Honda wussed out

[evolutionmovement]

And it doesn't get any better mileage than the larger Civic Hybrid. A car as butt ugly as the Insight should damn well be more radically aerodynamic—it looks odd, but it's not really any kind of big step forward aerodynamically. It's not like the Civic where it's appealing to a more conservative buyer, so why not try to integrate more advanced aero (even just something like side skirts) to better get the average consumer used to such features so that they can be introduced to regular model cars in the future?

[cfg83]

DonR -

Originally Posted by DonR

I am suprised that they don't make the wheel skirts as an option you can buy. If they could quantify the fe increase the additional parts they may actually sell some.

On a side note, I saw that Red Line Oil is making fluids for modern CVT's including Hondas.

Don

Yes yes yes. It would be really nice to have the "holes already there" for mounting.

CarloSW2

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by tjts1

The new insight is a huge leap forward from the first generation simply because a lot more people will buy it.

At best it's a leap sideways. It's not a bad idea for them to have an entry in the 4-seat hybrid class, but by giving it the Insight name they alienated a lot of original Insight owners, most of whom were hoping for an improved version.

They're also neglecting the (potentially large) market segment composed of people who have no need for a back seat, and maybe just need a little marketing (and another gas price increase :-)) to recognize the fact.

[stevey_frac]

Does anyone know if the new insight still has lean burn?

[i_am_socket]

41 MPG combined in a hybrid that small... I'm just .5 mpg short of that with my last fill.

They could have done so much better.

[stevey_frac]

Originally Posted by i_am_socket

41 MPG combined in a hybrid that small... I'm just .5 mpg short of that with my last fill.

They could have done so much better.

Reporters following the blue-> green system on the dash have pulled 65 MPG. We both know that your or I could pull 70's without breaking a sweat. It's not really fair to compare a hypermiler performance in once car to the EPA rating of another.

[KJSatz]

Originally Posted by i_am_socket

41 MPG combined in a hybrid that small... I'm just .5 mpg short of that with my last fill.

They could have done so much better.

I'm going to side with Mr. Frac on this one. I can substantially exceed the Insight's highway EPA of 43mpg in my Civic LX...but that's with techniques like going around 50mph, minimizing AC, conserving momentum, watching lights, coasting...it stands to reason that if I can beat my Civic's highway EPA by almost 50%, I could do similarly well in an Insight.

[stevey_frac]

Originally Posted by KJSatz

I'm going to side with Mr. Frac on this one. I can substantially exceed the Insight's highway EPA of 43mpg in my Civic LX...but that's with techniques like going around 50mph, minimizing AC, conserving momentum, watching lights, coasting...it stands to reason that if I can beat my Civic's highway EPA by almost 50%, I could do similarly well in an Insight.

... Mr. Frac.... I like it.

[bombloader]

Jamesqf
I really doubt their is a large market for people who don't need a backseat outside of sports car buyers. The only real market I can think would be as a second commuter car for driving to work and back. Then you're gonna have to get the price low enough so people can justify buying 2 cars. Most car buyers are looking for 4 person capacity, and that's just the US car market.

[jamesqf]

Why do you think that? About the only people who actually need a back seat are families with kids under 18 or less, and that's far from a majority of the population. Even a lot of those already have two (or more) cars, so having one a two-seater is no problem.

Now maybe most people have been convinced that they "need" four or more seats, but that's what marketing is for.