Photo gallery: Honda Insight (2010)Think hybrid and you're more than likely to think of the Toyota Prius, the car of choice for environmentally conscious celebs everywhere. In the past Honda has fought its hybrid battles with the first Insight, a quirky eco-coupe, and a string of hybridised sedans, such as the Civic. None of these really caught on, so Honda is taking another crack at it with a dedicated five-seater hybrid hatch.
Upside
Although it has more than a passing resemblance to the king-of-the-hill Prius, Honda took a different engineering tack to Toyota. Whereas Toyota has concentrated on squeezing as many litres per 100km out of the new Prius, not to mention loading it up with tonnes of cool tech, Honda has concentrated on cost. Overseas, the Insight has a considerable price advantage over the current Prius — 19 per cent in Japan, 18 in the UK and 10 in the US. Based on current Prius prices, this would translate to an RRP of between AU$30,295 and AU$33,660 when the Insight goes on sale here either later this year or early next.
Honda achieved a large proportion of its cost savings thanks to its much simpler hybrid system. It features a small 1.3-litre engine and a single, again small, electric engine. There's also a — you guessed it — small 101-volt battery pack hiding underneath the boot floor; naturally the batteries are of the less efficient but cheaper nickel-metal hydride variety.
Unlike the Toyota system, Honda's won't allow the Insight to run on electric power alone. However, a few tricks have been included to help you achieve or better its fuel economy claims — 5.9L/100km around the city in official US testing. Key amongst these is a speedometer that turns from blue to blue-green to green as your right foot becomes less leaden — according to our US counterparts, this system allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road while monitoring their driving "greeness" in their peripheral vision. Drive greenly for long enough and you'll also start earning leaves on your dashboard — think of them like trophies on a PS3 or achievements on an Xbox 360.
Downside
Given that the Insight utilises the same aerodynamic principles as Toyota's Prius — their distinctive shape is known as a Kamm tail design, if you're curious — it's little surprise that the two look like peas from the same pod. So while it does scythe through the air with nary a whoosh, we do wish that a few of the details on the concept car shown in Melbourne, such as the funky alloy wheels, backlit grille and neon-style tail-lights, had made the final cut.
Outlook
Given that the price of oil has jumped off the same cliff as the world's economy, Honda's focus on cost over ultimate economy seems to be one part smart decision-making and one part brilliant timing, or sheer blind luck. Little wonder then that its combination of better-than-Prius driving experience, low price and high mileage was enough for our US cousins to give the Insight an Editors' Choice garland — frankly, we can't wait until the new Insight lands in Oz.
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