For this holiday weekend I took our 2010 Honda Insight to San Francisco. Since this would be the third time I've had to take our Insight on a long road trip up north, I decided to switch things up and take a fun road: Highway 198 through Coalinga from the 5 to the 101. And true, this hybrid is not a driver's car, so all those cool switchbacks and off-camber corners would be lost on it, but I just wanted to do something different with it and break up the monotony of the 400-mile trip.
Fortunately, even though this was Memorial Day weekend, the 198 was pretty clear. I didn't drive the Insight like I'd drive, say, a Mini S and it was still enjoyable. Maybe it was the curves, the beautiful scenery, the sunny day, regardless, that hybrid technology didn't dampen my drive. And those paddle shifters really came in handy. I was even able to pass several pickup trucks and even a convertible 3 Series.
By the way, I was a little concerned when the "Service Due Soon" warning message came on to signal that oil life is at 15%, but after reading the owner's manual, I was assured that I'd only have to really worry when that message changes to "Service Due Now," which it didn't and still hasn't.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 19,478 miles
throwback says:
12:56 PM, 06/ 1/10
Is there a 3rd service reminder? Something like "YO, stop the damn car, it needs service"
Isn't one reminder enough?
robert4380 says:
02:38 PM, 06/ 1/10
So with all of this spirited holiday driving, what was your average fuel economy? That should kind of be included somewhere in a post about, you know, a hybrid...
felonious says:
02:46 PM, 06/ 1/10
The nice thing about driving the back roads at less than 9/10ths is that you can really enjoy the fantastic scenery.
lucien4 says:
02:54 PM, 06/ 1/10
Yes that service reminder pops up a few times more until it reaches 0% (I think at 10% and 5%). The 15% is really not soon unless you drive another 1000 miles in a day or so. You can clear this message also.
caroscuro says:
05:15 PM, 06/ 1/10
throwback,
I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to make it home when that one service reminder popped up while I was passing through Monterey and then I worried about the car breaking down in the back roads, that's why I checked the owner's manual. But it said I should be OK.
robert4380,
Actually we're due for a monthly fuel economy update so I'll make sure to include this trip's info in the comments when I fetch the fuel log from the car.
felonious,
Yes! Even when I'm the passenger for canyon carving, I don't get to look around much due to car sickness. But it was so gorgeous up there. And loved having the roads to myself for the most part.
lucien4,
Thanks for the info. Fortunately we won't let it get to 0%. :)