Right Lane Cruiser
08-27-2009, 08:32 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Japanese_Flag_30x22.jpg The 2010 Honda Insight is likely to appeal to those who want to show the world they’re green but have a shortage of greenbacks (http://www.ridgecrestca.com/news/business/x1373204903/Paul-A-Eisenstein-New-Honda-Insight-a-big-improvement)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Honda_Insight-II2.jpgPaul A. Eisenstein - RIDGECRESTCA (http://www.ridgecrestca.com) - August 26, 2009
There is a lot to like about this little car. --Ed.
The 2000 Honda Insight was the first hybrid-electric vehicle to reach North American shores, but while it was a visual standout and delivered record fuel economy, the teardrop-shaped two-seater wasn’t quite practical enough for U.S. buyers, and it left the market in 2006.
Honda has brought back Insight for 2010, but this time, the Japanese maker is bolting that nameplate onto a roomier five-door hatchback that also happens to be the most affordable hybrid ever to reach the American market.
The 2010 Honda Insight is still a visual standout, much like the Toyota Prius, which it is going up against. And like its rival, the new Honda is equipped with a combination of a gasoline engine – in this case, a 1.3-liter inline-four – and an electric motor that derives its power from a set of nickel-metal hydride batteries.
There are, however, some equally big differences between the two vehicles.
Prius is a so-called “full” hybrid, its Synergy Hybrid Drive capable of operating on either gasoline or battery power alone, or combining both when an extra bit of acceleration is needed. The Insight is a “mild” hybrid and can only use its battery power as a sort of “electric supercharger” to assist during acceleration.
The less complex Honda Integrated Motor Assist, or IMA, powertrain is one reason Honda can bring the 2010 Insight in for just $20,510 plus delivery charges. A special “stripper” edition of the Prius, created by a nervous Toyota to give Insight some competition, still goes for... http://www.ridgecrestca.com/news/business/x1373204903/Paul-A-Eisenstein-New-Honda-Insight-a-big-improvement
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Honda_Insight-II2.jpgPaul A. Eisenstein - RIDGECRESTCA (http://www.ridgecrestca.com) - August 26, 2009
There is a lot to like about this little car. --Ed.
The 2000 Honda Insight was the first hybrid-electric vehicle to reach North American shores, but while it was a visual standout and delivered record fuel economy, the teardrop-shaped two-seater wasn’t quite practical enough for U.S. buyers, and it left the market in 2006.
Honda has brought back Insight for 2010, but this time, the Japanese maker is bolting that nameplate onto a roomier five-door hatchback that also happens to be the most affordable hybrid ever to reach the American market.
The 2010 Honda Insight is still a visual standout, much like the Toyota Prius, which it is going up against. And like its rival, the new Honda is equipped with a combination of a gasoline engine – in this case, a 1.3-liter inline-four – and an electric motor that derives its power from a set of nickel-metal hydride batteries.
There are, however, some equally big differences between the two vehicles.
Prius is a so-called “full” hybrid, its Synergy Hybrid Drive capable of operating on either gasoline or battery power alone, or combining both when an extra bit of acceleration is needed. The Insight is a “mild” hybrid and can only use its battery power as a sort of “electric supercharger” to assist during acceleration.
The less complex Honda Integrated Motor Assist, or IMA, powertrain is one reason Honda can bring the 2010 Insight in for just $20,510 plus delivery charges. A special “stripper” edition of the Prius, created by a nervous Toyota to give Insight some competition, still goes for... http://www.ridgecrestca.com/news/business/x1373204903/Paul-A-Eisenstein-New-Honda-Insight-a-big-improvement