Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Video highlights of this vehicle

It has been more than a year since Senior Road Test Editor Brent Romans drove our long-term Honda Insight. In June 2000, Brent was ticketed for speeding during a trip designed to determine the Insight's maximum fuel mileage. Feeling he was unjustly cited, he decided to fight the ticket in court and later had it dismissed (the California Highway Patrol officer never showed up in court).

This month, Brent was again behind the wheel. Excitement, unfortunately, failed to follow. We had no speeding tickets or stolen body panels. The total mileage for the month was only about 650 miles. If the Insight were a movie this month, it would have been Diner.

What impressed Brent the most this month was that the car felt exactly the same as it did 15 months ago. "If you want an example of Honda quality and reliability, look no further than our Insight," he wrote in the logbook. "Not only is our 2000 Insight an all-new car, it's an all-new gas/electric hybrid. I think Honda would have been excused even if the Insight had some problems."

Instead, it has been impressively reliable. Other than the ECU problem caused by the dealership, the Insight has never failed to start or even been hard to start. Nothing has broken off, melted or exploded. The interior is still tight. Besides a driver-side window that is slow to power upwards and slightly frazzled speakers, there seems to be nothing wrong with our car. "Compare this to our experience with our problem-riddled long-term '99 GMC Sierra," Brent said. "That, too, was an all-new vehicle. But it wasn't a hybrid. It was a pickup, something General Motors has had decades to perfect."

Brent said he truly enjoyed driving the Insight. "I'd have to say that this is one of my favorite vehicles. Every time I come to a stop and the engine shuts off, I get a feeling of accomplishment, an understanding that I am doing a good thing — well, make that a less bad thing — for the environment."

Only when his temper rises does the Insight seem inadequate, Brent concludes. "Some sort of incident happens — a person cuts me off in traffic, I'm late for the start of Survivor: Africa, whatever — and I want a car that is imbued with fury that will match and satiate my red fever. I need speed, and quickly. This, the Honda's IMA system cannot provide."

But of course, this isn't the Insight's fault. This is a car with 70 horsepower and such a light curb weight that you can push it using just one finger. It's also the most fuel-efficient new car sold in America, according to the EPA. For everyday urban commuting, the Insight performs admirably. As Contributing Editor Erin Riches said after driving the Insight: "Its small size is ideal for crowded urban/suburban settings. It fits into every parking spot. And I enjoy its light, easy steering setup. In larger, heavier cars, we would probably call it overboosted. But when you're driving the Insight, a quick spin of the wheel is all that's required to back out of a parking spot and be on your way."

Our car still gets plenty of attention, even in Southern California, which probably has the highest concentration of Insights in the U.S. It seems to appeal to a wide age range, and we continually field questions from people at gas stations and grocery store parking lots. According to Honda, 3,901 Insights have been sold since September 2001, a significant increase over last year's 2,836 sales for the same period. This is still a tiny figure compared to the millions of cars and trucks sold in America each year, but it's a number that will only continue to grow.

Current Odometer: 24,898
Best Fuel Economy: 51.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 50.5 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 51.4 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None.
Maintenance Costs: None.
Problems: None.