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Hi folks

As some of you know, I've been playing with a 2010 Honda Insight EX and I am nearing that special time again... time to hand it in. I still got a couple of days left, so I figured I would ask those who already purchased the car to offer any feedback you may be willing to provide. A review and FAQ will likely result from this effort.

You will notice that some of what follows only really applies if you actually own and drive the the car.

I am looking for feedback in the following areas:

Specific attributes of driving behavior of the vehicle that impress you or not.
Instrumentation benefits/detriments in everyday use.
Have you noticed any fuel consumption patterns due to cold, driving regimen including observable differences between displayed versus computed mileage?
How about the econ button? Have you used it or just kept it off? Your thoughts?
Practicality. Did you exercise its cargo and/or passenger flexibility?
Anything else you may wish to reference, including how this car may have changed your daily driving strategy.Thanks

MSantos

Hi Manuel:

___The one item I really think Honda improved over the previous HCH-II and again over the HCH-I and again over the Insight-I is the CVT. FAS’ing and reengagement in the 30 mph range does not have that nasty 5 to 10 mph slowdown drag and slow engagement like the original Insight-I’s. I also thought the Insight-II’s around town FE capability was much better than the HCH-II due to its much faster reacting CVT. It almost felt like a large weight difference but when you look at the specs, the Insight-II and HCH-II are not all that far apart.

___Interior plastics... This is where the Insight-II is on a lower plain than the HCH-II. It just looks cheap imho.

___FE... To get her up to 70 + was easier than its predecessors other than both Insight-I’s and the HCH-I 5-speed but to hold her above 70 + on the highway was more work than either the HCH-I (both the CVT and a stick), the HCH-II and the Insight-I with the CVT.

___I hope that is what you were looking for?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Wayne;

Thanks for the great info. It pretty much lines up with what I've been experiencing. :)

With this said, I did find a few interesting bits/details which I would like to report on and now that the tech manuals are out and available on the channel I am going to try to make some sense of it. Too bad I can't keep this particular unit for a while longer.


Cheers;

Manuel

Manuel: Do you have it till Monday? I have only had a chance to drive ours 1 time so far. I am planning on taking it out again tonight.

Hi Mike;

It's going back on Monday morning... but I do expect to have some access to similar units throughout the summer too ;)

I guess it's my turn to chime in .... First of all, Sorry I missed you at the "shindig" that Mike had put on at the Dealership ... there will be other times ...

I've put about 2800 km's on the Insight so far and I must say as a total package the car was well done .... but as Wayne had mentioned above the fit and finish is a little below par for Honda IMHO. I've been getting 5.2 L per 100km using the ECON Button all the time ... Tried the first few tanks without it and got 6.3 per 100 ... and that's all city driving ... Much better than my 'ol Civic that got about 11 L per 100km.

Still trying to figure out the temperment of the Autostop in relation to the climate control .... she will stay off at a traffic light when in ECON for Cooling .... But in the morning when it's chilly and I need a bit of heat it will only Autostop for about 30 seconds or so.

Manuel ...
is this CVT Trans. based on the Civic's ...?? I'm going to be looking for some maintance guidelines that I should be following due to the Mileage that I put on everyday.

---->Kevin

Hi Kevin;

Yes, it is too bad we did not get a chance to meet that day. It was a big "party" and the interest on the Insight II was really great... made even more interesting when you were being talked about as the first HI-II owner in Winnipeg. That did raise a few eyebrows. :)

Yes, the CVT on your Insight is identical to that of the HCH-II in terms of basic components, materials and maintenance requirements . But once again, follow your maintenance minder for everything but the H-CVT fluid and you'll be fine. If you do alot of city commuiting in our climates (like I do, -40C to 40C) then you may chose to get the H-CVT fluid changed every 25K or 2 years whichever comes first.
According to Honda's own directions, the CVT fluid is good for much more than 25K but in our climate and driving regimen it is safe to change it more frequently - especially if you actually own the car ;)

5.2L /100km is not bad but with this good weather I predict you'll get much better mileage. For instance, I handed in my tester this last Monday with 3.9 lifetime on the odometer mainly because I had to undo the 6.7L/100km I saw when I picked up the car. :(
For the record, I did a variety of regimens including bumper-to-bumper like I do regularly on my cars and I netted 3.8 L/100km averages (and even lower in some instances) on the EX I tested. If you want we can meet and trade some notes - I got quite a few interesting ones on the new Insight.

Just let me know and we'll make it happen. ;)


Cheers;

Manuel