My mother-in-law has a Honda CRV (from two generations ago), and is looking to get something different. She's just retired, and she wants something that doesn't drink like an alcoholic in a brewery, which is a huge problem with the CRV. As you know, our petrol costs about twice what American petrol costs, so this is a consideration. She doesn't need as much space as the CRV has. And she doesn't need an SUV. So she could go for a compact or subcompact car. She'd like something as economical as my Prius. But she hates driving my Prius, because she finds the rear visibility a big problem. She also doesn't like things that are too high-tech from the driver's point of view. She doesn't mind very high-tech stuff going on underneath, but she wants to feel like she's driving a normal car, as she finds lots of high-tech interfaces intimidating. (Why? She's a nuclear physicist! I don't get it.) We'll probably get a two-year-old ex-government or ex-fleet car at auction, because it's by far the cheapest way to get a reasonably new car. I'm thinking there are a few options, and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas. An Insight. Is this any better for rear vision than a Gen II Prius? And is it any less intimidating from a buttons-and-widgets point of view? A HyCam (probably the previous generation). She's used to hatchbacks - she had a Golf before the CRV. Is the boot usable? A Prius C. Is this less buttons-and-widgety intimidating than a Gen II Prius? And is it any better for rear vision? A Honda Jazz (Fit in America, I think). She likes Hondas. And the seat thing means it's very versatile. Is it decent on real-world fuel consumption? A hybrid wouldn't be an option, as they didn't sell them here until this year. A Honda Civic Hybrid. Like the HyCam, there's the sedan issue. Is the boot any good? And is fuel consumption Priusy, or is it a bit heavier? Any other ideas? She's always liked VWs, but they only take premium fuel here, which is a good 15-20% dearer. And the DSG has a reputation for falling apart here.
The Fit and C are the only ones I've really looked at. Rear visibility should be better for her because of the more conventional rear window. Fit should get at least 30MPG in most situations. Good cars, I've seriously considered one several times. C would basically be a combination of the Fit's size and the Prius' drivetrain. I personally prefer hatchbacks/wagons as well. I would have her test drive the C and Fit, either one would be a good buy, just get the one she likes.
My vote would be the new Fit/Jazz. Tried to talk my wife into one when we replaced her SUV, but she favored the 2014 Corolla, which was on my list of acceptable's.
It's too bad she doesn't like the Prius. The rear visibility (or lack thereof) is something you get used to pretty quickly. And a hatchback has so many advantages! Are there many Rav electrics in Australia?
Yes, I know! I got used to it very quickly. But she won't be convinced. Yes, it comes in very handy. Especially on the day I found a really nice sofa, and just had to get it home. It even matched the car! Mind you, rear visibility was absolutely terrible that day, now I think about it. Maybe she has a point. None at all. Our full complement of electric cars are the Mistubishi i-MIEV and the Nissan Leaf. And for hybrids, we have all the Lexuses, the Prius, the Camry, the Volt, and in the last few months the Jazz. And that's it. We used to have the Civic Hybrid and the Insight too, but now we don't. Oh, and there's a new E-class, which is really very lovely, but not really the sort of money she was thinking of spending.
Hmm.... The Jazz/Fit does look like quite a good option. I'd kind of prefer to talk her into a hybrid: she does a lot of city driving, so there's a clear advantage. And I think a C could work.
Because you can, I say you get an ute. The only ones that might be for sale are from the'70s. The C, followed by the Fit, sound like the best option. But I have questions more for my own curiousity. Is your Insight the 4dr model? Perhaps she can overlook the rearview for a Honda. It is slightly more versatile than the C for cargo, in that the floor space is longer than taller. DSG aside(I'm guessing manuals are out), is the VW premium required or recommended. There are many premium recommended cars on our roads, that I am sure are only getting regular. What are your octane ratings? Why no diesels? I know you get some that we don't, but the emission standards are likely lower than ours. Too dirty? Fuel cost? Hybrids do better in city, but diesel should do better than a straight petrol.
If it were my mum, that would definitely be an option. She nearly bought a Civic Type R once. Yes, I like the idea of the C. The Insight is the 4 door. I think there's a lot of appeal there, from what I've seen. And they're really cheap. But I'd be interested in knowing whether the rear view is any better than the Prius: the only ones I've seen for sale are a few hundred kms away, so it's a bit of a stretch to go and look at one if it's not going to be any better than the Prius for her. With other VWs I've driven, I find they start running very rough on our normal petrol (91 octane). VW says the premium (98) is required. We have the same emissions standards as Europe for diesels, I think. But diesel costs about 20% more than petrol here, and she does mainly city driving, in Sydney, which is very congested. So there's really no benefit to a diesel. I drove a lot of diesels when I lived in Britain - Dad always had them, and I liked them. But I hired a Ford S Max diesel when I was in Britain in September. It was a nice car, but the engine was horrible. There was some torque between about 1,850 rpm and 1,900 rpm. And that was it.
Oh, I'm surprised. You usually seem to get many more hybrids than us. It seems a bit half-arsed: it won't creep on electric power, apparently.
The first generation IMA system couldn't creep, but I thought the newer gens and the new system could. But creep is a relative term. The motor is much smaller than the traction one in the Prius. the battery may also be smaller. So any creeping it does will have a lower threshold before the ICE kicks in. In short, it should give a push to get moving from a stop, but creeping like a Prius in traffic is out. The Insight you have is known as the Insight II here. We got the first Insight which was a two seater lot like the old CRX. They have a following, but two seats limits sales, and Honda not making much on them ended that generation. The four door was supposed to be a cheaper, more appealing hybrid. But it wasn't priced as low as expected or as fuel efficient. The base gen2 Prius wasn't much more with better mpg numbers. Honda dealers didn't help with those slapping market adjustments on them. It is built on the same platform as the Fit/Jazz. So, in hindsight, Honda might have been better off just bring a Fit hybrid over. We still aren't getting the hybrid. Perhaps a sedan and SUV based on it later. Those are generally more popular than hatchbacks here. You are likely getting the Fit hybrid now because Honda is starting to cancel the Insight and CRZ in some markets.
