Leaked document reveals Honda Insight mpg & CO2

I could say the same about you.

As I said 11 posts ago, I have now idea what you get in the European Prius. I'm talking about the US Prius. You have a picture of a foamed piece. Is this from a US spec Prius? Considering that you live in Portugal I doubt it is.

 

It certainly isn't!

Let me kill this once and for all... just in case he will tell us I have edited my picture with photoshop or something...

Here's an official Toyota document on the model 2006 changes: Prius-PT

Just download it and read right at first page:

Soft pads are used on the driver side mid panel of the instrument panel, on the front passenger side outer
surface of the upper door and glove box, and on the upper door trims for enhanced feel and quality.

Bang! I'm out of this silly discussion, it was fun :rockon:

PS. - These changes occurred ALL OVER THE WORLD, the tech doc is worldwide except where noted (for example in the IPA case), they are NOT exclusive to EUROPEAN PRIUS!

 

I'm off to the dealership.

Your link goes to your password protected site. Here is what I could find on the open internet:

"Inside the cabin, comfort for passengers has been improved, with an adjustment to the hip point for those sitting in the back. Quality, one of the fundamental elements of all Toyota models, has been raised further with new upholstery colours, a soft-touch paint finish for the dashboard and the introduction of a leather-trimmed steering wheel across the range. A new leather upholstery option has been made available, replacing the previous combination of leather and suede-effect Alcantara, and three new metallic paint finishes - Vermillion Red, Verbier Green, and Tyrol Silver. A fourth new colour, Decuma Grey, will follow in April."

Toyota Prius Primed For 2006

 

João's document is not available unless you have the password to his site, so I've taken the liberty of posting the relevant 2006 New Car Features excerpt that he has in mind. The document is applicable to 2006 model year US and Canadian models.

 

Oops. Sorry about that, let me try to attach the file here...

 

Ahhh, perfect Patrick, yours is specific for the North American version, thanks.

Now he will go to the dealership and come saying "it's not soft enough for me"

 

Thanks, Patrick. That's exactly where I see and feel the soft pads. :thumb:

Soft is a relative thing here as the coarse grain surface texture has a stiffer/more durable appearance than on some of the other Japanese vehicles I've owned. That can be good or bad as some of the softer ones looked like their skins might be tear or scuff prone.

 

I suppose the Honda Passport, Pilot, Ridgeline, Odyssey and Element were somewhat less than wholehearted attempts at the same markets Toyota were in with their equivalents?

No, seriously, there is little or nothing to choose between these manufacturers in terms of their commitment to models both inside and outside 'small fuel efficient cars'. That their engineering and design DNA is widely different is undoubted (and for my money, there is no doubt that Hondas are typically more fun to drive), but both are heavily into any market segment that can make them money - and up until mid-2008, that included large, fuel-INefficient vehicles.

 

No, I may be stubborn but I can admit when I'm wrong. The panels outlined in the the file you sent are indeed foamed parts. The 2006-2009 Prius has a hard instrument panel with select soft zones. My apologizes gentlemen.

I was also wrong about the 2009 Corolla. Though the detail pictures on Toyota's website show a very nice grain pattern the actual car has a hard instrument panel.

Things are a lot different than the last time I was at the dealership. Today they have 12 Prius on the lot.

 

both 2008 (old) and 2009 (new) Corollas have soft plastics on the top of the dash...

But i think the worst thing here is that you dont like hard plastics on your old prius, and are touting Honda Insight, which will 99% have hard plastics .

 

You do realize that nobody in the world has anywhere close to 85,000 EV strenght batteries per year? I mean GM will have only 30,000 batteries in 2011 . Not to mention that it doesnt really scale like that, but we can skip that part of conversation.

I mean the theory that Prius, with its electric motors, regen braking and advanced batteries isnt advancing EV's of the future is quite silly :rockon:

I think that any kind of full hybrid is advancing the field, so bring it on Ford, as Honda seems not to want to compete

 

To me yes. Every Honda is built on a unibody chassis, most are 4 cylinders, and Honda doesn't even sell a V8.

The CR-V and Element are built on the same platform with different body styles. Honda resisted industry and customer pressure and refused to put a V6 in these vehicles. The CR-V and Element are only available with a 4 cylinder

The Odyssey, Pilot, and Ridgeline are also built on a common platform and again are all unibody. Again, Honda resisted pressure to go big and only offers a V6.

On the other hand Toyota has gone big. Toyota sells 9 SUVs, minivans, and trucks in the US: RAV4, FJ Cruiser, Highlander, 4 Runner, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, Sienna, Tacoma, and Tundra.

They jumped right in with the Detroit 3 and made a massive body-on-frame truck with a big V8. They also made a body on frame SUV to compete with the Suburban and Expedition. Then they decided to compete with Hummer and make the FJ Cruiser. You have to sell a lot of Prius to offset Sequoia.

I have no doubt that Toyota invested heavily in trucks and SUV's to make money. It doesn't match their green image though.

 

so basically you will buy Insight because Honda does not have V8 engine?

 

No but I do have to give them credit for resisting industry pressure and doing things their own way. Even when the came out with a supercar, the NSX it had a V6 instead of a V8, V10, or V12. Honda's development of V-TEC partly came out of their resistance to get increased horsepower though increased displacement.

I've never actually purchased a Honda car, though I have owned some Honda motorcycles. The Prius is the first Toyota I've owned.

 

The size of the engine doesn't really count in any meaningful sense, while fuel economy, power output etc does. In a broad sense there's still not much to choose between Honda and Toyota in that sense, and while Toyota has a wider range of larger vehicles, they've been as much involved in the 'small car' market globally as anyone else.

If my experience of Honda vehicles is anything to go by (most recently an 03 Element from the first batch ever made - a truly delightful toy to play with) I wouldn't question the supposition that Toyotas are perhaps a bit less engaging and fun to drive, but it's nothing to do with Toyo's fleet of trucks and vans, just that Honda have better 'car' DNA.

It's broadly the same set of arguments and criteria flung around in the Ford Vs Chevy debate.... it's less about facts and more about personal preference... even a bit of generic prejudice, for which it is always possible to find rationalizations.

 

p.s. reading at Autocar:

This is for Europe ...

 

Looks like a revised version of the Civic hatchback. Why rebrand the car "insight" which already has a brand image completely different than this car. Why not just call it a civic hybrid hatchback! HCHHB

 

I agree.
Honda felt jealous of Prius success.
So, they decided to offer the dedicated hybrid vehicle with Prius like shape.

Ken@Japan

 

Because they have learned that hybrids sell better if they are harder to compare to a conventional car. If you take a conventional car and offer a hybrid option the first thing people do is look at the difference in price and difference in fuel economy and calculate "payback".

On the other hand the Prius is compared to the Matrix, Corolla, and Camry, because there is no easy "control vehicle" for comparison.