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Fantastic post, thank you. In many ways it sounds like the exact opposite of Honda's first gen Insight, which surprised me given how similar I had expected them to be.
The Insight, in its stock form, has:
-Hard plastic which has aged well aesthetically, but which is classic Honda in its tendency to rattle and squeak.
-The climate control was sophisticated for its day, and the fuel consumption display could arguably be said to be better than anything made since.
-There were basically no options. After 2000, even A/C was in all cars.
-The seats are lousy, obviously built for lightweight and nevermind the driver's comfort. No adjustment other than forward and back, and a limited degree of tilt.
-The rear hatch area is low, but very long, with a wide opening.
-The car sits low. Really low. You're looking at others' door handles.
-It's wide. Handling is sharp and fairly confident, but the rear springs are soft from the factory (probably to protect the electronics there) so unless you replace them the rear end tends to wallow.
-The engine is gutless down low but if revved it really comes to life. Electric assist makes up for deficiencies down low, and around town it's a pleasure to drive, easily pulling away from traffic at a light.
-For a 3 cylinder it's pretty smooth, using the electric motor rather than a heavy flywheel to prevent stalling.
-The stock exhaust is extremely quiet and once the engine is warmed up, it's almost invisible, despite virtually no sound insulation.
~
Very surprising to me, given that they're both aluminum and built for efficiency. I'd very much like to sit behind the wheel of one.
How do you like the transmission, other than the gearing?
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