2000-2006 Honda Insight: Road Test

Like the low-power gasoline-engined Civic, the Insight is fun to drive but can get tiresome after a while. Although the hybrid powertrain functions as promised, performance is on the sluggish side. A manual-shift Insight took a yawning 11.3 seconds to reach 60 mph--a marginal pace for passing and safe highway merging. Even on slight upgrades, the Insight tends to slow considerably. On the other hand, that same car averaged a remarkable 57.3 mpg overall, peaking at 71 mpg in mostly city driving. Trouble is, such impressive thriftiness comes partly through low weight and minimal soundproofing, resulting in mediocre crosswind stability and relatively high noise levels. Ride quality suffers, too. Except on glass-smooth pavements, it's choppy and thumpy, overly vulnerable to potholes, aggravated by a short wheelbase that also makes the cockpit cozy--though far from cramped. Handling is on the sporty side, with quick steering. Merit points are earned for decently comfortable seats, clear and convenient minor controls, acceptable all-around visibility, and attractive (but hardly lavish) interior trim. Cockpit storage space is meager. Luggage must be lifted onto a high deck that limits cargo to grocery-bag height. Occasionally, manual-shift Insights have failed to restart immediately at a stoplight in "idle-stop" mode, when the selector was placed into gear.

Value for the Money
Far more practical than any pure electric vehicle, the Insight is compromised in too many ways by its maximum-mpg design. Relatively costly for an "economy" car, seating only two, it cannot rank as a great value. Despite modest acceleration and a stiff ride, the Insight can serve as a useful commuter car, especially in CVT form, with a high-tech, environmentally friendly appeal. Still, we'd choose the more practical Prius or a conventional, reasonably frugal gas-engined subcompact.