HONDA INSIGHT. The coolest hybrid ever under 20k. (And yes, we’re taking orders.)
We all expected Honda to make serious advances in hybrid technology, but wow, never has “driver-focused fuel efficiency enhancement technology” looked so cool or (forgive us)sexy.
The all-new Insight is a thing of beauty inside and out. And when that dashboard lights up, you’ll be thinking “Battlestar Galactica Season 5,” not Birkenstocks on wheels. Reports are that the Insight’s a blast to drive, too. (Who ever said that about a hybrid??) And when I say, it’s a blast; I mean it in every way. There’s engineering brilliance behind the power-to-weight ratio that gets so much out of Honda’s long-proven, super efficient i-VTEC®, but whoever decided to pack a fabulous 160-Watt Audio AM/FM/CD System with four speakers in as standard on the Insight LX gets this music lovers songs of praise. Sure you can plug in your iPod®, but get this: The EX model’s USB Audio Interface can read flash drives loaded with MP3 or WMA® music files. (The EX’ system adds in a nice pair of tweeters, too.)
OK, so the hot question is MPG. And the answer for both the Insight EX and LX is 43 Highway, 40 City and a combined average miles per gallon of 41. Now, I spent a lot of time at the auto show in Virginia Beach looking at miles-per-gallon numbers and, well, let’s just say, there are probably a lot of dealers who were glad the Insight wasn’t there.
So how does Honda do it? Besides the advanced hybrid technology, the Insight gets you to help. The new Eco Assist ™ system essentially filters out the effects of key inefficient driving behaviors. Here’s how Honda puts it: “The Insight comes standard with a driver-focused fuel-efficiency enhancement technology named Eco Assist. As part of this system, pushing the dash-mounted ECON button modifies various vehicle systems to minimize the vehicle’s overall energy use for increased fuel economy. A sophisticated feedback system uses ambient color behind the speedometer to indicate efficiency as you drive. In addition to displaying exterior temperature, average fuel consumption, and current MPG, the Multi-Information Display also provides feedback on your braking and acceleration to help you drive more efficiently.” Which is to say, that amazing instrument panel of many colors actually helps you get better mileage.
Other insights into the Insight: You’re probably going to want to get Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with voice recognition for the obvious reasons and because it gets you the factory-installed Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® communication tool, too.
On EX models, the steering wheel includes paddle shifters, which let you shift the car manually. (I love it because paddle shifters were first developed for Formula One racing cars.)
Honda has very smartly employed a 60/40 Split Fold-Down Rear Seatback configuration to maximize cargo space.
And now a bit of the techie-hybrid stuff: The Insight’s Integrated Motor Assist IMA® couples the gasoline engine with a permanent-magnet electric motor mounted between the engine and transmission to provide power assist. (That’s what makes it a hybrid.)
Every Insight is equipped with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). In short, the CVT is an advanced transmission that substitutes the gears of the traditional automatic transmission and replaces them with a metal push-belt running between a pair of variable-width pulleys. Combined with the Drive-by-Wire™ throttle system, the CVT constantly adjusts to provide the most efficient drive ratio possible, giving you better fuel economy and acceleration.
One last thing:
PRIORITY HONDA IS TAKING INSIGHT ORDERS. CALL 757-819-5058.
The all-new Insight is a thing of beauty inside and out. And when that dashboard lights up, you’ll be thinking “Battlestar Galactica Season 5,” not Birkenstocks on wheels. Reports are that the Insight’s a blast to drive, too. (Who ever said that about a hybrid??) And when I say, it’s a blast; I mean it in every way. There’s engineering brilliance behind the power-to-weight ratio that gets so much out of Honda’s long-proven, super efficient i-VTEC®, but whoever decided to pack a fabulous 160-Watt Audio AM/FM/CD System with four speakers in as standard on the Insight LX gets this music lovers songs of praise. Sure you can plug in your iPod®, but get this: The EX model’s USB Audio Interface can read flash drives loaded with MP3 or WMA® music files. (The EX’ system adds in a nice pair of tweeters, too.)
OK, so the hot question is MPG. And the answer for both the Insight EX and LX is 43 Highway, 40 City and a combined average miles per gallon of 41. Now, I spent a lot of time at the auto show in Virginia Beach looking at miles-per-gallon numbers and, well, let’s just say, there are probably a lot of dealers who were glad the Insight wasn’t there.
So how does Honda do it? Besides the advanced hybrid technology, the Insight gets you to help. The new Eco Assist ™ system essentially filters out the effects of key inefficient driving behaviors. Here’s how Honda puts it: “The Insight comes standard with a driver-focused fuel-efficiency enhancement technology named Eco Assist. As part of this system, pushing the dash-mounted ECON button modifies various vehicle systems to minimize the vehicle’s overall energy use for increased fuel economy. A sophisticated feedback system uses ambient color behind the speedometer to indicate efficiency as you drive. In addition to displaying exterior temperature, average fuel consumption, and current MPG, the Multi-Information Display also provides feedback on your braking and acceleration to help you drive more efficiently.” Which is to say, that amazing instrument panel of many colors actually helps you get better mileage.Other insights into the Insight: You’re probably going to want to get Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with voice recognition for the obvious reasons and because it gets you the factory-installed Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® communication tool, too.
On EX models, the steering wheel includes paddle shifters, which let you shift the car manually. (I love it because paddle shifters were first developed for Formula One racing cars.)
Honda has very smartly employed a 60/40 Split Fold-Down Rear Seatback configuration to maximize cargo space.
And now a bit of the techie-hybrid stuff: The Insight’s Integrated Motor Assist IMA® couples the gasoline engine with a permanent-magnet electric motor mounted between the engine and transmission to provide power assist. (That’s what makes it a hybrid.)
Every Insight is equipped with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). In short, the CVT is an advanced transmission that substitutes the gears of the traditional automatic transmission and replaces them with a metal push-belt running between a pair of variable-width pulleys. Combined with the Drive-by-Wire™ throttle system, the CVT constantly adjusts to provide the most efficient drive ratio possible, giving you better fuel economy and acceleration.
One last thing:
PRIORITY HONDA IS TAKING INSIGHT ORDERS. CALL 757-819-5058.
Labels: honda insight
posted by Priority Honda at
8:32 PM
3 Comments:
Your blog is so informative! I love it.
Very cool stuff. I can't to get my hands on one of these cars.
Somebody tried to tell me that my Insight is a bad buy because the Toyota Prius gets more MPG.
Do the math man, it's not too hard:
If I have to pay an extra $5,473 to own a Prius, at today's gas prices that would equate to $70 per year.
Big whoop, that would take 75 years to pay off the sticker price of the Prius if you used the savings from fuel. I understand they both make good cars, but nobody's going to drive their vehicles that long.
According to an article I just read, even if gas prices rise to $5 per gallon, the Prius would still have to be driven for 413,000 miles just to break even with the Insight.
I'll stick with my Insight, thanks.
Post a Comment
<< Home