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Road Tests: Long-Term Test
2000 Honda Insight
May 2001
By editors at Edmunds.com
Date Posted 04-24-2002
Video highlights of this vehicle
Associate Editor Erin Mahoney's previous written update on the Honda Insight (September
2000) reads like a bad-tempered tirade. One month in the flighty hybrid was
obviously not enough time for her to develop an appreciation for some of the vehicle's
more gratifying qualities.
"This time around, however, my attitude toward the Insight has definitely softened,
as I've come to accept it for what it is — an economical gas/electric hybrid
vehicle, not a sport coupe," she confessed sheepishly after reacquainting herself
with the silver Honda.
In spite of its anemic 73-horse engine and shameless lack of low-end torque, Erin
was pleasantly surprised to find that the Insight's tidy size, light weight and
low center of gravity made for a zippy and graceful ride through twisty canyon
roads, at least while heading downhill. She had an absolute blast winding her
way down Mulholland Drive one afternoon.
On the highway, too, this month's driver was impressed with the Insight's proficiency
at traveling with the speed of traffic. Unfortunately, the hybrid takes its sweet
time in building up the velocity it takes for serious lane weaving and passing
maneuvers. Going uphill was, of course, a whole other heart-pounding matter. Mahoney
would have to anticipate significant upcoming grades by moving over to the right
lane, lest she anger any BMW X5s or Porsche Boxsters barreling their way up the
hill behind her. Under most circumstances, however, the Insight proved to be quite
an adequate highway cruiser, even when loaded up with herself, a passenger and
their two days' worth of luggage.
Our other Erin on staff, Contributing Editor Riches, had some commentary of her
own after spending a couple of days riding low in the Insight:
"Previously, I have paid little attention to the miles-per-gallon
meter in the gauge cluster. As long as I was keeping the electric battery close
to full, I felt like a successful Insight driver. This time, though, I watched
the meter and did not like what I saw. Even though I drove in fifth gear at
30 mph and depressed the gas pedal as gently as I could, I could not get the
average mpg to climb above 55. Oh sure, there were stretches when the Insight
sailed down hills on the freeway at 75 or 80 mph and the "as you go" meter climbed
above 100 mpg. But when traffic gets heavy or the Insight is asked to climb
a long hill, the meter hovers in the 30s. How frustrating. But I really didn't
drive as conservatively as I could. Like many people in Southern California,
I have ascribed a superficial immediacy to my life, such that I cannot allow
myself to drive 65 mph in the right lane. But this, as
Scott Memmer has shown, is clearly what the Insight requires to deliver
optimum fuel economy — especially if one has to compensate for regular
periods in stop-and-go traffic. I think I'm just too selfish to enjoy the Insight
fully. I guess I need a Civic with a CVT.
Our month with the Insight didn't pass without a couple of odd occurrences. On
several occasions, in fact, our associate editor had trouble shifting the vehicle
into second gear. This usually happened when Erin started to coast to a stop,
only to find the light turn green before she had to bring the vehicle to a full
halt. In preparation for a complete stop, Mahoney usually depresses the clutch
and applies the brakes. Upon realizing that she doesn't have to stop after all,
she'll slip the vehicle into second gear, let off the clutch and proceed on her
merry way. In the Insight, however, she'd hear an odd rasping noise like she was
grinding gears as she tried to shift into second, even as she had her foot held
tightly on the clutch pedal to disengage the engine from the transmission. Then,
as she tried to pull the shifter back into the neutral position, it would stick,
as if it were caught on something, and the grating noise would continue. While
this situation never lasted for more than a few seconds, it struck Erin as odd
and worth mentioning.
The other suspicious incident was the disappearance of the driver-side wheel skirt,
or "spat" in Honda parlance. Upon approaching her car one evening in the parking
lot of a restaurant, Erin noticed that the body panel that covered the rear wheel
was glaringly absent, exposing the wheelwell and some ugly hardware. Inspection
revealed that the brackets into which the panel's retaining bolts were screwed
appeared untouched in the front, but bent out of place in the rear. It looked
as if the front screw had been removed and then the panel yanked off its rear
anchor by brute force. We speculated that either the front screw had come loose
and the wind had caught the panel and ripped it off the rear hinge while the vehicle
was in motion, or else some heavy-handed spat thief had loosened the front screw,
then lost patience and yanked the panel off without bothering to first remove
the rear screw. Erin thinks it unlikely that the wind would have taken the spat
without her noticing; she figures the force of the pull would be readily apparent
on such a lightweight vehicle. On the other hand, it seems odd that some hoodlum
would make off with the spat in such a haphazard way — they may have done
damage to the piece in the process, thereby hurting its black-market resale value.
Therefore, it remains a mystery.
Erin dutifully took the vehicle to Honda of Santa Monica to have the part replaced.
The dealership ordered the spat ($205.53 — ouch!) along with a front license
plate bracket that had fallen off ($33.88). They installed the license plate holder
for free, but informed Erin that, due to the bent bracket in the wheelwell, she'd
have to go to a body shop to have the spat installed. The Insight's diligent caretaker
thereby took it to Holmes Body Shop in Santa Monica, only to be informed that
they would have to order yet another part (to replace the part of the bracket
that was bent). At this point, Erin is still waiting for a call from the body
shop so that she can take the Insight in to have its spat put back into place.
Current Odometer: 18,698
Best Fuel Economy: 53.9 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 47.8 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 50.2 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $239.41 (spat, license plate bracket)
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: Occasional reluctance to engage second gear.
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