Another 2010 Prius vs. Insight Comparison

the comparison has the prius at 8.2 overall to the insight's 7.4

some of the conclusions are ridiculous and the logic/scoring inane

 

It's another biased article. here is a quote. "With the 2010 Toyota Prius it's a slightly different story. There's more room, but the interior finish and fit still aren't up to the quality levels found on Toyota's Lexus brand."

Hello, they are comparing it to the Insight, not a Lexus. This is how you can see where they are biased. The Insight gets the same grade but they don't compare it to an Acura. The 2010 Prius has more cargo room but they clearly didn't want to say that. I drove the Insight and it's underpowered, it does have ok steering but it feels weighted in an awkwark way. The Insight is tuned more like a Civic and the Prius more like a Camry.
The cars are pretty different from each other. After driving the Insight, I'd never buy one.

 

I took the insight for a test drive. My impressions:

1. Most uncomfortable seats I have ever sat in. Head rest are so far forward my chin was being pushed into my chest almost.

2. Very cluttered and child like dash. I dont need growing trees or color changing dash lights. Really looked piece meal,

3. Rear seating is awful and in just trying to get in the rear seat my 5'8" wife clonked her head on the door frame.

4. ICE never turned off even when sitting at a light on a 60 degree day with no heat or A/C on.


I think even the sales guy knew it was a clunker as he didnt even try to get us to come inside after the ride to close the deal and he never called me again.

Went right over to the Toyota dealer and gave him my $500 deposit. nuff said.

 

I'm with Steve on this one; the two cars are worlds apart. I haven't driven a 2010 Prius, but I drove the '09 one day and an Insight the next. The Prius was the clear winner. I didn't like the rough ride, whiney engine noise nor the cheap fit and finish of the Insight. I'm hoping the 2010 Prius fixes the problems I had with the 2009, especially the seats as I was uncomfortable after a 30 min+ test drive. In general, I think the cars appeal to different niches - the Insight is a kids car, the Prius is for adults. I was on the hunt for a new car, looking for a small-to-mid sized hatchback that is comfortable for 10 hr rides, reliable, gets good mileage and will last (my youngest car is now 6). The Prius wasn't on my original list to check out as I didn't realize how much space is in that seemingly small package. A smart Toyota salesman walked us over to one in the showroom and asked if we'd considered it. It's now the benchmark that I use to compare other cars against. After I drove the Insight, that smart salesman even got a deposit out of my usually securely locked pocket! I'm going as nuts as many others are waiting for my 2010 to arrive.

 

What is all that junk on the Insight's dashboard? The MFD or whatever they call it looks like a square peg in a round hole.

 

Its a very small display that you can change the info on. But its not even multi-color. Its light blue text on a dark blue background. Very hard to read, low contrast and blocky text. Looks like it was taken out of a 1st generation Gameboy display.

 

What a terrible comparison test. Wow the Prius interior is not the same quality as a Lexus. Thanks for the info idiots. Shame on you Toyota for using lower grade materials on a $22,000 car.
Bottom line is all of these comparison tests are good for is to open your eyes to certain things you may overlook when test driving either car. I would never make a buying decision on some websites poor evaluation of both cars.

 

I haven't driven a Prius G3 yet but have driven the new Insight and the insight does drive like a Honda product and similar to my old Integra. It's ride quality is more like a Fit which doesn't say much since the Fit has a rough ride. Steering is nimble and around town driving was OK. I suspect the power would be poor in hill and freeway passing passing which doesn't bode well for me since I live on a hill.

I need to test drive the Prius next after my drive in the Fusion (I know its more like a Camry blah blah blah).

 

I don't think people should get all worked up about comparisions between Prius and Insight. Given they are both hybrid, both hatchback and the external visual simularities comparisions are inevitable and in my opinion valid. Some people seem almost offended at any comparison. Yes, we know, one's mid-size the other compact. Anyway competition has already driven down price, so I invite the comparisons.

There is a lot I like about the new Insight. However for me, bottom line is I don't like the IMA assist technology nearly as well as HSD. So for me personally you can compare all you want unless Honda beefs up its Hybrid technology I'm going with Toyota as clearly the superior product. There is also a scary amount of negative feedback on the internet about IMA failing after a few years or quickly decreasing in efficency when batteries start to weaken or are in exposed to heated enviroments. I can't speak to that, as I don't own a Honda Hybrid, but the reality is visit any open forum discussing the Honda Civic Hybrid and you will see a lot of owners complaining about sudden losses of efficency. I tend to find there comments substantial, as most of them start with " I loved my Hybrid until.....".

Toyotas HSD just seems to age better, remaining efficent for the longer life of the vehicle, while I have read lots of complaints from Honda owners that experience a premature and substantial loss of efficency long before the vehicle as a whole is very old. Just makes me very hesitant about investing into IMA.

Honda IMA lovers and owners feel free to tell me I'm totally wrong but you have a lot of fellow owners that don't agree with you. I wish I could feel more confident about IMA because I really like the Insight in every other respect and as a vehicle think I would be very comfortable with it. I also know I'm going to be interested in the Honda Fit Hybrid when it arrives. But when it arrives, I'll probably be driving my Prius.

 

Honda may have some worries ahead - perhaps they aimed too low against the Prius.

The CR article described the Insight as a 7/8th scale Prius. They're planning a full test of the Insight as well as the '10 Prius.

(No copyright issues below - it's a review of the CR article).

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Consumer Reports Posts First Look at 2010 Honda Insight, Full Review to Follow Soon

June 1st, 2009

Now that the Insight has taken to the streets, many reviews are in. Some are negative and some are positive, but many draw the same conclusions. The Insight, overall, belies it's low price in terms of interior material quality and lack of overall refinement.

During the course of their brief drive, they were able to achieve a respectable 38 mpg; a great number for a gasoline engine car, a measly number for a dedicated hybrid model. For comparison, the Civic Hybrid returns 37 mpg and the outgoing Toyota Prius easily obtains 44 mpg.

Further hampering the review of this car is the tepid acceleration. The engine responses are sluggish and the vehicle lacks off the line punch. One the plus side, the interior features a good driving position, supportive seats and easy access to the front of the vehicle. However, access to the rear is difficult and the interior is a bit cramped.

The real negative in the review relates to the overall refinement of the vehicle, citing a stiff, choppy ride, lack of agility, and strong road noise as major drawbacks of the vehicle. And always a sticking point for Consumer Reports is the lack of stability control on low levels models as that option is unavailable on the base LX version.
The verdict is not in yet, but Honda has to be at least a little concerned about a few early reviewers pointing out several negative aspects about their Insight.
We will post more reviews as they become available.

Source: Consumer Reports July 2009

Consumer Reports Posts First Look at 2010 Honda Insight, Full Review to Follow Soon - AllCarsElectric.com

 

ewwww i already thought the insight's exterior was ugly. now the interior is even worse!!

 

I have driven the 2010 Insight and the 2010 Prius. They are both great values.

• If you want the least expensive 2010 hybrid money can buy, the Insight is a great car for thousands less. It's a little more fun to drive than a Prius, but both are basically utilitarian transportation.
• If you want a more substantial car with (many) more options, the Prius is the target everyone is shooting for. It costs more, but you certainly get more.

I think they are both about equal value, and I hope both sell well.

 

I tried to test drive a Honda Insight:

1. Hit my head trying to get in on the door frame.
2. You have to peer through the steering wheel to read the instruments ... tiny instruments ... down low ...
3. I felt like I was sitting in a coffin with little or no room to stretch and shift about.
4. Folded down the rear seats and from the back, it looked like a homeless cardboard box shelter.

There was no need for a test drive.

Bob Wilson

 

I actually thought the rear seats in the Insight were better than expected after hearing so many people complain about them. I didn't hit my head on anything and I'm 6'2 210 lbs. The front seats were all the way back too.

That said, the Gen III is obviously much more comfortable.

 

Did any of you use the paddle shifters on the Insight?

 

Bob, I have to say this is one of the most entertaining and descriptive reviews that I've read in a while. Thanks for the chuckles.

 

I concur with Midpack's assessment. I practically spent all day last Saturday with the Insight and then I spent several hours with the Prius and pretty much came to the same conclusion.

 

Wow ! I've just read Consumer Reports August 2009 magazine edition.
The Honda Insight..." it scored too low in our tests for us to recommend it."

In that mag issue they "Recommended" :

VW Jetta
Hyundai Elantra
Mazda3
Pontiac Vibe
Chevrolet HHR

Prius has previously been highly recommended :cheer2:
Our Thursday June 25 comparison program at Jim Barkley Toyota
confirmed for me what CU Reports concluded. I must admit I'm VERY surprised that Honda's hybrid effort would not at least be "Recommended".

 

I've got the issue in front of me now and can confirm. The issue didn't compare the 2010 Prius but had ratings (overall road test score) earlier on for a bunch of cars including the 09 Prius Touring and base.

They start off with "The new Insight seats five and gets excellent fuel economy, but it's a noisy car with a stiff ride and clumsy handling..."

They said for the
highs: fuel economy, transmission, hatchback versatility
lows: ride, noise, handling, acceleration, rear-seat, visibility

They also got 29 city/45 highway, 38 mpg overall vs Most fuel-efficient cars (Prius numbers listed there are for 2nd gen). They also said the econ mode made no difference in their fuel economy tests.