Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

After last month's busy schedule of maintenance and body repair work, the Insight spent a quiet month commuting in West Los Angeles. Nothing particularly exciting to report, except that both Editor-in-Chief Karl Brauer and Senior Road Test Editor Brent Romans are truly smitten with Honda's fuel miser.

Mr. Brauer's amorous feelings surfaced after he noticed two key pieces of information on the Insight's mileage computer. First, he realized after three days of city-street commuting that his average miles-per-gallon was "only" 47.1. Despite this number being lower than the Insight's EPA rating of 61 mpg, he was still mightily impressed, especially considering his lead-foot style of driving and the clogged streets he had been traversing. But what really got his hybrid motor running was checking the trip odometer and seeing it at 45.8 miles. Both the trip odometer and the average-miles-per-gallon computer had been reset at the previous fill-up, three days earlier, meaning that while his average fuel economy was not as high as one might hope while driving an Insight, he'd still used less than a gallon of gas after three days of driving to and from work. Figure approximately 24 workdays in a given month, and you have Mr. Brauer using 8 gallons of gas a month. Multiply that number by $2 for the price of regular unleaded, and our Editor-in-Chief would be spending around $16 a month on gas if he used the Insight for his worst-case scenario commuting chores (no freeway, during rush hour, repeated stops and starts). Throw in some weekend jaunts and that gas bill might go as high as $20 a month.

As Mr. Brauer likes to point out, "Yeah, the price of gas is higher than it used to be, but you can certainly get around it ... as long as you don't have to drive V8-powered truck-based vehicles that are also hard to park and handle poorly."

This comment was followed by a tirade from Karl regarding the lack of hybrid-vehicle incentives in California's clean air policy:

"I've decided that the California and federal governments are shortsighted for not giving more incentives to people who buy hybrid vehicles. These government agencies bend over backwards for electric vehicles, but essentially do nothing to encourage hybrid purchases. They are basically saying that hybrid ULEV and SULEV emission ratings, along with 50-, 60- or 70-mpg fuel efficiency, aren't good enough to deserve recognition. But if they subsidized Honda's and Toyota's production of hybrids and offered grants to consumers who buy them, just like they subsidize electric vehicles, the Insight would be a profitable vehicle for Honda to sell and a relatively cheap vehicle for consumers to purchase. And, since it can go more than 60 miles without needing an eight-hour recharge, people would actually buy it.

"It was particularly disheartening for me to see that despite the upswing in hybrid interest following the latest round of gas price hikes, Honda reports no plans to increase Insight production because it loses money on every Insight it sells. Here's a case where the government could have easily stepped in and had a real effect on pollution levels by encouraging hybrid purchases."

Karl's only real complaint about the Insight (besides the lackadaisical support our governments give it) is that it can be a bit squirrelly on the freeway. "Normally, it's not an issue, but strong crosswinds or uneven pavement can play havoc with those skinny, low rolling-resistance tires."

"Otherwise, it's a Honda. Great shifter, comfortable seats, functional ergonomics (though the power window switches on the left side of the dash are a bit weird) and exceptional build quality. Hmm, I wonder how much this car will cost when it comes off lease ... "

If it sounds like Mr. Brauer is sold on the Insight, check out Mr. Romans' comments after a few days behind the wheel:

"Could this clever little Honda with a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine really be my favorite car? Quite possibly.

"I find every aspect of it appealing. I like the interior design. I like the exterior design. I like how, despite being a completely radical new design and a first-year car, our Insight has been virtually trouble-free. Oh, and I love driving this car.

"It's such a strange sensation to be cut off by another driver on the freeway. Instead of being angry at his rudeness, I'm mad that he caused me to hit the brakes, lose my momentum and lower my fuel mileage. Don't these inconsiderate people know I'm trying to keep a more than 60 mpg average?

"A few select cars in this world, such as a Corvette or a Mercedes S500, make me feel like a champion when I drive them. The Insight is the only car I know of that makes me feel like a hero."

Current Odometer: 18,839
Best Fuel Economy: 62.5 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 54.7 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 51.9 mpg
Body Damage: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: None