I haven't driven the Insight much since the Fuel Sipper Smackdown and it's not because I didn't want to. Well, I didn't, but that wasn't the reason. No, the thing is never available to me. Somehow the Insight gets routinely picked in lieu of the Challenger, the Camaro, the 370Z, the G8, the FX50 and the Flex -- just to name a few that have ended up on my plate the last few months.
I just don't get it. Maybe it's the automatic transmission in traffic, maybe it's that people have grown tired of the others, maybe it's because they haven't driven the Insight in a while, maybe it's that my colleagues want to save fuel. Yeah, OK, the last one is hooey. Driving the Insight home last night I couldn't help but be irritated by its rough ride, the incredible amount of road noise, the loud droning engine, the uncomfortable (for me) seating position, the too-low steering wheel, the long-reach audio controls and the steering that's far too eager to zip back to center.
Then there's everything constantly shutting off and on, off and on -- not just the engine, but the automatic climate control too. There are abrupt shudders and fans coming on willy nilly.
Is the Insight more fun than a Prius? Yes, but that's like asking "Is she hotter than Annie Lennox?" or "Is that tastier than Natty Ice?" Who really cares?
Now, I must say that I picked the Insight last night over the Challenger and 370Z, but only to experience the Insight for the first time in a while. Now that I've done that, I'll be happy when the Insight disappears before I can choose it.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 9,023 miles
bankerdanny says:
09:56 AM, 11/19/09
Hey, what's with the gratuitous shot at Annie Lennox? Heather Locklear she's not (to stick with 80's icons) but when she dresses as a woman she was not hard on the eyes in any way (well, not my eyes anyway).
zoomzoom22 says:
10:26 AM, 11/19/09
Ahh, but is it tastier than PBR??
dougtheeng says:
10:28 AM, 11/19/09
Riswick you're taller then me and I could barely sit in the driver's seat of this car, so I can't even imagine how you manage to do so. Pics??
misterfusion says:
10:28 AM, 11/19/09
And even if it is "more fun" than a Prius, is the Insight better than that car in any other measurable or inferential way? By all accounts the 2010 Prius is a pretty solid package, while the Insight has decent handling for a compact hybrid...and that's about it.
gbear2 says:
10:30 AM, 11/19/09
I've been driving a Saab 9-3 SE for the last several years (which I quite liked until it became too expensive to maintain) and now drive the Insight. (I also periodically drive my wife's Toyota 4 Runner.)
As an owner I suppose I can't claim to be objective but I don't experience (the rough ride, incredible road noise, etc.) what is described in this blog.
jriz says:
10:43 AM, 11/19/09
"Riswick you're taller then me and I could barely sit in the driver's seat of this car, so I can't even imagine how you manage to do so. Pics??"
All you people just like seeing me bended and folded into confined spaces, don't you?
charlesncharge says:
11:16 AM, 11/19/09
@jriz:
Maybe you should've titled this entry:
"2010 Honda Insight: More Appalling than Challenger"
I've said it before: all these car companies that have turned their backs on offering up any type of performance offering vs. all these tree hugger specials that they're always trying to cram down our throats, we'll regret it long term - just look at Toyota - which, incidentally, has somewhat finally started to come around again, e.g. their FT-86 concept & Lexus LFA Supercar.
konocar400h says:
11:41 AM, 11/19/09
Are you sure the insight is really more fun than the prius? You can get a sport prius (I know thats an oxymoron, but there is a "touring model") I would be willing to bet that the prius with 18 inch rims (yes they are production) could give this car a run for its money in terms of handling. The fun that comes with the insight is the absence of stability/traction control on the base model, which would allow you to win a drift competition if you ever encountered one with a prius. Overall, I think the "fun to drive" aspect is one that is based on the foundation that all hondas are "fun". That may be the truth for many of there cars (I love the Civic Si) but in the case of the insight, I think its a false feeling. I drove one, and I wasn't impressed.
dougtheeng says:
12:24 PM, 11/19/09
"All you people just like seeing me bended and folded into confined spaces, don't you?"
Yes.
Two word for you (or is it one word?): Ram box!
bradyholt says:
04:45 PM, 11/19/09
I've been surprised at how much praise the Insight has gotten from some editors on this blog. I read many of their comments and wonder if they're driving the same car I had. The shuddering, the stiffness, the noisiness, the lack of space, and the "fun?" described in this post are right in line with what I remember.
thejohnp says:
08:12 PM, 11/19/09
I guess if you really wanted to, you could compare the Insight to the 2004 Prius that's still listed as a current LT vehicle to see which one is more fun. But somehow I don't see that happening since nobody's written about that car in forever.