2001 Honda Insight: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

This hybrid-power 2-seat hatchback earns top fuel economy ratings and low-emissions status with an electric motor that assists a 3-cyl gas engine in hard acceleration. In coasting or decelerating, the electric motor becomes a generator that recharges a battery pack, so no plug-in charging is required. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard. Made available this spring was a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), which in effect has an infinite number of gear ratios. Air conditioning is the only other option. Insight's aluminum-intensive construction helps make it the lightest car on the market. Aerodynamic styling also contributes to fuel economy. Honda limits U.S. sales to about 6500 a year. The only other gas/electric hybrid sold in the U.S. is Toyota's Prius, a 5-passenger subcompact sedan. However, Honda begins selling Civic sedans with 4-cyl Insight-type powertrains in spring 2002.

COMPETITION

A perennial favorite, the Honda Civic, is new and better than ever. We love the wide range of bodystyles, engines, and equipment. Civic is a solid car that has good performance, a nice ride, and a high degree of civility. New last year was the Ford Focus. Though we loved almost everything about the Focus, we were reluctant to rank it a Best Buy because it was new from the ground up. After a year of living with a ZTS model, we can say that the reliability is good. Focus ranks a notch below Civic in some areas but costs less. Topping the crowded Recommended list are the Volkswagen Golf and Jetta. They easily could be Best Buys as they are better than the Civic in many ways. However, they are also the most expensive cars in this segment. Other Recommended choices include the no-frills Dodge Neon and Toyota Echo, the slightly-upscale Nissan Sentra, and the roomy Mazda Protege. If you are looking for a budget buy, the Hyundai Accent offers a lot for your dollar, however, it's not as refined as more-expensive competitors.