Why the Insight as opposed to the other hybrids?
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I applaud any new hybrid vehicle - with just three (Insight, Civic, Prius) we need more!
I'm a Honda guy, having had a 1974 Civic and two CRX's previously. The Insight is even more reliable than my past Hondas. After 68,000 miles, I have only replaced tires and the 12-volt battery.
The fuel economy is also the best. If I needed a family car, I'd have to buy a Prius or Civic.
The acceleration is above average for most vehicles I encounter. Certainly not a sports car, but enough keep ahead of the 5-liter + boys wanting to "prove" their manhood.
I'm a Honda guy, having had a 1974 Civic and two CRX's previously. The Insight is even more reliable than my past Hondas. After 68,000 miles, I have only replaced tires and the 12-volt battery.
The fuel economy is also the best. If I needed a family car, I'd have to buy a Prius or Civic.
The acceleration is above average for most vehicles I encounter. Certainly not a sports car, but enough keep ahead of the 5-liter + boys wanting to "prove" their manhood.
I'm a Honda-Guy myself and as I read the very first articles on a "3-Liter-Auto" (Eco-Car) from Honda in late 1998, it HAD to be mine.
At that time VW was starting to bring out the Lupo 3L which I test drove as soon as it arrived in the show-rooms. It WAS economical, but NOT sporty or comfortable in ANY WAY (NO air-con or power steering on early cars!).
So I waited for the Insight. It arrived at my dealer in late May 2000 and was standing in the show room. I felt something then....I just couldn't leave it. (The dealer is around 65 miles away from my home). I went there every following Saturday to tell them that I want it registered, for a test-drive. On the day of registration they phoned me to pick a day for a drive. I went there, took it for a spin, and somehow I couldn't hold back a grin on my face. "And?" the Dealer asked...."How much ?" was my answer.
I bought the car there and then. I paid 35,000 DM.
Afterwards the dealer got ANOTHER Insight delivered, also in silver. The ONLY Dealership in Germany that sold 2 !!
The Prius was no choice because I wanted something REALLY economical, and the Prius arrived late 2000 on these shores.
The Prius II btw ISN'T being sold at our (BIG) local Toyota dealer, simply because they can't give rebates on the sticker price !
I've only seen ONE PriusII since it's been sold over here (May/June 2004) and they can't even give out vehicles to test drive ! :roll:
At that time VW was starting to bring out the Lupo 3L which I test drove as soon as it arrived in the show-rooms. It WAS economical, but NOT sporty or comfortable in ANY WAY (NO air-con or power steering on early cars!).
So I waited for the Insight. It arrived at my dealer in late May 2000 and was standing in the show room. I felt something then....I just couldn't leave it. (The dealer is around 65 miles away from my home). I went there every following Saturday to tell them that I want it registered, for a test-drive. On the day of registration they phoned me to pick a day for a drive. I went there, took it for a spin, and somehow I couldn't hold back a grin on my face. "And?" the Dealer asked...."How much ?" was my answer.
I bought the car there and then. I paid 35,000 DM.
Afterwards the dealer got ANOTHER Insight delivered, also in silver. The ONLY Dealership in Germany that sold 2 !!
The Prius was no choice because I wanted something REALLY economical, and the Prius arrived late 2000 on these shores.
The Prius II btw ISN'T being sold at our (BIG) local Toyota dealer, simply because they can't give rebates on the sticker price !
I've only seen ONE PriusII since it's been sold over here (May/June 2004) and they can't even give out vehicles to test drive ! :roll:
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Easy choice for me. The Prius/Civic is horridly boring. You can't tell the hybrid Civic from a normal Civic (ugh), the old Prius looks like an Echo, and the new one looks like a mini Aztek.
The Insight is actually engineered, unlike the other hybrids which are mearly assembled.
The Insight is unrustable. It will last nearly forever, even in the salt-filled Canadian winters.
The Insight is the sportscar of hybrids. Light, nimble, quick, 5-speed, two seats, etc.
Oh, and it happens to get twice the mileage of any other hybrid out there as well.
The Insight is actually engineered, unlike the other hybrids which are mearly assembled.
The Insight is unrustable. It will last nearly forever, even in the salt-filled Canadian winters.
The Insight is the sportscar of hybrids. Light, nimble, quick, 5-speed, two seats, etc.
Oh, and it happens to get twice the mileage of any other hybrid out there as well.
I don't blame any of you all for loving your Insights but Aaron you have gone too far!
This may be true of the Civic but the Prius2 is nothing short of remarkable. True the Insight MT is a no compromise "pure" effort but its enginneering is no better than the Toyota. In fact the Toyota drivetrain is far better when compairing automatic to automatic. The Insight CVT's time is past IMO.
No it does not! I've got a new 2005 Civic Hybrid and right now the display says 57.5mpg after 200 miles. Are you getting 115mpg out of your Insight?
I sat in the Civic, even though it looked boring as hell. The visibility out the rear was ****. I didn't bother to testdrive it.
The Prius I I've been a passenger in; it has the speedometer in the center of the dash so that everyone in the car can see how fast you're driving and bitch at you. Thank you, no.
I went by to try out a Prius II. The guy at the dealership said that every one coming for the next two months anywhere in the Bay Area was already sold, and they couldn't keep one around for test drives. I'm not going to buy a car I can't test drive.
So it was a pretty easy choice...
I was leaning towards the Insight anyway, since I was drawn towards owning the car with the best fuel efficiency in America. And it really does look cool; and I don't need to carry more than two people. And I would love to have a tiny car that would be easier to park in the city. And I liked the rear bucket for stashing stuff out of sight, and the hatchback space for transporting stuff... It was as close as I could get to a hybrid station wagon.
After I got it I was happy with the aluminum body and the incredibly low air drag--bugs don't splat, they vanish past the car in the slipstream!
The Prius I I've been a passenger in; it has the speedometer in the center of the dash so that everyone in the car can see how fast you're driving and bitch at you. Thank you, no.
I went by to try out a Prius II. The guy at the dealership said that every one coming for the next two months anywhere in the Bay Area was already sold, and they couldn't keep one around for test drives. I'm not going to buy a car I can't test drive.
So it was a pretty easy choice...
I was leaning towards the Insight anyway, since I was drawn towards owning the car with the best fuel efficiency in America. And it really does look cool; and I don't need to carry more than two people. And I would love to have a tiny car that would be easier to park in the city. And I liked the rear bucket for stashing stuff out of sight, and the hatchback space for transporting stuff... It was as close as I could get to a hybrid station wagon.
After I got it I was happy with the aluminum body and the incredibly low air drag--bugs don't splat, they vanish past the car in the slipstream!
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For me the Insight was closer to the Honda Civic hatchback that I asked about when we walked onto the lot in 2000. Toyota Prius was too much like a Corolla for me... I was uncomfortable with the seating, unimpressed by the mileage, and wanted the hatchback.
I have no loyalties to any car brand, I always go for the top, in this case it was a no-brainer, nothing comes even close to the Insight, there is no other car sold in the US that is capable of delivering over 100 mpg, (yes I've achieved that 11 times so far)
My next vehicle will be a hybrid, again, I'll be looking for the top, it will be driven mostly by my wife, a lot of city driving, it will have to have room for at least four, she does not like the Prius, (I have taken her 3 times to drive it, she still does not like it, (I do) it may take some convincing, we'll be test driving the AH, RX400H, and the EH when they come out, by the end of the year, we should know which one we'll be buying. :roll:
My next vehicle will be a hybrid, again, I'll be looking for the top, it will be driven mostly by my wife, a lot of city driving, it will have to have room for at least four, she does not like the Prius, (I have taken her 3 times to drive it, she still does not like it, (I do) it may take some convincing, we'll be test driving the AH, RX400H, and the EH when they come out, by the end of the year, we should know which one we'll be buying. :roll:
1. Aluminum body
2. Superb fuel efficiency
3. Sleek styling
4. Comfortable seats
5. Honda quality
6. Sports car handling
7. Rarity
There is no other comparable car out there. late at night when I?m gliding back from town averaging better than 70 MPG and there?s not another soul on the road, I imagine that I have been transported into the future 15 or 20 years and it makes me smile!
2. Superb fuel efficiency
3. Sleek styling
4. Comfortable seats
5. Honda quality
6. Sports car handling
7. Rarity
There is no other comparable car out there. late at night when I?m gliding back from town averaging better than 70 MPG and there?s not another soul on the road, I imagine that I have been transported into the future 15 or 20 years and it makes me smile!
Me...
I've decided since it was announced that my next car would be a hybrid, because like Holicow, I wanted to tread lightly.
Didn't even think about it this year 'cept my father wanted to get rid of his car, and my Celica seemed like the perfect choice for a used one. I _almost_ sold it to him, but after digging through the used markets decided not to.
Then my car came on the market--less than 20,000 miles, good certification warranty (important to me since it was a hybrid), close by. I did a lot of homework, both on the Insight and the value of my Celica.
My first car was a Honda (probably will always either have Hondas or Toyotas) and I could count the number of times I had rear passengers in my Celica on one hand. It can carry a bicycle and a roof rack was available.
I was able to make a deal, otherwise it would have happened next year or the year after that.
I briefly considered getting a new Prius II, but they're stickered $30,000 or more here. Hatchbacks are so convenient that I really didn't consider a used Prius I.
I've decided since it was announced that my next car would be a hybrid, because like Holicow, I wanted to tread lightly.
Didn't even think about it this year 'cept my father wanted to get rid of his car, and my Celica seemed like the perfect choice for a used one. I _almost_ sold it to him, but after digging through the used markets decided not to.
Then my car came on the market--less than 20,000 miles, good certification warranty (important to me since it was a hybrid), close by. I did a lot of homework, both on the Insight and the value of my Celica.
My first car was a Honda (probably will always either have Hondas or Toyotas) and I could count the number of times I had rear passengers in my Celica on one hand. It can carry a bicycle and a roof rack was available.
I was able to make a deal, otherwise it would have happened next year or the year after that.
I briefly considered getting a new Prius II, but they're stickered $30,000 or more here. Hatchbacks are so convenient that I really didn't consider a used Prius I.
It seems like all of you like your Insight and had good reasons for choosing it. Here is another question for you...do any of your have your Insight in a state that has lots of snow? How do it get along with the rear wheels partially covered up? Any issues?
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891 Posts
Previous snow threads:feautos said:
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=66
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=543
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=612
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=874
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=1294
http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... php?t=2066
To sum up, you should be fine on plowed roads. Driving through deep enough standing snow could damage the plastic underbody covers.
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1,291 Posts
That's a good point. I forgot about how over-engineered the Prius II is. I can't describe the drivetrain as anything better then "conveluted". The Honda system is elegant and efficient in it's simplicity. And while the complexity of the Toyota drivetrain allows an "EV only mode" (very cool, just give it a bigger battery pack and a plug in option), it is far from an elegant solution. And it seems to be limited in it's efficiency as well (unless it is actually the shape and weight of the rest of the car that is the limit). And of coure, the Prius drivetrain does not allow for a manual transmission, which instantly strikes it off my list. I will never buy an automatic/CVT.lakedude said:
Not quite 115MPG, but I often get over 100MPG on my 120 mile drive between London an Toronto.
No problems whatsoever. The thin tires seem to cut right throught he snow, and 12+ inches doesn't seem to be a problem. I have high-centered the car on a snow bank before, but that's because I was being an idiot. Never had any issues with the wheel skirts clogging up, though slush an heavy chunks of ice can be an issue for the underbody tray. The only problem with constantly driving through several inches of snow that I have found is that I was only getting 50MPG.
> The Honda system is elegant and efficient in it's simplicity.
There are no gears or shifting. It is permanently engaged. The power-carriers simply rotate.
So I suppose that doesn't qualify as elegant, since it doesn't qualify as an actual transmission. That entire elimination does "complicate" matters.
There are no gears or shifting. It is permanently engaged. The power-carriers simply rotate.
So I suppose that doesn't qualify as elegant, since it doesn't qualify as an actual transmission. That entire elimination does "complicate" matters.
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