[jamesqf]

A step backwards? IMHO, it's about a half-marathon run backwards.

The original Insight didn't (as far as I can tell, and I've owned one for six years) make any sacrifices, drastic or otherwise. In fact, it made a lot of... brain stall here - what's a word that's the opposite of sacrifice? ...design decisions that made it quite costly to build.

Nor was it a failure in any sense. It was an experiment: Honda built the car as a real-world test of hybrid technology, and sold it for less than what it cost to build. They chose to build limited numbers, and sold all that they built. How's that a failure?

As for the mirrors, I really wish they'd change the regulations, and allow rear-view cameras instead. Not just for aerodynamics, but as a safety issue. I'm effing tired of being blinded by the glare from following cars whose drivers apparently never heard of low beams.