This months Car and Driver did a shoot out of the '10 against the new Honda Insight and was not impressed with the new Prius. Amazingly they said the Honda was a better car. Even though its smaller, gets worse mileage and and had an unpredictable ICE according to them. They did not like the Prius seating, the handling amongst other things. Hmmm... did Honda pay these folks off?
With Car & Driver, it is usually who pays the most in advertising. I guess Toyota came up a few bucks short this month.
Car and Driver always picks the best handling car, they aren't consumer reports, they are an enthusiasts magazine. Please don't start on the conspiracy theories. Toyota spends just as much on advertising, if not more than Honda.
I remember a few years back there was a big uproar over car and driver and pay offs by honda.... well no pay offs but I think honda does advertise the most in that particular mag from just looking at the mag. Does anyone else remember this?
Car & Driver will pick the car with the best handling and 0-60 times. The Insight II is a bit stiffer and has slightly better times on the slalom. So it will get the nod. The Prius rides softly and is more of a highway cruiser. C&D picks their cars based on performance as well as ad revenue and some really funky math.
And the Hummer is more environmentally friendly than the Prius. That's just a myth, perpetuated by owners of the models that Car and Driver didn't pick to win. It always happens.
i honor the magazine's right to express an opinion. the insight is a great option for many people and i am sure it will sell well. honda has a reputation for providing vehicles that meet or exceed owner expectations and i doubt that the insight will be any different despite this being at intro MY. i did not consider the 2010 insight so did not test drives but had a chance to drive a 2002 insight and its simply a MUCH different kind of car. its handling was more sporty. now i will say that my 2010 handles much better than my 2006 does, but its not a sports car, will not be driven like a sports car, and its handling characteristics are more than adequate for me. i did take the car on a drive that is challenging and it did very very well.
All Toyota and Scions get 1 or 2 / 10 stars on enthusiast rating, whereas regular Honda Civic get 6 / 10 stars, 5 for Mazda3's, ... ( and 10 stars for Ferraris, etc....) It's a driver enthusiast magazine, but they do make some good points.
I fully agree that C&D picks winners based not just on handling and 0-60, but on a particular mix of ride to handling that Honda exemplifies. I read C&D but take this into account, since my particular favorite blend of ride to handling tends toward the way a Toyota feels (and even Hyundai, which moves the mix even further toward ride and away from handling). I read Automobile and realize they judge cars totally subjectively (they have never performed instrumented testing since David E. Davis started the publication in the '80's) and I read Motor Trend, which leans more toward family cars and even SUVs. All have their viewpoint, and I take that into account. I would disagree that any US car publication bases reviews on ad revenue. Personally I believe that is an Urban Myth. On the other hand, I DO believe Consumer Reports will over-emphasize sensational findings in order to sell magazines, since their only source of revenue is magazine sales (no ads). They also do not represent my particular needs in what they consider to be a Good Car.
I did hear something back a few years ago when Motor Trend picked the Honda Civic as car of the year in 2006. It caused and uproar across the automotive world and they were probably looking for some kind of excuse for beating beat by a $16k car. Like it or not, Honda is real competition for the Prius and the word is getting out that it can get 50+ mpg's. The price can't be beat and dealers are selling way below sticker right now and offering an affordable lease. Honda sold over 10,000 Insights in April. Until the 2010 Prius 1 comes out, Honda has a lock on the cheap Hybrid market. If Toyota dealers try to price gouge on the 2010 then that gets Honda even more sales.
I want comfort and quiet and toys. I don't want a sports car. I believe the Insight is a compact and the Prius a mid-size, so its not an apples to apples comparison, is it? I like a 'bad' review if it is because "its too showy and smug, its distinctive-looking so you know its a hybrid, it doesn't handle like xxxx, not as zippy as xxx etc." These are comments I've read/heard in reviews. Those don't matter to me. I like the bigger, more power, better mileage, better seats (hoping for a IV), improved NAV, new toys etc. compared to the 2009 comments. From what I've read the Insight is much noisier than the Prius, smaller and gets worse mileage. Ugh, what's the value in that (besides $2k)? Most reviewers are not 62 years old with a history of cheap cars looking to upgrade. Rich N.
Or 55 with a history of expensive cars looking to downgrade. I wouldn't be caught dead in a stripped Honda, or even a stripped Prius for that matter. C&D reviews have to be carefully scrutinized. I remember the "bad" marks my Audi TT got for its back seat. Seriously, ignore that it had a seat, nobody bought it thinking the seat was usable. My 350 had low marks too in items of no interest to anyone wanting to drive a Z. Typically if you look at thier point system the subjective items (gotta have it) usually control what car they pick. They hate the Camry but there are millions of people that disagree with them. They rave over the new Fusion Hybrid, but seriously how many people really want a "sporting" hybrid sedan? I would like to have a new Camaro hybrid, but if maximizing FE means semi-boring driving, I'm OK with that as long as its comfortable and I'm not surrounded with a cheap looking interior.
ahhh it was motor trend! different strokes for different folks. Honda are known for their handling if thats what they based it on (solely) then that is a logical conclusion.
Probably because the 17" Prius V costs considerable more than the Insight... but I am just guessing here.
Most of the time the don't pick the cars. They may ask for certain models and specs but the maker send them what's available. Probably no Prius V lying around for testing and hugh price difference as well.
Who cares? We all should. Even if you're a Prius Zealot, you should welcome more competition for the Prius, its already "paid" dividends in Toyota lowering the "base" model to compete. Who knows, maybe Toyota will come out with a compact hybrid that gets 100mpg and costs less than $20K.
