Honda may not have been first to market with a modern hybrid electric vehicle, but the original Insight did beat the Toyota Prius to the US by a few months. As so many other companies have discovered over the years, being first doesn't necessarily guarantee success. You also need the right product for the market at the time. The original Insight had a lot of interesting technology, but it also suffered from some of the same limitations that doomed the EV1.
Still, the original Insight soldiered on from 1999 to 2006 with the Civic hybrid, using the same technology, joining it in 2002. As 2009 kicks off, Honda is launching a new hybrid-only model that revives the Insight name on an altogether more practical machine. This time Honda is aiming for real mass market appeal with a price the company hopes will make the new Insight "The Hybrid for Everyone." Honda invited us out to Arizona before Christmas to sample the new Insight and we can now tell you all about it. Read on to find out if Honda's Insight is on target.
The Honda engineering team wanted something different from the Insight. They wanted a hybrid that was appealing to drive. Fortunately they already had a small car that met that criteria: the Fit. So, naturally, the important dynamic bits of the Fit form the basis of the Insight. The entire front structure of the Insight is in fact common to the Fit. Compared to the Fit, the rear axle has been moved back two inches and the roof has dropped 3.8 inches. Inside, the roof sits two inches closer to the front seat and three inches closer to the rear.
That means that occupants in the Insight sit lower to the ground and have a cozier feeling than in the Fit, but the new Insight actually ends up feeling sportier than either the Fit or Prius. The Insight's front seats contribute to the feeling of sportiness thanks to the supportive side bolsters. The seats proved very comfortable during our drive time. Further to that sporting feel, the up-level EX trim adds paddle shifters behind the steering wheel just like the Fit Sport. Paddles may seem an odd addition to a car with a CVT, but Honda has programmed 7 ratios that are selectable via the paddles.
For our day of driving, Honda defined several routes starting with a 100-mile mixed drive route that included in-town, rural and highway driving. After lunch we set off on a series of shorter routes that included a 16-mile efficiency route and a 22-mile sport driving route.
One of the features that Honda has incorporated into the new Insight is an ECON button. Pressing the button modifies the control strategies for the throttle, CVT, auto stop, cruise control and air conditioning. Essentially it applies a filter to most controls to slow the responsiveness. This causes the throttle to ignore small fluctuations in the accelerator pedal position, keep the engine off longer and make the cruise control less aggressive in trying to maintain speed.
Combined with the tight handling and good steering feedback, the Insight is a shockingly fun car to drive in a spirited manner in spite of the comparatively modest thrust that is available. Even with all the fun I was having on the sport loop when I returned to the staging area, I still averaged 44 mpg.
Click HERE to read more
Source: AutoblogGreen
Still, the original Insight soldiered on from 1999 to 2006 with the Civic hybrid, using the same technology, joining it in 2002. As 2009 kicks off, Honda is launching a new hybrid-only model that revives the Insight name on an altogether more practical machine. This time Honda is aiming for real mass market appeal with a price the company hopes will make the new Insight "The Hybrid for Everyone." Honda invited us out to Arizona before Christmas to sample the new Insight and we can now tell you all about it. Read on to find out if Honda's Insight is on target.
The Honda engineering team wanted something different from the Insight. They wanted a hybrid that was appealing to drive. Fortunately they already had a small car that met that criteria: the Fit. So, naturally, the important dynamic bits of the Fit form the basis of the Insight. The entire front structure of the Insight is in fact common to the Fit. Compared to the Fit, the rear axle has been moved back two inches and the roof has dropped 3.8 inches. Inside, the roof sits two inches closer to the front seat and three inches closer to the rear.
That means that occupants in the Insight sit lower to the ground and have a cozier feeling than in the Fit, but the new Insight actually ends up feeling sportier than either the Fit or Prius. The Insight's front seats contribute to the feeling of sportiness thanks to the supportive side bolsters. The seats proved very comfortable during our drive time. Further to that sporting feel, the up-level EX trim adds paddle shifters behind the steering wheel just like the Fit Sport. Paddles may seem an odd addition to a car with a CVT, but Honda has programmed 7 ratios that are selectable via the paddles.
For our day of driving, Honda defined several routes starting with a 100-mile mixed drive route that included in-town, rural and highway driving. After lunch we set off on a series of shorter routes that included a 16-mile efficiency route and a 22-mile sport driving route.
One of the features that Honda has incorporated into the new Insight is an ECON button. Pressing the button modifies the control strategies for the throttle, CVT, auto stop, cruise control and air conditioning. Essentially it applies a filter to most controls to slow the responsiveness. This causes the throttle to ignore small fluctuations in the accelerator pedal position, keep the engine off longer and make the cruise control less aggressive in trying to maintain speed.
Combined with the tight handling and good steering feedback, the Insight is a shockingly fun car to drive in a spirited manner in spite of the comparatively modest thrust that is available. Even with all the fun I was having on the sport loop when I returned to the staging area, I still averaged 44 mpg.
Click HERE to read more
Source: AutoblogGreen
No comments:
Post a Comment