I own a Honda Insight and the Hybrid Civic. The best mileage of gotten with the Insight is 100 MPG on my commute to work 26mi. away. The conditions of this tests were 70°F, 55mph , five speed manual transmission and no wind. My lifetime average is 72MPG in 37,000 miles. I drive about 80% highway and 20% city driving). The Insight is much better than the clunky Toyota Prius because it was designed as the hybrid from the ground up. The Toyota Prius was an "afterthought" hybrid because it has a conventional engine that was modified using the Atkinson cycle, and has a planetary drivetrain. This clunky arrangement results in half the reliability of the Insight.

The Insight's 3 cylinder engine is quiet and extremely well designed. It sounds like an 8 cylinder under the hood, especially when the VTEC kicks in at 2500 RPM. That little 3 cylinder roars like a turbo. The engine and wind noise is kept to a minimum due to efficient soundproofing including thick insulation and seals on the doors.

The Insight is fun to drive. The steering is the most responsive I've ever seen, due to the electric steering system. There is also no power steering fluid or V-belt to replace. The turning radius is the smallest I've ever seem.

I have nothing seriously bad to say about the Insight except that: The road noise, the sound of the tires, is a little loud because Honda forgot to put a lot of sound proofing near the rear of the vehicle. Also, the ride in the Insight could be described as "sporty", meaning that you will feel most every bump in the road. The upside of this is that, with electric steering, the Insight is the most responsive and fun to drive vehicle I've owned (exept for my airplane).

The windows fog up easily because of the airtight design. To defrost the windows, one only has to place the climate control system "Not Recirculate" or put the defroster on. The ride

The Insight is an evolutionary designed which will carry us through until full electric cars are economically produced .

In Pennsylvania you can get $1,500.00 from the Pennsylvania state government before you buy the car and $2,000.00 tax credit from I. R. S.

As an engineer and airplane pilot and mechanic for the last 25 years, I can tell you that the Honda hybrids are much better designed and built than Toyota. The Honda hybrid technology has over 300 patents and it is evident in their engine design. The Honda VTEC and IMA fuel economy enhancement system as far superior to the Prius.
Amount Paid (US$): 19999
Condition: New
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: 5 Speed Manual, AC