Interior noise vs the Insight?

I liked them both, but found the back seat of the Insight to be a horrible place. If the back seat was usable in the Insight I might have bought one. The Prius does seem to be much more refined than the Insight.

I also drive daily in mildly hilly interstates and get around 51mpg without trying.

 

I test drove both before buying as well.

Insight: I found higher interior noise and higher noise level from the engine in that vehicle.

Rear access is bump your head style. I would have regretted that after the 3rd bump on the head

Prius: Much quieter and refined interior and sound level

Easier access to both front and rear, no head banging.

Summary: I would select the Prius and the track record is there as well.

 

My Prius is very quiet on good, "quiet" pavement, but there is
substantially more tire noise (at 40 psi) on rougher pavement.

I get up to 60 mpg on the freeway, but in the low to mid 40's
in hilly residential / city driving. I average about 50 mpg overall.
I am almost to 4000 miles now.

 

I think the problem most people have is that they are comparing the Insight to the Prius directly. Honda specifically designed the Insight to undercut the Prius as the lowest priced hybrid car. They also designed it as a compact entry-level car, while the Prius is a larger midsize. So they are actually targeted at different markets: think Corolla vs. Camry.

If you are looking for basic transportation on a budget, the Insight would be a good choice. You'll get a well made car, but it will have some obvious trade-offs in size, power, and refinement. But isn't that the case when comparing Corolla to Camry too? Other than that, the Insight gives a lot of features for the money.

If you need a larger car with more power, the Prius is a better choice. You'll pay for that, though, as a comparably equipped Prius will cost a few thousand more than the Insight.

For me, the size and power of the Insight was a non-starter. Money wasn't my top priority in choosing a car, so I went with the Prius and have been happy so far.

 

I never looked at the Insight, but wanted to reply to your question about mpg in hilly driving, since all my local driving is hilly. Until recently (when it got colder) my local mileage (stop-and-go traffic, lots of hills) was about 48-52 mpg. In colder weather (30-50 degrees), the mpg have been in the mid 40's. Driving in rain always lowers the mpg, even into the low 40's. I'm basing these figures on the HSI, not the pump.

 

The Insight is too ugly for me. I have a cousin who sells Hondas and I bought the Prius instead. I also leased a 2010 Rav4 because the deal was way better than the CRV lease even with my cousins best effort. As for the rattles.......I have my share but I do live on a country road in Western Pennsylvania (very bumpy). I will wait and see if I can figure them out and eliminate them. Overall the car is one of the best I have ever owned. I love the technology and mpg. It also is a lot of fun to drive. I have owned many cars over the 42 years I have had a license and this one is near the top of my list.

 

I looked at the Insight in the showroom. Hondas tend to sit you very low to the ground and this one was no exception. It makes it difficult to get in and out of for the older crowd and my parents would have had a really really tough time. Plus the backseat is very small and cramped. The Prius has a nice roomy backseat. I bumped my head trying to get in and out of the car as well.

I could deal with a little more noise if the rest of the car was really great but I never got to that stage. Just one look, was all it took.

 

I test drove them both & found the Inisght to have more road & engine noise than the Prius. I went with the 2010 Prius II because it was just about the same price as the Honda Insight EX. I live in Green Bay where we are getting about 9" of snow in the next 24 hours so I would have needed to buy the Inisight EX for the added saftey features like Vehicle Stability Assist. The II had Trac standard & I wouldn't have saved any money buying the Honda since the price difference is made up in the fuel savings of the Prius. It made my decision pretty easy. After test driving the Prius I placed my order & waited a month to get it. Now the fun part tonight will be driving home in 6" of snow tonight I can't wait to see how it handles! I have 54 mpg for lifetime average so far but with the cold weather I'm down to 48 mpg on my current tank. I do not drive in a hilly area though. maybe you can buy my Blizzard Pearl II in the fall of 2010 when I will most likely buy the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid ... that is if the car gets at least 45 mpg combined. I'm more than ok to take the hit in mpg for the looks of that car ... not a fan of the Prius shape.