About 10 years ago, Honda introduced a radical new vehicle. It was an all
aluminum silver-bullet shaped vehicle called the Honda Insight. It was clearly
optimized for fuel efficiency based on its sleek shape, light weight and
first-ever hybrid engine technology.
Since then about 1 million hybrid vehicles have been sold in this country and
have earned a place as serious and efficient vehicles. With concerns about
rising fuel prices, the demand for hybrids is surging forward. For 2010, both
Honda, the originator, and Toyota, the market leader, are introducing new
hybrid vehicles.
The Toyota Prius was the first purpose-built mass-marketed hybrid available to
American consumers. It has been a hit since its introduction. Public acceptance
has grown and the loyalty of its customers is legendary. It is a truly fine car
and is only one of two vehicles in the entire
Consumer Reports evaluation that gets the coveted 3 red dot rating, which is tops in reliability,
customer satisfaction and low ownership cost. Not willing to rest on its
laurels, the 2010 Prius is mostly new and is the third generation of the
vehicle.
The Honda Insight is a totally new model and is also Honda’s only purpose-built hybrid. The vehicle is positioned below the Civic hybrid
and offers consumers a high quality vehicle that is expertly designed and
constructed at a lower price than one would normally see for a hybrid. The
styling is very nice and the car contains all of Honda
’s accumulated experience in building some of the best cars on the planet.
Though the vehicles are similar and compete in certain ways, there are some
distinct differences.
Hybrid Systems – Perhaps the biggest difference in the two vehicles is that the Prius has a
full-hybrid system, meaning the vehicle can run on either gas or electric
power. Therefore, the system is more complex and has a larger battery, but
delivers very high fuel economy and is extremely reliable.
The Insight uses mild hybrid technology meaning that the electric drive augments
the gas engine, which is always running. The fuel economy is very high, but not
as high as the full hybrid. The system is less complex, uses a smaller battery
and costs less.
Models – The Honda comes in two trim levels, the LX and EX. The Toyota is offered in a
Prius 2, 3, 4 or 5. Each successive model has more equipment. No mention of a
Prius 1 has been made so far.
Styling – These two cars look remarkably similar at first glance. They are not copying
each other, but rather have come to the same design conclusions about building
a vehicle that delivers on the consumer demands of this kind of car.
The Prius looks very similar to the previous model, by design. The roof was
completely redone, the interior is actually 5 cubic feet larger than the
previous model and it is classed as a midsize sedan.
The Insight is new from the ground up and is a compact. Its angular styling is
not only very efficient from an aerodynamic standpoint but is also attractive.
Interior – Both vehicles have comfortable interiors and are sufficiently roomy. Both are hatch backs. The big difference is in the layout. The Prius continues
with its center mounted information panel, which is on top of the dashboard and
near the windshield quite a distance from the driver. The Insight has an
attractive two level instrument pod directly in front of the driver. Honda
cleverly put backlighting on the speedometer, which alternates between green
and blue. As you drive and watch the speedometer you can tell if you are
driving efficiently, green, or wastefully, blue, and adjust accordingly.
Performance – Both models have decent acceleration, safe handling and comfortable rides. They
are, however, optimized for high fuel economy and low emissions.
Fuel Economy – The Prius with its full hybrid system has an EPA economy rating of 50 miles per
gallon, a significant bump up from last year. My experience driving the car
validated that you should indeed be able to hit that number in normal
day-to-day driving. The Insight has an overall EPA rating of 41 mpg and that is
exactly what I got on the test car. With more careful driving, I
’m sure the number would go up.
Now, for real world perspective, the average car is driven about 18,000 miles
per year. That means that the Prius would use 360 gallons of gas a year and the
Insight 439. At $2 a gallon the 79 gallon annual difference amounts to $158 a
year or about $3 a week.
Safety – Both models have a full suite of safety gear. Both have responsive handling,
solid body structures and lots of air bags including front, side and side
curtain. Additionally, the Prius has driver
’s knees air bags. Both have ABS anti-skid brakes, a strong body structure, but
stability/traction control is standard on the Prius and is an option offered
only on the Insight EX.
Options – The Insight comes with a few options bundled in packages. Primarily you have
the LX and EX models and the navigation package. Toyota has upped the option
ante on the 2010 Prius. It also offers a navigation package that includes a
backup camera, a Solar Roof package, which has a solar panel in the moonroof,
and an Advanced Technology Package. This techno toy store includes the
navigation package plus Pre-collision safety system, Dynamic Radar Cruise
Control, Lane Keep Assist and Intelligent Park Assist, the vehicle self-parking
technology introduced on the high-end Lexus LS just over a year ago.
Price – At the time of this writing, pricing for the new Insight is set at $20,000.
Pricing on the Prius has not yet been formally announced but will likely be in
the $23-24,000 range.
Both of these vehicles are very fine and provide very efficient transportation They are safe, reliable, have low ownership costs and tend to satisfy their
owners. A buyer won
’t go wrong with either one of these cars.
