2010 Honda Insight

Joseph · Jan 11, 2009

ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight, 63.4 mpg! - AutoblogGreen

ABG was very enthusiastic about the new Insight. They found it very fun to drive.

2010 Honda Insight Full Test and Video.*

Edmunds was more conservative, judging the car well only on a practical level. They did say though that the car's braking system didn't have any of the awkward feel in other hybrids.

2010 Honda Insight - First Drive - Motor Trend

Motor Trend seemed to enjoy the car, somewhere between ABG and Edmunds. They perfered it over the Prius that they compared it to.

MPG is a bit odd...Honda expects mpg to be 40/43 (screaming mediocore) However, the "real world" results are quite different. ABG got 44, I believe, driving enthusiastically on hills and all. They got 50 something driving normally. Edmunds also got 50 something driving normally also.

The car puts our far less hp than its Civic hybrid sibling (they removed the high-hp mode from the variable valves), yet it also performs better speed-wise.

Oddly, the electric motor has LESS horsepower. They said that the battery is more powerful, but the voltage has dropped from 144 volts to around 100. I'm guessing they mean power per cell, not total power. Total power must've dropped because otherwise the electric motor output would've improved.

The really good news is the price. Honda is aiming to be the cheapest hybrid on the market. Maybe new Insight will top the new Prius in terms of overall value. But who knows what Toyota has got up their sleeve...we'll see tommorow when the next-gen Prius is revealed.

Here are the specs:

Honda Media Newsroom Release: 2010 Honda Insight Specifications and Features

A couple interesting pics:

ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight - AutoblogGreen

That's the odd "eco-dash" they made.

This pic had no url, so I pasted it. It's the new, more compact battery pack.

And a pic of the motor/engine:

ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight - AutoblogGreen

doug · Jan 11, 2009

2010 Honda Insight: First Drive - Jalopnik

Looks pretty functional. Now if they'd only add a plug.

Joseph · Jan 19, 2009

2010 Honda Insight vs. 2009 Toyota Prius Comparison Test and Video on Inside Line.*

Insight wins against current Prius!

With the improvements of the next-gen Prius, I imagine it'll really just come down to a draw. At which point, the customer will choose between the tradeoffs: value vs. mpg, sportiness vs. comfort etc. etc.

dpeilow · May 17, 2009

Jeremy Clarkson Honda Insight 1.3 IMA SE Hybrid review | Driving - Times Online

It’s terrible. Biblically terrible. Possibly the worst new car money can buy. It’s the first car I’ve ever considered crashing into a tree, on purpose, so I didn’t have to drive it any more.

From the comments:

The wife was thinking of replacing her soft roader with this car but I think you have save the day. Thanks. Also I don't fall for the global warming hype to raise taxes.
Dave Collins, London, uk

AnOutsider · May 17, 2009

Wow, what a 180. I thought it'd get good reviews. In any case, I love that dash

doug · May 17, 2009

AnOutsider said:
Wow, what a 180.

180 for whom? This is from Jeremy Clarkson and is entirely consistent for him.

dpeilow · May 17, 2009

Yeah perhaps I should have been more explicit. At least he pretty much admits that the Prius does its job well.

By the way, if you could be bothered to read past page 1, he uses it as a platform to kick Tesla and shout about how the FCX Clarity is the way forward again...

But let me be clear that hybrid cars are designed solely to milk the guilt genes of the smug and the foolish. And that pure electric cars, such as the G-Wiz and the Tesla, don’t work at all because they are just too inconvenient.

...

And here’s the kicker. That’s exactly what Honda has done with its other eco-car, the Clarity. Instead of using a petrol engine to charge up the electric motor’s batteries, as happens on the Insight, the Clarity uses hydrogen: the most abundant gas in the universe.

The only waste product is water. The car feels like a car. And, best of all, the power it produces is so enormous, it can be used by day to get you to 120mph and by night to run all the electrical appliances in your house. This is not science fiction. There is a fleet of Claritys running around California right now.

There are problems to be overcome. Making hydrogen is a fuel-hungry process, and there is no infrastructure. But Alexander Fleming didn’t look at his mould and think, “Oh dear, no one will put that in their mouth”, and give up.

Yes, the man's an idiot.

AnOutsider · May 17, 2009

he dismisses pure electric vehicles as inconvenient but then touts about a technology that basically has ZERO infrastructure when EVs benefit from the electric grid

vfx · May 17, 2009

3 things Jeremy,

1st You say, "Clarity uses hydrogen: the most abundant gas in the universe." Actually, Hydrogen is not an abundant gas but a molecule that is always attached to something (it's the H in H20) It take more energy to split the atom than you get out of it. Better to just use that energy in a battery. (and why pay someone for the gas?)

2nd The United States just put a stop to all Hydrogen transportation research while committing 2+ Billion for automotive battery research.

3rd Full disclosure! Jeremy's traveling TG show is sponsored by SHELL who own the 5 Hydrogen filling stations in California.

BBHighway · May 17, 2009

Technically he is correct, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe.

On Earth however, it is extremely rare in the form that fuel cell vehicles need.

Anyone want to start a campaign to launch Clarkson to someplace with abundant free hydrogen? That would seem to be his idea of heaven. Jupiter might be nice. :biggrin:

vfx · May 17, 2009

BBHighway said:
Technically he is correct, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe.

But he said, "gas".

Joseph · May 17, 2009

Gordon Bennett!

I am bloodytired of Jeremy's barmy ol' rubbish. The Insight musn't be such an old banger should it be the best selling motorcar in Japan. Cheerio sir Clark!

walk_n_wind · May 18, 2009

I don't know - I generally respect Jeremy because he speaks as a car user with enough technical knowledge to convey his opinions well. However, I don't think he's much of an alternative fuels expert and really doesn't deserve the bandwidth to talk about it.

If he like hydrogen-powered cars because they feel or act like he expects, then he should say so. But to defend hydrogen power as an automotive fuel source definitely seems outside his area of expertise.

As for the Insight, I'm with him 100% on the CVT. One of the draws I have to Tesla's drivetrain is the fact that it's direct-drive from motor to wheels (probably common for electric vehicles).

My 2 cents!

Joseph · May 18, 2009

"As for the Insight, I'm with him 100% on the CVT."

True. The Insight is far from a perfect car. Normal car magazines have reviewed the car generally well - but for sure it has drawbacks. Clark isn't outright lying, just exaggerating a hell of a lot.

"One of the draws I have to Tesla's drivetrain is the fact that it's direct-drive from motor to wheels (probably common for electric vehicles)."

This is a first! I haven't heard of anyone disliking the direct drive. Not a single review (that I know of) has criticized it. And yeah, essentially every OEM EV runs direct drive.

AnOutsider · May 18, 2009

Joseph said:
This is a first! I haven't heard of anyone disliking the direct drive. Not a single review (that I know of) has criticized it. And yeah, essentially every OEM EV runs direct drive.

Hmm.. I think he was saying he liked the drivetrain

Joseph · May 18, 2009

HA!

I read 'drawback.'

Sorry 'bout that.

Cobos · May 18, 2009

I just read a Insight review here in Norway which was kind of mehh.. They hinted to the new Prius as the one you want. And I have to say I kinda agree with them. The Insight is a car which sells at least in the states solely on it's price compared to the Prius. While in Norway it is cheaper than the Prius as the Insight is just $37 000 for the base model, but at that amount of money there are already many competitors. A VW Golf Bluemotion has similar green credentials and drives better.
The fact is due to our feebate system for cars a full hybrid usually pays off as the increased cost is balanced by the reduction in fees. So if you jiggle the price structure of the Insight compared to other cars it wont sell as it should. I clearly see the point of the Insight in the US, but not really here in Norway.

Cobos

dpeilow · May 19, 2009

In order to prove that not all British car journalists are boneheaded luddites: Honda Insight: 416 miles | Long Term Tests | Car Reviews | Auto Express

dpeilow · Jul 7, 2009

New Toyota Prius vs Honda Insight | Car Group Tests | Car Reviews | Auto Express

2010 Honda Insight

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