Driving Impressions

This is a momentum car. Much of the joy of driving it comes from driving in an efficient manner, using some of the same techniques a professional driver uses to maintain momentum in an 18-wheeler or in a showroom stock race car: Brake only as much as necessary, carry momentum through corners and over hills. Use the brakes, gas and steering wheel in a smooth, fluid fashion. In fact, driving the Insight is not much different from driving any other compact. If you drive it normally it is a relatively spirited small two-seater coupe. It is not a sports car, but it is perfectly capable of keeping up with and passing traffic. (We found it could cruise comfortably at 80 mph, where it feels quite stable.) The big difference is that you end up getting between 50 and 60 miles per gallon without trying to drive in an economical fashion. On the other hand, if you start to learn new habits and follow the small arrow on the dash that tells you when to upshift or downshift you'll end up getting 70 or more miles per gallon. At first, driving the car in the most economical mode is disconcerting. The engine stops running when ever you come to a stop, as long as you put the gearshift into neutral and don't leave it in gear with the clutch in. As soon as you select a gear the engine restarts instantly and the car moves off again. On the highway one has to get used to the perception that the engine is lugging. It seems as if it needs to be downshifted into a lower gear most of the time. In fact it can be left in the higher gear as suggested by the upshift light without any problems as the electric motor adds torque as needed. The car handles quite nicely with a good ride for a small car. It has really skinny low-rolling resistance tires that make it look under-tired. Narrow tires don't offer the grip of wider tires, but we had no problems in the lightweight Insight. You do feel and hear all the bumps on rough roads. The steering feels solid with some road feel and is not over assisted. The manual gearshift is smooth. A new continuously variable transmission allows for an infinite number of "gear" ratios to optimize engine performance and efficiency. With the CVT, the Insight is expected to have the highest mileage rating of any car equipped with an automatic transmission. Honda predicts an Insight CVT can achieve 50 mpg in combined city and highway driving with a driving range of more than 500 miles. The Insight earned Sierra Club's first-ever award for Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Automobile Magazine's 1999 Technology of the Year award.

Final Word

At a price below $20,000, the Insight costs about $3,000 to $4,000 more than a regular Civic with similar specs. In return, however, the Insight delivers a unique high-tech experience. It also delivers fuel economy that leads to some decent monetary savings over time. Also for those who hate going to the gas station this means quite a lot as it will get up to 700 miles between fill-ups when equipped with the manual transmission. Over one year (12,000 miles) the average person will only use 200 gallons of fuel or about $300 worth. A large SUV getting 12 mpg will go through 1,000 gallons in that amount of time and the owner will spend $1500 on fuel. Bottom line: the Insight is a great car for anyone who cares about the environment. Although it costs a few thousand dollars more to buy than a regular car of this size, it is actually a bargain. Honda may be losing money on each Insight sold considering the cost of the high-tech parts and the all-aluminum body structure, let alone the research and development for such a low-volume car. Honda's Insight is much more practical than an electric car as the driving range is unlimited. Performance and ride are more than adequate for around town and occasional long trips. Because of this, it makes an ideal commuter car, a great runabout as a second car, and a good car for someone on a budget. It's just the ticket for early adopters of leading-edge technology.