinsidence i saw one just the other day in person for the first time, and a couple cars behind a prius also. i was considering the prius but after seeing the two beside eachother. the insight is much cooler looking and aparently gets better mpg. and yes i dont think ill ever go back to the gas guzzlers of the past. there just not fun. and thanks for the tips i think im sold on the insight. but i just got to sell the idea to my family.

 

[Willie Williford]

Insighters

Read all the posts and you will see that "jackmpg" lives in Venice. Give him a PM and I'm sure he'll sell you on buying an Insight. I lived in Sarasota from 50 to 58 (senior 59), attended the high school when the Tamiama (sp) trailway was a two lane road.
Place of residence was "Bee Ridge".
Go see Jack, then I'm sure you will buy one.

 

[Madeline]

I'd go for the manual if you want acceleration. I have a CVT, and when I'm cruising down the highway at 65 and slam the gas pedal to the floor, there are seconds on end where I'm thinking, "Any time now..." I'm guessing the MT would better allow you to really step on it when you have the sudden need for speed.

The CVT seems to have a sort of exponential acceleration, so for the first few half-seconds nothing much happens and then finally the small nothings add on top of each other to make something, and the car takes off. I think of it as a "touring" vehicle; not so much for acceleration, but able to maintain any speed you like once you're there.

When you're looking for a car, if you want one used, be sure to check Craigslist. And I'd suggest, how about checking out other cities and flying to pick it up? You'd save the cost of the plane ticket in a few months of gas, and you could maybe spend some time in a neat city, too.

If you want one new, find a dealer who's willing to tell you where every Insight in your state is. They all have that information--where the cars are, what color, when they came into America, how long they've been sitting on the lot unsold... They use it to trade cars from one dealer to the next.

 

[ericbecky]

A nice feature of the MT is the ability to immediately downshift whenever quick acceleration is needed. I've even had to "light up" the tires for a friend just to prove it was possible. I hope you get a chance to try one out on your normal route to prove to yourself that it has more than enough acceleration for normal driving conditions.

 

[lakedude]

"The Prius and Civic are both much bigger and nicer cars..."

Bit of a contradiction there. Smaller is nicer! I've decided that what I really want is an Insight drivetrain stuffed into one of the Smart roadsters they have here. (Which aren't the standard taller-than-long Smart ForTwo, but a little sports car about the size of the old A-H Sprite.)

Different strokes, I guess. I don't see a contradiction as I didn't equate bigger with nicer. No one could argue that the Prius and Civic are not bigger so that half of the discussion taken care of. The only point to argue is if the Civic and Prius are "nicer". Clearly I think that they are, but that is a matter of taste, especially if you like equate "smaller" with "nicer".

 

[gonnamissit]

jeff,

I owned an insight for 4 years and my commute was 5.1 miles each way. It was not heavy city driving (only 6 traffic lights) but the first mile (to work) was a 30 deg uphill.

My LMPG for the 4 years was 64.3. Best trip to work was 82.5 and best from work was 98.2 driving like a granny. On a regular basis I drove at or just below the speed limit shifting into 5th at 41MPH. I would get between 59MPG (oxigenated fuel in winter) and 71MPG (Summer). I always put premium gas since I only re-fueled every 5-6 weeks!

 

[Cosworth]

5speed Insight can scoot pretty fast in normal traffic. But, if you keep at it all the time, your mileage will be pretty low (~40mpg).

It's a fun car to drive for what it is. It's too bad that you can't get performance shocks & springs on these cars. I hate the way the body rolls on tight corners.