2000 Honda Insight 995cc petrol Electric Hybrid from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Exciting, economical coupé that looks like something from a Gerry Anderson series

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Very economical: I calculate that savings in road tax and fuel add up to £500 a year. I've got 84.9mpg overall since I bought it.

It's fun to drive if I choose to drive it like the coupé it is, and the instantaneous readout of fuel consumption, second by second, gives me the information I need if I choose to drive for economy.

The cargo deck is huge, and has four lashing points to secure things with.

Rear three-quarter (five o'clock) visibility is a little limited, and I have to position the car carefully and make good use of the mirrors at acutely-angled junctions.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd January, 2005

2001 Honda Insight IMA 0.95 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

One day all cars will be built like this

Faults:

Driver's side window rubber distorted, replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

It's hard to belive the car is only 950cc, the performance is very good.

If you take it at face value, a 2 seater economy car then you will be very pleased with it.

Covers the 140 mile daily trip to & from work with no problems at all.

Superb build quality for a low volume production car, in my opinion better than my 2002 Civic that I used to own.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th February, 2004

8th Sep 2005, 16:38

Oh, I think people asked the question. The problem is that the auto industry didn't have the answer and hybrids are simply an interim solution until someone figures it out.

What was the question? People want four things: big vehicles, horsepower, fuel efficiency, and low to 0 emissions. How do auto manufactures provide a solution?

If it's big, it's going to need and have lots of horsepower, but it's going to guzzle gas and exhale toxins by the boatload. ie - the SUV craze.

If it's fuel efficient and environmentally friendly, it's going to be small and anemic (even though power to weight will be acceptable). ie - Geo Metro (Swift, Firefly, Sprint) and various Hondas. Take the battery out of an Insight and what do you have? A Geo Metro. 1.0L, lightweight vehicle that gets 50-60+ mpg.

Look at any SUV and/or truck hybrids out there (and even the Civic and Accord hybrids) and you'll see that the fuel efficiency already drops significantly as the vehicle gets larger. Notice how city mileage is higher than highway mileage? The electric engine doesn't run at all at highway speeds, so small engines have to pull around heavy bodies relying on inertia to keep them going. Plus, the gas portion of the engine produces just as many hydrocarbons as any gas engine out there.

No, I'm sorry, but I don't believe that hybrids are around to stay (unless they're forced on us by government). They're simply a short-term solution to a problem nobody is quite certain how to solve. Basically someone needs to develop a powerplant that is small, lightweight, powerful, efficient, and can run on a multitude of fuels.

Until that happens we'll be stuck with the ever-faithful (if somewhat inefficient) internal combustion engine and a lot of trial-and-error methods.

2000 Honda Insight 1.0 liter 3 cylinder from North America

Summary:

The car of the future!

Faults:

Nothing except for check engine light that turned out to be faulty oxygen sensor on one occasion and loose gas cap on another.

Auto stop is neat, but if clutch is not pushed down hard, it won't start when put back in gear.

Poor visibility out rear window. Be careful backing up!

General Comments:

This is the perfect little commuting car for anyone who wants to be a part of the solution to fuel consumption and pollution. At 70 or 75 mph on the highway, the fuel consumption indicator sits at 75 miles per gallon! Overall, it gets 56 to 66 miles per gallon depending on how I drive.

In many juristictions, it is allowed in HOV lanes even with only one person in it.

I recently had a car pull out in front of me and I hit him at about 30 mph. The car doesn't look nearly as damaged as I would expect. Just scuffs, a slightly buckled hood and broken lights! This is a tough little car!

Its also very peppy and comfortable, can park in 3/4 of a space and is fun to drive!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st October, 2003