If this blend of size, styling, and image fits your environmental commitment and your bank account, there’s no reason to wait for the 2011 Insight. Should you wait for the 2011 Honda Insight or buy a 2010 Honda Insight? More significantly, Toyota has aggressively priced the Prius only a couple thousand dollars higher than the Insight – and the Prius is roomier, more powerful and refined, and rates a formidable 51/48 mpg. No car that costs as little has fuel-economy ratings as high, though some less-expensive ones get within sniffing distance. Insight pricing should again start under $21,000. That means this aerodynamic five-passenger, four-door hatchback will return will an EPA fuel-economy rating of 40/43 mpg (city/highway). No changes of significance are expected versus the 2010 Honda Insight. The 2011 Honda Insight marks the sophomore model year for Honda’s answer to the Toyota Prius. The 2011 Honda Insight hybrid is the best car for you if you want one of America’s highest-mileage cars at a reasonable price -- and can live with its quirks.
The Insight borrows some front-chassis engineering from the Honda Fit, a slightly smaller and less-expensive four-door hatchback with a conventional gas engine. However, a horizontal rib dividing the hatchlid’s upper and lower glass panels seriously interferes with the driver’s view of traffic behind. And Insight’s hatchback design gives it fine cargo space: 15.9 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks up, 31.5 with them folded. The seating itself is notably supportive, though. It has fairly spacious front seating and rear accommodations a bit squeezed for knee and head room. The Insight falls in the compact class. The Prius is only about 3 inches longer than the Insight, but has enough passenger-compartment volume to be considered a midsize car. That message is important to many hybrid buyers, as evident from the success of the distinctively styled Prius. They also let onlookers know that Insight is a gas-electric car. Its low nose, swept-back windshield, and long, gently arched roof reduce mileage-robbing wind resistance. The 2011 Honda Insight styling will won’t see any changes.
2011 Honda Insight Hybrid
Worst of all, the electric steering On the downside, engine and road noise are prominent and the ride is quite firm. In ordinary driving conditions, the powertrain acquits itself is well enough and the car is stable on the highway and goes around corners with confidence. On the road, the Insight can feel strained when you want to accelerate rapidly off the line or overtake faster-moving traffic. Like its hybrid competition, Insight has front-wheel drive and a continuously variable automatic transmission. Consequently, they use less gas (the Fusion is rated at 41/36 mpg), but they also are more expensive; the Fusion Hybrid starts around $28,000. They can run on battery power for longer periods than the Insight, and under a wider range of conditions. By contrast, the gas-electric hybrid system in the Prius and, for example, the system in the midsize sedan Ford Fusion Hybrid, more equitably share gas and electric propulsion. It can also shut off the engine while the car is stopped, then automatically turn it on again when you touch the accelerator. Under ideal conditions, IMA can save fuel by running the Insight on electric power alone at low speeds for short distances. It self-charges Insight’s nickel metal hydride battery pack; no plug-in is necessary. Honda calls the system Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). It runs primarily on gas and uses the electric motor as an assist to produce more net power than the engine alone can make. The 2011 Honda Insight uses a small, four-cylinder gas engine boosted by an adjacent electric motor to produce 98 horsepower.
Interior materials are solid and feel slightly richer than Insight’s pricing might imply. It’s futuristic without being gimmicky; even the green-to-blue color change is thoughtfully integrated, and the shape and placement of the controls shows original thinking and sound ergonomics. The Insight’s dashboard design enhances the sense you’re driving a car with an alternative-fuel powertrain. The only tire size is a modest 175/65R15 and the tread is a low-rolling-resistance compound to aid fuel efficiency. You earn digital plant leaves for good behavior, and can press an “Econ” dashboard button to dial back the air conditioning and recalibrate the throttle to save even more gas. It rewards fuel-efficient driving with green dashboard lighting and transitions to blue if you use more gas than necessary. Insight asserts its hybrid-ness with Honda’s Ecological Drive Assist System -- Eco Assist, for short. The EX models add an antiskid system. Head-protecting curtain side airbags also are standard, as are antilock brakes. Each comes with air conditioning, power windows, locks, and mirrors, a tilt-telescope steering wheel, a height adjustable driver’s seat, and 60/40 split/folding rear seatbacks. The 2011 Honda Insight should repeat the 2010 model’s three trim levels: base LX, better-equipped EX, and top-line EX with a navigation system.
2011 Honda Insight Hybrid
The Insight borrows some front-chassis engineering from the Honda Fit, a slightly smaller and less-expensive four-door hatchback with a conventional gas engine. However, a horizontal rib dividing the hatchlid’s upper and lower glass panels seriously interferes with the driver’s view of traffic behind. And Insight’s hatchback design gives it fine cargo space: 15.9 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks up, 31.5 with them folded. The seating itself is notably supportive, though. It has fairly spacious front seating and rear accommodations a bit squeezed for knee and head room. The Insight falls in the compact class. The Prius is only about 3 inches longer than the Insight, but has enough passenger-compartment volume to be considered a midsize car. That message is important to many hybrid buyers, as evident from the success of the distinctively styled Prius. They also let onlookers know that Insight is a gas-electric car. Its low nose, swept-back windshield, and long, gently arched roof reduce mileage-robbing wind resistance. The 2011 Honda Insight styling will won’t see any changes.
2011 Honda Insight HybridWorst of all, the electric steering On the downside, engine and road noise are prominent and the ride is quite firm. In ordinary driving conditions, the powertrain acquits itself is well enough and the car is stable on the highway and goes around corners with confidence. On the road, the Insight can feel strained when you want to accelerate rapidly off the line or overtake faster-moving traffic. Like its hybrid competition, Insight has front-wheel drive and a continuously variable automatic transmission. Consequently, they use less gas (the Fusion is rated at 41/36 mpg), but they also are more expensive; the Fusion Hybrid starts around $28,000. They can run on battery power for longer periods than the Insight, and under a wider range of conditions. By contrast, the gas-electric hybrid system in the Prius and, for example, the system in the midsize sedan Ford Fusion Hybrid, more equitably share gas and electric propulsion. It can also shut off the engine while the car is stopped, then automatically turn it on again when you touch the accelerator. Under ideal conditions, IMA can save fuel by running the Insight on electric power alone at low speeds for short distances. It self-charges Insight’s nickel metal hydride battery pack; no plug-in is necessary. Honda calls the system Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). It runs primarily on gas and uses the electric motor as an assist to produce more net power than the engine alone can make. The 2011 Honda Insight uses a small, four-cylinder gas engine boosted by an adjacent electric motor to produce 98 horsepower.
2011 Honda Insight Hybrid
Interior materials are solid and feel slightly richer than Insight’s pricing might imply. It’s futuristic without being gimmicky; even the green-to-blue color change is thoughtfully integrated, and the shape and placement of the controls shows original thinking and sound ergonomics. The Insight’s dashboard design enhances the sense you’re driving a car with an alternative-fuel powertrain. The only tire size is a modest 175/65R15 and the tread is a low-rolling-resistance compound to aid fuel efficiency. You earn digital plant leaves for good behavior, and can press an “Econ” dashboard button to dial back the air conditioning and recalibrate the throttle to save even more gas. It rewards fuel-efficient driving with green dashboard lighting and transitions to blue if you use more gas than necessary. Insight asserts its hybrid-ness with Honda’s Ecological Drive Assist System -- Eco Assist, for short. The EX models add an antiskid system. Head-protecting curtain side airbags also are standard, as are antilock brakes. Each comes with air conditioning, power windows, locks, and mirrors, a tilt-telescope steering wheel, a height adjustable driver’s seat, and 60/40 split/folding rear seatbacks. The 2011 Honda Insight should repeat the 2010 model’s three trim levels: base LX, better-equipped EX, and top-line EX with a navigation system.
No comments:
Post a Comment