Photography with the Left Eye

Honda completely re-did its hybrid Insight, and I had the opportunity to rent one a couple of weeks ago. Here are my thoughts about it.

First, let me give you some non-information about its fuel efficiency. If I believe the starting mileage as given to me by the rental company, I got about 25 MPG for the 100 or so miles I drove the car. That does not seem right, but I also noted the gas guage dropping rather more quickly than I expected. EDIT: I have done some more calculations, and, depending on what I assume about how much fuel was in in when I got the car, it looks like I got between 30 and 45 MPG. Most of the other reviews I have seen ascribe fuel efficiency close to the EPA rating, so I will leave it at that until I can get better information.

But this is probably a good time for a small art diversion. I did not shoot Tressa, who you see below, during this trip (I rather attempted to shoot this model, who flaked on me…). Not only did Tressa show up for our shoot and make beautiful images, she also got herself there in a first generation Honda Insight, so I thought it appropriate to show here here.

Tressa

The Insight looks quite a bit like the Toyota Prius, down to the split window in the rear hatchback. It is a little bit smaller, but that mostly shows up in two places–cargo and the back seats. The front seats are very comfortable, at least as much as the Prius. The back seats are comfortable, but don’t have as much leg room as the Prius, where I, at 6′1″, could sit comfortably behind a six footer in the front. Not so in the Insight. Also, Honda provides a full size spare, which eats into the room under the back storage area. The Prius actually has quite a bit of space hidden there…not so the Insight.

The fit and finish is very good. Everything is very solid, and in some ways feels more solid than the Prius. The ride is smooth, and pretty quiet. It is definitely more quiet, especially at freeway speeds, than the Prius.

Ok, time for a little more Tressa, in color.

The driving experience was a bit odd–even unsettling in some ways. Like the Prius, the Insight gasoline engine turns off at time, but only at a stop. It turns on only when the brake is released, and the small pause can be surprising if you are not prepared for it. I also found that braking was uneven–as I slowed down, the car seemed to go through several modes of braking, so it was not a smooth experience. At times it seemed that there was bit of acceleration. I suspect both of these are things that a driver would get used, but seem to be poor design decisions.

I did find the overall experience to be better than the Honda Civic hybrid. I generally found it to be more solid and have better acceleration than the Civic, and in some cases better than the Prius.

The Insight has a driving mode that is called “Eco mode,” and a regular mode. I did not perceive a difference in the way the car behaved in either mode, and also could not really see a difference in apparent fuel efficiency (but see my caveat at the top).

Would I buy one? It is a bit less expensive than the Prius, and if I was sure that the advertised fuel efficiency was correct, I would, with one caveat. That is, would I need to have six foot tall passengers in the back seat more than occasionally. If yes, stick with the Prius; if not, the Insight is a worthy buy.

the last Tressa of this post.