Prius II vs. Insight Gen II EX

Smartkey and Touch Tracer are standard in Prius and easy to miss.

Those featues are not possible to add later with aftermarket parts.

 

Oddly, my comparison Hybrid was the Saturn Vue Greenline. I carry a great deal of junk, I mean networking gear, and was concerned that the Prius might not hold it all. Saturn had a micro hybrid Saturn Vue, (this allowed them to put Hybrid stickers on it without actually saving any gas) but was going to introduce a 2 mode Hybrid Real Soon Now. (Just like the Volt has be Real Soon Now for over a year)
Saturn Vue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

GM killed the 2 mode, then Saturn. Meanwhile a Toyota salesman had me take a test drive home 35 miles to load all my junk, I mean networking gear, in it and drive it back the next day. Everything fit and I still got 42 MPG with the car loaded to the window lines.

I would not have considered anything smaller than a Prius, as I had dismissed even the Prius as too small. (My wife gets to say 'I told you so')

Yes, 17 foot extension ladder, (9 foot step ladder) four 8 gallon tubs and many boxes, whilst retaining room for two passengers and a driver.

 

loaded to the window lines with?

 

Correct. There's no tach on the Prius. You'd need install a tach or something like a ScanGauge to see ICE RPM.

Here's Toyota's take on the cost of a Prius vs. the Insight: Hybrid Cost Analysis - Newsroom : Our Point of View Post / Toyota

 

Again, take into account how long you plan on owning the car and what life changes (if any) you might expect (parent moving in with you due to illness, new or adopted child, etc). Also, if you are planning on financing the car, see what the cost difference is on the loan you'd be getting (month to month payment) vs your miles driven per month (and the gas savings the Prius will have vs the Insight). It may not be much of a difference in the end.

But, I'm glad to hear you took the Insight out for a test drive. I agree with Bob, you are doing the right thing and good luck with either car. I think you will do well with the one you like the best.

 

So my question is, how many of you cross shopped the Prius II with the Insight, and what were your thoughts?

I test drove both before buying my Gen III level II Prius. Consumer Reports obviously compared the Insight to the Prius. I take CR with a grain of salt (some illogical biases), but I had the same problems with the Insight: cramped (rear AND front), noisy, steering not tight enough- hence highway wandering.

The Prius feels and is better made than the Insight and you pay for it . I think Honda still produce/sell the most engines in the world, so they do make good engines, but Toyota makes/sells more cars. I had a Civic LX that had a bullet proof engine (187000 mi when traded for my Prius), but the rest of the car was falling apart and expensive to maintain. I had two Toyotas, 1983 pickup/1993 corolla wagon, both of which outlasted equivalent Hondas other family members drove. Again, the engines of their Hondas went strong and long, but everything else failed: exhaust, suspension, electrical components, bodywork and especially brakes- even with scheduled maintenance. My Honda had horrible brakes (Honda seem notorious for this: short lived brakes/expensive to service).

In the long run, I have more confidence in the whole car Toyota than Honda. My Prius doesn't rattle, I have had no knocking startups, no brake problems, no sudden accels. I do only have 2600 miles on the car, but I am happy to have spent the extra money and gotten the Toyota.

 

One of the big turns off for me was the lack of cruise control on the lx model. That, and I think they priced it way too high for the market.

 

I'm not sure I would have posted that.

 

I took an Insight for a 40 mi test drive, (non-saleable first delivered unit) while the salesman was very busy. I previously drove a Prius for a shorter drive. It was an easy desision for me to pick the Prius even thought the Insight was being discounted $700 at the time and I had to pay full retail, but with a lifetime powertrain warranty (mechanical only) with the Prius.
The main reasons were:
1) Honda drove me nuts of shuting off engine at stop signs, where I immediately got going again in an instant, by immediately starting the ICE rather than running on battery power as the Toyota.
2) Lots of extra room in the Prius
3) Lots better mileage with the Prius, I estimate under the same driving conditions, rural roads at lower to mid 50mph range the Insight would get me 47mpg vs 58 for the Prius. Driving across town or at slower speeds in country, 40 mph, the Prius is even more superior in fuel economy.

 

The Insight should save you more money in gas because you will be compromised with less interior room. However, it will not. The bigger, more refined and more equipped Prius will use less gas and will save you money in the long run.

 

I think the Insight is more suited for shorter drivers, since it is less roomy inside and has a center console, which cuts knee room. I prefer my Prius II for that. I don't like the center console in the Prius III. I sat in the passenger seat on the highway when my wife drove her new Insight home--in a driving rain. I had no problems in the passenger seat.

I think the seats are sportier than the Prius seats, but I wouldn't want to be over 6 feet tall in an Insight! It's a bit cramped if you're big, but that's true for most subcompacts. Except maybe the Fit- which has that high roof like the Prius. The high roof is the key to interior space.

Since the Prius is viewed as mid-sized, and the Insight as compact--perhaps we are comparing apples and oranges here. My wife actually liked the Insight because it was smaller than the Prius, and handled more like her old Civic. She's had it a couple of months now, and is very satisfied.

 

2008 Prius.

I wonder why Honda cut 2" off the roof with the Insight vs the Fit and Prius. That's why the rear is cramped. Next to each other in the garage, roof height is the only apparent size difference.

 

what are they saying over at the insight sight?

 

Less wind resistance equals better gas mileage at high speeds. Since they are not getting high mileage via technology, they need to get it with size/weight/shape. (Toyota certainly plays the size/weight/shape game as well, but in a larger size)

 

I like the materials used for the insights interior more. The cloth used for the gen III prius feels like a t-shirt that'll eventually either tear or pill a lot