OK, I'm back from my six-day trip to Morro Bay and Berkeley and ready to talk. First thing: No one should buy the Insight as a road trip car.
But if you're considering the Insight as a commuter car, and it will be the only vehicle at your disposal for an occasional road trip, you will survive, even if you have a kid under 4. Probably.
Packing It Up
We packed light, because 1) we underestimated what the Insight could handle and 2) my husband tends to freak out if the luggage we take on a trip exceeds a set point on his internal luggage tolerance meter. So we left the stroller and the aerobed at home. (NB: We could have fit both, if necessary. We ended up regretting not having the stroller for our day trips into San Francisco.)
Here's what we packed into the 15.9-cubic-foot trunk space: two carry-on size suitcases, one extra large diaper bag doubling as a suitcase for the 3-year-old, one canvas grocery bag with dry groceries, one medium sized soft-sided cooler, one extra-large tote bag, one small camera bag, one gallon-sized water bottle, one heart-shaped backpack filled with fluffy pink animals and blankies and fairy dolls, and one toddler-sized comforter and pillow combination. There was vertical room to spare, but piling anything else on there would have definitely eaten into rear visibility. And at pitstops and lunch breaks, we wished we had a cargo cover.
Packing Us In
Since we had only one rear passenger (strapped into her child seat in the passenger-side outboard seat), there was plenty of room in the back seat for all the kid's toys and road trip distraction devices. With two kids back there, it would have been a LOT tighter. Hubby and I took turns sitting in back with her and observed that we would have liked a center armrest.
We were staying with family in Berkeley, and decided to drive to dinner one night, but didn't want to take two cars. So all four adults piled into the Insight without moving the child seat from its outboard location (with kid in her seat. she's gotta eat, too). As I am narrow-of-frame, I was the one squished into the rear middle seat. It was tolerable for a short drive to the restaurant and back, but I wouldn't have wanted to go much farther. For the rest of the in-town driving, we moved the Recaro car seat into the rear center position of our relatives' new Honda Fit and everyone was happier.
Stay tuned for fuel economy, road noise and performance on inclines in my next post.
Bryn MacKinnon, Senior Editor, Edmunds.com
lvranger says:
03:53 PM, 11/13/09
"Stay tuned for fuel economy, road noise and performance on inclines in my next post"
No need for a second post: Decent, terrible, bring a sundial.
No need to thank me.
hybris says:
08:29 PM, 11/13/09
Long have I forseen this.
I warned you that you would regret not taking the Flex or the Ram.
vt8919 says:
09:57 PM, 11/13/09
Did the battery ever "fully drain" during the trip, requiring you to use the engine only? How often did it auto-stop? Did the hybrid system act weird in any way other than that? It's a hybrid; we need details. :-)
The ride can't be any worse than the four-hour (one way) trip I took in the back seat of my aunt's 06' Town & Country...
mikeolan says:
09:48 AM, 11/14/09
You know what's insane? For $22k, you could buy a well-equipped mid-size sedan that still manages 30MPG if driven prudently. It will handle better, go faster, be quieter, be more comfortable, and will likely last longer AND won't be as harmful on the environment.
Or wagon. Doesn't a Jetta Sportwagon MSRP for about the same?
Or a hatchback.
Compared to a fully loaded $18k Nissan Versa, which is faster, quieter, more fun to drive, and has a more comfortable interior. AND the back seat has an armrest. Why would you spend an extra $4K on a car that's worse in every way?
frazier500 says:
02:23 PM, 11/14/09
@vt8919
I'm sure it was worse than that T&C. I spent plenty of time in the back of a same body style Town & Country on roadtrips. While your aunt's may not have had the 3.8L V6 and just the anemic 3.3L, that car does not suffer from excessive road/wind noise nor is it besides itself with inability to move.
gdmstrb says:
05:18 PM, 11/14/09
I really don't understand the appeal of this vehicle. I also don't understand how Honda thought this was going to compete with the Prius on ANY level?
If I'm that concerned with fuel economy, I'll go out and get a Golf TDI or spend a little more on a Fusion Hybrid.
zoomzoomn says:
05:01 AM, 11/16/09
It's so sad that Honda saw fit (no pun intended) to waste their time and money to basically make an underdeveloped, Prius-esque car with a Civic Hybrid powertrain. It begs the question...why? The Civic is more comfortable and gets similar gas mileage. I was kind of stoked when I first saw this car thinking it may be worth saving a few grand off a Prius in light of less stellar fuel mileage. Then I saw the hodge-podge dash layout and have read numerous quipps on the car's lack of comfort and driveability for anything but around town. They'd have been better off just stuffing this powertrain in a Fit. At least the Fit is a fun little ride!
autoboy16 says:
10:15 AM, 11/16/09
@mikeolan
Versa fun to drive? THATS HILARIOUS!! That car was THE worst driving car i've tried so far all 2009! We had one as a rental and it was not at all fun! The steering was blah, acceleration was slow, and the brakes were average at best. My then 14 year old accord felt like a much better car than the Versa rental. For $18k, i'd pick a Vw Golf or a slightly used Altima 2.5SL or something.
At the autoshow this year, i was extremely disappointed at the Honda Insight AND the Prius. Both interiors were playschool and very chintzy and cheap feeling. The aforementioned Versa beats them both out (except for the weird headliner material). Sure, they're supposed to get good mpg, but when the rest of the car around them is inspected, they fall flat IMHO. I'd without a doubt spend my money on a Vw TDI which drives like a normal car. I think the Jetta TDI sedan has more cargo space than the insight anyways.... Long-Term Jetta TDI, i miss you. :(
mikeolan says:
10:40 AM, 11/16/09
@autoboy16
I'm not saying the Versa is fun to drive, but compared to the Insight it is. It's nearly a full two seconds faster to 60mph on the SL model (assuming you have the CVT, which you would at 18k)