For all those naysayers who keep droning on that life is not a game, one need only direct their attention to the dashboard of the new Honda Insight. Resplendent in all it’s video game reminiscent glory, the interface hints at just how different this car really is. With the Insight, Honda hasn’t just created an amazing new hybrid, but a new way of driving, without losing that classic Honda feel.
Transmission: Automatic
Engine: 1.3 Liter SOHC 8-Valve i-VTEC 4 cylinder
Horse Power: 98
MGP: 40 City/ 43 Highway
0-60: 12 Seconds
# of Doors: 5 (includes hatch back)
Fuel: Gas/Electric
Model: LX
Safety: Not Yet Rated
Environmental Performance:
- Global Warming score: (10 of 10)
- Smog score: (9 of 10)
Pros:
- Clear and easily visible dashboard
- Feels like a Honda.
- Quiet Interior
- Rethink the way you drive in a good way.
Cons:
- Delay in acceleration from stand still, classic hybrid.
- Poor Rear Visibility.
- Not enough backseat room.
A New Way of Thinking:
Are you eco friendly or not? That’s the question you’re perpetually asked while driving the Insight. On the dash (which, incidentally, is easily viewable, even in direct sunlight), a few inches beyond the speedometer is a screen that shifts in color from green to dark blue. The greener the screen, the more eco friendly your driving is. Vibrant green radiated when we kept a steady pace on the road or used the brakes to charge the batteries. Start heading up hill or accelerating too fast and the screen turns dark blue. But it’s more than just a light show; you get awards when you’re eco-friendly and penalties when you’re not. Drive extra green for a while? Earn a digital flower on your display! Get five flowers and you earn a plaque to remind you of your wonderful driving skills. Speed up needlessly or waste precious gas and you can watch your flowers die and slowly disappear.
The Insight tracks everything you do in it, from fuel usage to climate control and beyond, always alerting you to what you’re doing and how it affects MPG. This forces you to think when you drive and could, over time, even change your driving habits completely.
Performance:
Like all most hybrids, what you get in efficiency you pay for in performance. Case in point: when you floor it in the Insight there is a slight delay. Almost like the car’s giving you chance to reconsider your reckless decision. Its nothing dangerous, but it can be a tad irritating.
Also, the rear window provided some pretty bad visibility. The rear deck lid creates a huge blind spot through the middle of your rear view field of vision.
On the plus side though, the interior of the Insight is amazingly quiet. I was surprised when the engine shut off and the electric engine took over, it was almost silent and I could hardly hear the road noise.
Size & Space:
While the Insight is no doubt a stylish machine, I must take an exception with the surprisingly small backseat. I may be a bit above average at 6’2”, but not enough to warrant an amazing lack of headroom and legroom. The bottom line is that the Insight probably couldn’t hold more than four adults, and with some pretty serious Tetris skills at that.
Closing Thoughts:
The Insight isn’t for everyone. If you’re more interested in speed or high performance, this probably isn’t the car for you. But if you’re conscious about how you drive, the Insight could help reshape the way you use your vehicle and maybe even the way you think.
As a somewhat competitive person, I’d probably strive to get all five of my flowers and keep them. Even if that means I can’t wake up 15 minutes before work and madly drive to there on time. No, I’d set my alarm 10 minutes early and make myself drive responsibly. And in the end, is that such a bad thing? Sure, the snooze alarm is nice, but I’ve got to keep all five flowers! Let’s see you do that for a week straight! Well, I say that now. Ask me again when it’s 7:42 and I need to be to work in 18 minutes.
Check out all our 2010 Honda Insight photos here.