Source: Chicago Tribune
Publication date: May 17, 2009
Honda offered the first hybrid in the U.S., the Insight, which bowed in December 1999.
A 1-liter, 3-cylinder, 67-horsepower gas engine and a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack powered the bullet-shaped, look-at-me gas/electric that shouted reduced reliance on foreign oil.
It was followed by a 2003 hybrid Civic and a 2005 hybrid Accord. Insight disappeared to let those normal-looking sedans win converts, though Accord later dropped the battery.
Insight is back for 2010, arriving in showrooms now. It soon will have competition from the next-generation 2010 Toyota Prius, the hybrid sales leader.
The 2010 Insight looks strikingly similar to Prius, though the former is a compact, the latter a midsize. There's the same sharply sloped hood and split-glass hatchlid to reduce aerodynamic drag. Insight sports the front end of its hydrogen-fuel-cell sibling, the FCX Clarity.
Insight is offered in base LX and uplevel EX, the version tested. The original had two seats; the new one two rows of seats for up to five, though after four it's a squeeze. The cargo hold is adequate though not generous unless rear seatbacks are folded to make room for luggage, skis or golf clubs.
But the point is the amount of gas saved. The 1.3-liter, 98-h.p. 4-cylinder and nickel-metal-hydride battery pack with a continuously variable automatic transmission is rated at 40 mpg city/43 mpg highway and more than 400-mile range. The smaller original was rated at 61/70.
Insight starts in gas mode to avoid cold-weather problems but switches to batteries once moving and stays there to 25-30 mph with a light foot and a level road. On a 100-mile plus trek along the interstate, we managed 50 mpg, topping the official rating. Insight can keep up with traffic, though to merge, pass or climb with confidence, the battery boost is essential. Insight gauges show when in gas or battery mode or both and when the engine shuts off rather than idles. On one gauge, icons of stems grow leaves as you conserve fuel by being light on the pedal, coasting, etc.; another gives mileage updates.
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