As managing editor, my life is all about deadlines and schedules. Driving the Honda Insight in traffic while trying to make a morning meeting, well, it was just too slow for me.
To be fair to the car, if I didn't have time constraints and I was just running errands, I wouldn't mind so much. Its looks don't bother me and I found it to be fairly comfortable. But I had to be somewhere.
Any time of day, driving through L.A. is like going through an obstacle course. To make any progress you need a car that can respond quickly. You need action when you put your foot down.
But driving to work that morning was like one of those dreams where you are trying to run and you can't get anywhere. It was like trying to walk sideways through the ocean.
OK, I'm being a drama queen, but I was getting passed by Priuses!
I kept thinking of the lyrics to the Go-Go's song "stuck in my car, trying to get to you, stuck in my car, nothing I can do, turn the radio up, and scream along." The world was spinning and I was standing still.
You get a little more oomph with the Econ button off, but then, what's the point, right?
I'm not earning very many leaves.
I'll have to take this car over a weekend so I can explore its many features without a deadline.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
carguy622 says:
06:57 PM, 07/16/09
I guess the point is that sometimes you need some extra pick-up at the expense of fuel economy. It's unfortunate that the Insight isn't even all that fast when you turn ECON off. I think the differences should be night and day. You should be able to say "OK, I'm using more gas, but at least I'm getting somewhere."
Honda is trying to turn the Insight into a mainstream car here. Unlike the previous two-seat model, were the owners of that car knew what they were getting into speed wise and were willing to deal with it, buyers of the new Insight who expect a fairly normal driving experience will be flustered when they discover that their fancy new Insight only gets appreciably better fuel economy when it's barely able to get out of its own way. To most it will make more sense to buy the fairly peppy small sedan and give up a few MPG.
This is were the new Prius gets it right. It offer a slow and pokey maximum fuel economy mode, but when you switch it off the performance is more than acceptable when you're in cut throat traffic.
billt9 says:
07:06 PM, 07/16/09
Well when you drive aggressively, how bad is the mpg really?
If it's still pretty good and better than most conventional cars out there, then go ahead and drive aggressively.
Same with the Prius, some peeps complain driving the Prius aggressively is hypocritical. Not. Still gets better mpg.
cwc1 says:
08:00 PM, 07/16/09
Ecological Drive Assist Points? Puhleeez..
billt9 says:
08:08 PM, 07/16/09
I want E.D.A. Points! Are they cumulative and do I upload them to collect rewards online??? I want a free Eco Puppy to travel with me everywhere! I bet that's the 50,000 E.D.A. Points prize!!!
brn says:
08:14 PM, 07/16/09
I'm more than willing to believe the Insight is slow, but how much difference did it really make in meeting your deadline? If the difference was large, I suspect you drive too aggressively for public roads.
carguy622 says:
08:18 PM, 07/16/09
Also, I should mention, that when you're driving a fleet of cars in which there is a GT-R, a couple of M3s, and an Evo or 2 thrown in for good measure, it may skew your sense of outright speed a bit.
esoterica says:
08:29 PM, 07/16/09
The new Insight is an unmitigated disaster, especially with the new Prius starting at only $1200 more.
dg0472 says:
08:32 PM, 07/16/09
Gee, seems like with every new post someone points out something else that "Consumer Reports" didn't like in scoring the Insight too low to be Recommended. Just saying.
iancar says:
10:15 PM, 07/16/09
I wonder if any "tuner" in the future will offer performance boost with batteries or electric motor swap. It will be the hell of environmentalists if dragsters and street racers realize the power of instantenous torque of electric motor.
gdmstrb says:
03:39 AM, 07/17/09
brn:
Apparently you don't live anywhere near LA do ya? Even when you aren't in a rush, it's nice to have something that merges into traffic without stress..
dougtheeng says:
05:43 AM, 07/17/09
"I'm more than willing to believe the Insight is slow, but how much difference did it really make in meeting your deadline? If the difference was large, I suspect you drive too aggressively for public roads."
Agreed.
jeepsrt says:
08:41 AM, 07/17/09
"I'm more than willing to believe the Insight is slow, but how much difference did it really make in meeting your deadline? If the difference was large, I suspect you drive too aggressively for public roads."
Agreed
What are you two? the internet police? It's called keeping up with traffic and if the car does not have enough power to merge or keep up, that can be an issue.
dougtheeng says:
08:51 AM, 07/17/09
"It's called keeping up with traffic and if the car does not have enough power to merge or keep up, that can be an issue. "
I'm just questioning the amount of power required to merge or keep up. I tend to think that anyone with access to supercars is going to have a skewed view on this sort of thing.
brn says:
09:03 AM, 07/17/09
gdmstrb/jeepsrt,
I'm not saying that power is a bad thing. It helps. Driving an underpowered vehicle can be frustrating and maybe even nerve racking. However, it "should" only make a small difference in how long it takes you to get to your destination. Unless you drive in a manner that is inappropraite.
banhugh says:
10:42 AM, 07/17/09
Watch out Insights of the world. My Tercel is about to smoke you away.
gdmstrb says:
11:56 AM, 07/17/09
brn:
So in essence you've never driven slightly faster or aggressively to get to a destination when you know you're facing a time crunch? I think that's the point of this write-up. Not the fact that Donna was driving like a maniac.
brn says:
01:44 PM, 07/17/09
gdmstrb, I don't know what post you're reading.
jeepsrt says:
02:13 PM, 07/17/09
"Unless you drive in a manner that is inappropraite."
This post,^ I know on my commute that if I don't get on it sometimes I have trouble making a light, and if I miss it I'm looking at an extra 5-7 minutes. If I drove something underpowered I would never make the light. I don't think Donna was driving unsafe just from that comment.
brn says:
03:37 PM, 07/17/09
Fine, I'll play.
I never said power was a bad thing. I did say that for it to make a large difference, she'd have to be driving in an inappropraite manner. Now that that's on the table.
Yes, I have driven overly hard myself when I'm late. Never said I didn't. As a result, I WAS DRIVING IN AN INAPPROPRIATE MANNER and should have been ticketed. If I limit it to an appropriate manner, yet still aggressive, it just doesn't save any significant amount of time.
Nothing I said contradicts anything else I said.
trjnflip says:
04:57 PM, 07/17/09
Perhaps you should provide yourself adequate time to get to your destination. ;)
siarizona says:
04:32 AM, 07/19/09
Would the plural of Prius be Prii, e.g., alumnus & alumni?
surfwagon56 says:
03:31 PM, 07/19/09
Saw a Prius pulled over today by the police for speeding, on the 5 fwy. Everyone on these boards complain about how slow Prius and other hybrid owners drive, but around here they seem to keep up with traffic just fine.
I don't speed when I'm late, it would add insult to injury to get pulled over and add the ticket cost and additional time to the situation, or to get in an accident and compound my misery exponentially. This quirk of my driving tends to drive my wife slightly nuts.
Slow car? Leave earlier. Fast car? Don't get mad at me because I'm in your way, because I left early enough to not have to drive like a maniac. Or, in one of the other posts, a "moran". LOL
mortal1 says:
07:31 PM, 07/21/09
The only place you actually *need* power is passing on a two lane road, and (to a lesser extent) merging on the interstate.
I have first hand experience that driving a slow vehicle can be dangerous when trying to get around someone on a two lane road. Thankfully, that's a rare occurrence for me now days.
jram says:
06:49 AM, 07/23/09
I've had my Insight EX for about six weeks now. I don't drive with the Econ button on since I find it to be too sluggish -- like trying to run in a swimming pool. I also drive the car like it was a regular car and I don't have any problems keeping up in traffic. My daily commute consists of about 25 minutes of highway driving and 20 minutes of stop-and-go city driving (each way). On my last two tanks of gas, I averaged 37.7 mpg and 45.5 mpg, respectively. I used to own a 2006 Prius and averaged around 45 mpg.