First Impression: Honda Insight

Honda came out with the Honda Insight in 2000.  It was a three door hatchback with two seats and a had a hybrid powertrain.  It was outsold by the Toyota Prius.  Only 17,020 first-generation Insights were sold worldwide.  In 2009, Honda redesigned the Insight to be a five-door hatchback, copying the styling of the Prius.  Even with the remodeling, the Insight is still being outsold by the Prius.

At the December 2010 Houston Cars and Coffee, four first-generation Insights were on displayed in a row that featured Ferraris, a classic Jaguar, and a Tesla Roadster.  What infuriated me was that two of the four Insights had license plates that said "66 MPG" and "99 MPG."  Slow, underpower, common cars should not be on display at Cars and Coffee.  When I first saw the second-generation Insight, I thought "If Honda could not outsell the Prius, then Honda would copy the Prius."  This car looks just like the Prius, just better looking (The Prius is ugly).

Powering the Honda Insight is a 1.3L I-4 and DC brushless electric motor that produce a combine 98 hp and 123 lb-ft Torque.  It is less powerful than the Prius, which has 134 hp and 152 lb-ft of torque. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in 10.3 seconds, which is slower than the Prius.  The top speed is 112 mph, which is higher than the Prius. Prices start at $18,200 for the Insight, which is less expensive than the Prius.   Honda claims that the Insight will get 40 mpg city, 43 mpg highway, and 41 mpg combined, which is worse than the Prius.

The Insight has not been featured in any racing games because it was not designed for racing.  Seven-Eleven had a competition where two teams would race across America in Honda Insights.  Motorweek has reviewed the Insight and it can be found online.  Jeremy Clarkson of Top gear call the Insight "Biblically Terrible." (Article can be found here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article6294116.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1)

Final Thought:  It is slower, less powerful, and less fuel efficient than the Prius.  It is less expensive than the Prius. It was designed to compete with the Prius and is losing.  However, I would take the Insight over the Prius because there are less Insights on the road than the Prius.  Still there is a long list of cars I would have over the Insight.  Overall,  this car is worse overall than the Prius and it just plain sucks.

CarJunkie
Picture taken from Honda's website