Whenever I do a capsule review I compare it to it’s contemporaries. The Insight I drive these days would still be considered the cutting edge… even today. Very few cars from that era can be given the same endorsement. Hence the four star rating.

By the way, the only car from 2001 I would give a 5-star rating to would be the MX-5. Driving one of those is like listening to a beautiful new symphony every day of your life.

The current Insight is aimed primarily at a non-enthusaist audience. That may be what hurt it here. Personally I would love nothing more than to drive the new Insight and Prius for a year with my wife’s input as well. Most of you can tell after a five minute conversation that she’s my better half.

4 Benz Diesels, 2 TDI’s, an 01 Prius, an 01 Insight, and an 03 Civic Hybrid have been in our garage.

I didn’t like any of the Benzes (not even the 1995 W124).

Both the TDI’s were far better than the chintzy, crappy cars that they had to propel.

The 01 Prius was a beautiful work of art. One of my few regrets was selling one that had been dealer maintained every 3,000 miles AND had been given a new battery along with new tires. I made $2000 without even having to take it out of the auction. But I should have kept it.

The Insight is as stated. Perfect for my work.

The 03 Civic Hybrid is a great fit for my family. But I have to be extra careful to make sure the tranny lasts. I have no plans on taking it through any thousand mile trips.

I have noticed there seems to be a wide difference of opinion as to the respective comfort of the ride for the new Insight and Prius. I’ve read reviews that praise both for being comfortable and quiet, and others that criticize both cars as noisy and stiff riding. Is it possible the ride differs from car to car? That just doesn’t seem possible.

To say that TTAC is hostile is toward the new hybrids in disingenuous. In this review of the 2010 Insight, the reviewer gave it four stars. In Take Two, the Insight was given two stars. The 2008 Prius scored three stars. Hardly hostile when you realize that very few cars are rated five stars by TTAC’s reviewers.

If anything, we welcome and encourage multiple opinions to be offered/posted.

No, I don’t misunderstand, perhaps I wasn’t clear. It’s the image of the impracticality that hurts sales ABOVE AND BEYOND the fact that folks like you would never be a likely buyer.

People will buy 4 doors because of the image, just like anything else (not that there is anything wrong with that). For instance, a young lady may not want a 2 seater because she really wants to marry and start a family, so she doesn’t want to send the wrong message. Or, a business man wants to be seen as reliable and trustworthy rather than a hedonist, so he gets the sedan or SUV even though he has no kids, or even a wife.

Then there are the folks who grew up hearing comments about different cars, and won’t ever stray from what their elders thought was proper and in good taste.

That last one is why you sometimes find young people buying a buick. :)

The anti 2 seat thing just won’t die. A 2 seater is seen as being anti-family, and non-practical, and that’s all there is to it.

I think you misunderstand. I’d love a two seater, but they really aren’t practical if you have a family. Remember, a kid who’s under 10 can’t isn’t even supposed to ride in the front seat of a car with airbags.

Coming from a Miata I’ve found that the interior space is huge in comparison.

I picked up my 2000 model 5-spd with just under 40k miles on the clock for $7500.

I purchased this car as a commuter, I drive 35 miles each way to work. I’ve been averaging over 70mpg on my commute. It’s actually something akin to work to get good mileage numbers, sure I could drive it like I stole it and still get 50mpg but a little attention to the operation is all it really takes.

I think this review was pretty spot-on, I don’t regret this purchase one iota.

Everything Steven says is true. An Insight is nimble and fun at road legal speeds. Honda took a leaf out of the Lotus book and added lightness – and strength too. Apparently (I assume these are Honda’s figures), the body has 13 percent more bending strength and 38 percent more torsional rigidity than a comparably-sized steel body, but weighs 40 percent less.

The 995cc 3 cylinder engine won engineering awards every year it was in production, it has been recorded on the road operating in lean burn at up to about 26 to 1 fuel to air ratio and the electric motor will “pulse” in order to act as a dampening system to smooth out the vibrations of a 3 cylinder engine. It runs up to 6,000 rpm like a sewing machine.

Unlike the new Insight it has a great dash. It’s simple and effective with neat looking dials.

So it’s safe, sweet, fuel efficient and fun. But it’s not for everyone. You don’t have to be an enthusiast to get the most out of an Insight (especially in manual form) – but it does help.

If I had the money, time and mechanical skills (plus a touch of insanity), I’d buy a second Insight like this for conversion to ICE-only drive, with two words in mind:

Peregrine Falcon

Mr. Lang’s comments match up pretty well with my own experience.

NickR: The seats slide way back and there is a ton of leg room. I’m 6′3″ and have no problem. However, there is no cruise control, so this might be uncomfortable on long trips. And forget about listening to the stereo at speed; too much road noise and not enough wattage.

BTW, 47 mpg around town, and 65 hwy (held to 60 mph) with two people and their luggage. These are my own calculations. The computer in the car is slightly pessimistic.

But seriously. For all the verbage that has been spilled on the subject of hybrid cars, Steven’s five words – Penny pinchers? Get a Corolla – sum it up best. Hybrid cars have nothing to do with economizing, and everything to do with gadgetry, politics and fashion.

I know someone who had an Insight; it was totaled when a lifted truck ran over him on the freeway. Didn’t even see the car.

I always thought this would be a great car for “super-comuters” (50+ miles to work in one direction)

I never liked this model Insight. Now, I like small cars. Roadsters, to be exact. But this Insight felt scary/unsafe.

I had a CR-X for 8 years, and if the Insight’s suspension was anything like it, it will get old feeling everything on the road (this is how I know Clarkson is getting old, he had a CR-X and there’s no way the current Civic type R could be half as punishing). Plus you have to like staring at hubcaps (even for fairly ordinary cars, SUVs are in another universe).

That said, I think I’m going to at least look at the CR-Z when it comes out, nostolgia is a weird thing.

1) Insight IMA failures have been rare, and the price for battery replacement comes down each year.

2) What cars come with standard front window tint? Any? Rear window tint on minivans and SUVs, sure, but front windows on 2-doors?

3) Wheelbases are long or short. Track width can be wide or narrow. Please don’t conflate the two terms!

Also, it’s availabe with stick, unlike any current hybrid.

I’m not sure if Honda was afraid of tainting the “green” image, stealing sales from the Si and RSX, or if it just didn’t make financial sense based on the cost of the aluminum structure, but this would have been a damn good car to resurrect the CRX with.

Honda could have easily taken out the battery and put in one of its hot engines (tuners have) and gotten back some more of the money that it put into this platform.