2010 Honda Insight May Be the Best Bang for Your Hybrid Buck

Honda gets a lot of slack for their second-generation Honda Insight. It's not as fuel-efficient as its first generation model or its competitor, the Toyota Prius. Nonetheless, at $23,000, it is still the most economical hybrid on the market today.

I test drove this vehicle last week as part of my 2010 Hybrid Challenge. The other two hybrids I've tested so far, the 2010 Ford Fusion and the 2010 Nissan Altima Hybrid, are mid-size family sedans. The Insight, by contrast, falls in a different category. It is marketed as an compact commuter vehicle. As such, it has far greater fuel economy (I averaged 45 mpg over 200 miles) than the other hybrids, with a lightweight frame and smaller size. Parking, obviously, was a breeze.

Overall, for the price and for the performance, the Honda Insight  does not disappoint. There are noticeable differences in comparison to other hybrids, however, that are worth evaluating.

One thing that took some getting used to is Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system. Rather than start the vehicle with a clean, silent electric motor, the IMA system kick starts the internal combustion engine first. Only after idling the vehicle, coming to a stop, or driving under 10 mph does the electric motor take over.

As for the battery, the Honda Insight electric power storage holds 0.58 kilowatt hours of energy. The Honda Insight battery pack has about half the energy storage of the current Toyota Prius pack - which probably also accounts for the Insight's lower sticker price. It was quite common for the Insight battery pack to be at full capacity while in operation from the energy I generated from regenerative braking and releasing the gas pedal, especially during city driving.

For hybrids, I'm especially keen on a clear dashboard display that communicates real-time mpg performance. After all, it is now common knowledge that standard EPA estimates of fuel economy performance are often lower than what can be achieved through smart use of hybrid systems. The Honda Insight has two user-interfaces for such purposes.

The first, the Eco Assist system, changes the background color of the speedometer according to your driving patterns (green signifies efficient performance, blue signifies inefficiency). However, the Eco Assist system is not very visible in daylight, rendering this feature defunct during the day.

The second system, called the Eco Guide (which appears as a rudimentary computer readout in the center of the dashboard), provides approximate real-time mpg performance and mpg summaries of the last three trips. Compared to the elegant and precise Ford Fusion Eco-Gauge, the Insight's Eco Guide appeared clunky and outdated.

Despite these shortcomings, I do believe that for those that are looking for some clean wheels on a budget, the Insight provides just that. A recent Insight buyer states, "Believe me, I wanted a Prius or Fusion Hybrid bad. I just couldn't see spending all of that extra money when my brother's 2007 Prius only gets 47 MPG on the highway." For a few thousand dollars less, smart drivers can get the mpg they need at a price they can afford.