Honda Insight Differences?

On a lesser note, anyone like styrofoam in the tire storage area of their $20k car. That was the straw that broke the camels back for me after the test drive, during a closer inspection. I really liked Honda, but that was a dissapointment using so cheap a material.

 

Quite a bit Prius bias here but what did you expect. Anyway, the Insight is Honda's attempt at grabbing a slice of the Hybrid market. It's strategy was the same as the Amazon's Kindle Fire versus Apple's iPad. Design a cheaper solution that gives you most of what you want. It copied the Prius in shape and form and was sold a couple thousand $ lower in price. In a way it worked because Toyota came out with the Prius C to combat this newcomer. The car magazine comparison articles I read state the Insight is better than the Prius Gen II. But the Prius Gen III is better than the Insight.

The Insight has a smaller ICE and smaller electric motor than the Prius Gen III. Therefore, it is slower and gets lower fuel economy as Hondas are generally more sporty than Toyotas. But it costs thousands less.

There's no reason for the existence of the Insight anymore as the Civic Hybrid has surpasses it in performance, quality and fuel economy.

 

To the OP.
There is so much real difference between HSD, Toyota's hybrid design and IMA, Honda's hybrid design that the easy cop out, is just to suggest you click around the internet. Videos on Youtube will illuminate the specifics.

There is quite a lot of truth simply in the names. Honda is an I.ntegrated M.otor A.ssist. which is primarily an engine being assisted by a pancaked electrical motor.

While Toyota employs the full Hybrid system of a Hybrid Synergy Drive.

The simplest, comprehensive description I've heard applied is that Toyota and HSD is more a case of an Electric Vehicle being assisted by a gasoline engine, and IMA is more a case of a Gasoline Engine being assisted by an Electric Motor.

I'm prejudice because I've hung around Prius Chat for years, but I think HSD has a better track record and offers greater advantage and fuel economy.

And that is coming from someone who has owned a Honda and currently owns a Honda. 2 years ago, I really wished the Insight was a better product, I wanted to like it. But it really couldn't compare IMO to the Prius, at least not favorably.

 

I will never understand the people who complain about the foam insert in the spare tire compartment. I have never used that area for anything in my life nor have I ever met anyone who has. The foam actually keeps the floor of the cargo area properly supported in an even way without adding a lot of weight. Every other car I've owned had a cargo area floor that eventually sagged and looked awful. If you're put off by foam being used just because it's foam, regardless of the fact that it's actually a great choice for the purpose it serves I think you have a pride issue to work out.

 

Actually the Insight, after some early sales, was a failure. Instead Honda put IMA into the Fit Hybrid which then sold relatively well in Japan. But, realistically, the Prius c wasn't forced on them by competition from Honda. It came in order to continue and expand sales in Japan and other nations because Toyota needed a cheaper hybrid and a more efficient small car. (The Yaris Hybrid's basically the same car).

If it did anything, it made Toyota introduce the Gen 3 Prius with a lower price.

 

The foam insert over the tire wastes a lot of space that could be used to store all kinds of stuff. This car does not have a lot of space behind the front seats and wasting space with big blocks of foam is just plain stupid.

 

The foam insert fills the space that in the Australian version (and probably other markets too) is filled with a full-size spare... in our case the cargo floor sits directly on the spare.

 

photogrl13 & others,

In 2004 when I was comparing the HCH against the Prius hatchback, there were a few things that steered me more towards the Prius. A panel between the rear tail lights that you had to hoist cargo or luggage over to get things into the rear storage area because the Honda was a notch-back sedan as opposed the the flat floored hatchback. Also relating to available cargo space was the fact that the Prius's rear seat backs could be folded down to create an all flat floor all the way up to the front seatbacks. In the non-hybrid version of the Honda Civic (notchback sedan), you could fold the rear seats down too, but not so in the hybrid version.That's because their battery pack wasn't under the floor, but instead stacked up behind the rear seatbacks.

Next was the frequency of reports that Honda's CVT had to be rebuilt every 30,000 miles because it was a high-wear belt & pulley design as opposed to Prius's durable gear & chain design (the one chain got removed & became an all gear CVT in 2010).

And lastly, the Honda hybrid system is a series-type hybrid [meaning that the gas engine runs all the time (except during "auto-stop") to drive the car or to charge the battery for when the IMA is in operation (the IMA only kicks in to help out the gas engine when it needs more power)]. At that time, the early Honda hybrids only used a belt & pulley driven A/C compressor (which killed your A/C use during idle mode in stop & go traffic), but Honda changed it around 2006 or 2007 to include an electric motor as a secondary drive source for the A/C compressor (as I understand it) so you could get cold air when stopped.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

Bought a new Honda Insight back in 2010. It was considerably less expensive than the competing Prius lift back, and cost essentially made the decision. Just traded said Insight a week ago for a 2012 Prius C Three. Ownership of the Insight wasn't an unpleasant experience. It consistently turned in 42-44 mpg. That was actual pen to paper calculations, not what the computer in the car told me. It wasn't as seamless a hybrid system as the Toyota. It was rougher and less refined. Plus, the auto stop would disengage on a regular basis, so the engine ran quite a bit. It was essentially a JDM Honda Fit motor mated to an electric motor, so, rather a parts bin special and the battery was a known issue on Honda hybrids, though we never had problems. Then again, we only put 14k miles on it. Apples for apples, the Toyota has a better hybrid setup by far. Smoother, more efficient and clearly a tech generation advanced over the Honda. Personally, I think Honda needs to either get the hybrid setup right, or ditch it altogether. I'm a purist: my other car is a supercharged S2000 and prior to that, I owned a Civic Si and two different Honda Fits (LOVE the Fit.) So, I prefer Honda to stick to more performance oriented livery, and I feel they've lost their way, of late. We ditched the Insight because Toyota came out with the Prius C, and we wanted to get rid of an unpopular car while it was still worth something. Plus it was the chance to get alloy wheels, cruise control and nav (the Insight had none of these items on the LX) and have a new car with a cheap, cheap payment.

 

It's a Honda and Honda makes really good cars. I tried both and didn't feel a difference. I got a better price at the Toyota dealer and I like the interior of the Prius C a little more. But operationally they felt identical. I would've been happy with either.

 

I have driven both the Civic Hybrid and Insight. I do have to say my Prius C is a much more enjoyable experience driving a hybrid. The others had too many, huh?, from passengers when the engine would shut off and even if it did at a complete stop. The Civic did get great highway mpg's until the battery was low and it was pedal to the medal trying to go up any type of hill. Enjoyed both cars at the time but the Prius seemed to be better all around to me.