Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtamiyaphile
Honda Insight $48,990 (3.2l/100km combined)
Honda Civic GLi 1.7l four door sedan $23,950 (7.1l/100km combined)
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Dude, what?
That quoted price is completely out of line with what I'm seeing in the US, and if that's what they're charging for Insights in Oz, that may be a very large part of why you're arguing so hard against Insights and/or other hybrids. What is the source of that inflated price?
Around here the manufacturer's suggested retail price on a new 2014 Insight topped out around $24,000, while a loaded Civic Hybrid can close in on $30,000. Obviously the model content will not be directly comparable.
Perhaps it's better to consider the strippers. A bottomed-out 2014 Insight - assuming you can find a base model one, they're not building any new ones to spec anymore - starts at just under $19K, while a Civic Hybrid starts just south of $25K and a new 2015 Civic HF, the most comparable non-hybrid Civic, starts at $20,000 and gets 3mpg fewer than the Insight. The Insight starts with an advantage against the HF and the gap opens with every mile.
Full disclosure: the Civic Hybrid has a 3mpg advantage over the Insight. In spite of the higher price, I consider it to be that much of a nicer car than the Insight that the Insight would not get much consideration from me. However a GenI Insight on the used market would probably get a good long look, it's hard to pass up 60mpg and there won't be three of us carpooling together much longer.