For those of you who fairly guessed, congratulations. For those of you who cheated by looking at the photo name, I'll try better next time. For those of you who insulted me, your mother's cooking sucks and your father is a descendant of gypsies.
But yes, the Honda Insight lacks the gas door release pull of every Honda product I can remember.* Pulling into the gas station, I opened the door and by instinct leaned down to the floor to pull (or push as is the case in many Honda products that split the lever between gas door and trunk). Instead, there was nothing but carpet.
Confused, I got out and walked to the gas door itself. There was no pull indentation like on a Ford. Therefore, I pushed the door like I would with a BMW, GM or many others -- out it popped. Unlike other such designs, though, the door doesn't lock along with the doors. There's nothing to prevent someone from sticking a garden hose or something worse in your gas tank (like the sugar some idiots put in my dad's '69 Cougar), which is what I've always assumed was the point of the remote gas door release.
How do you chalk this up to anything but cost cutting?
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
* Update: Guess who's never filled up our long-term Fit? That would be me, who went down to the garage last night and popped open the Fit's gas cap by pressing it. Make it 2 Hondas.
revaholic says:
11:50 AM, 07/14/09
How much could a gas pull lever possibly cost?
justinparrk says:
12:05 PM, 07/14/09
the g35 has the same method. never heard any complaints about that.
gdmstrb says:
12:13 PM, 07/14/09
Who knows, but you have to think about the mechanism attached to it too. Probably a buck or two, but multiply that by x units and it does add up (well sorta).
And the gas door on the G35/37 locks. If the car doors are locked, so is the fuel door.
stovt001 says:
12:28 PM, 07/14/09
The Camaro also has the "push door to release" mechanism, and it also doesn't lock with the doors. Very disappointed with that.
curtisawa says:
12:59 PM, 07/14/09
A locking gas cap with a key that easily fits on your key chain costs $10-20. Thats what I would suggest. As I explained to the guy who sold it to me, I wasn't worried about losing $50 in gas, I was worried about having my car ruined by somebody putting stuff into it.
huisj says:
01:05 PM, 07/14/09
So you've never driven the Edmunds long term Fit?
lazyhater says:
01:12 PM, 07/14/09
Cool, now I know where to get free gas!
brn says:
01:21 PM, 07/14/09
This is something that wouldn't bother me at all.
cx7lover says:
02:52 PM, 07/14/09
I think I like this a little better, than it looking really cheaply integrated, like it having exposed metal, just like it was put through the carpet with no covering or care.
billt9 says:
03:01 PM, 07/14/09
I like older cars where the gas door even has an indentation to show you where to put your finger and that you should steal gas from that car.
Good targets.
At least that will make the Fit safer; I'm assuming the Fit's gas door doesn't have a finger pull indentation.
Plenty of other clearly marked targets folks! Move along!
firstwagon says:
03:42 PM, 07/14/09
You guys must live in really crappy neighbourhoods.
samjpatrick says:
04:23 PM, 07/14/09
Toyota 4Runners have a hood release and fuel door release that are almost identical except for color, located two inches apart on the bottom of the dash. This is the only Toyota I believe that is equipped like this.
325iguy says:
12:35 AM, 07/15/09
Heh, I don't know if you incopetence as a blogger and my accidentally clicking on the image can be counted as cheating.
1487 says:
06:48 AM, 07/15/09
I live in a City. I dont have a locking gas cap and haven't had one since my first car. Its never been an issue. My car has the "push to open" cap and it works fine. Most people wouldn't even know its not locked. This is a nonissue and yes it represents cost cutting by Honda.