2010 Honda Insight Is No Fuel Champ, But Company Says That's By Design
By John O'Dell, Senior Editor
You might have noticed that 2010 Honda Insight hybrid not only doesn't beat the Toyota Prius in fuel economy, it doesn't even beat its own stablemate, the Honda Civic hybrid, which is a bit larger and heavier than the Insight.
We're only talking about one mile per gallon on average - the Insight is rated at 40 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway for a combined 41 mpg rating while the Civic hybrid is 40 in the city and 45 on the highway for a 42 mpg overall.
But when gas prices are back up at $4 a gallon,or more, Honda Insight's sales success may well hinge on Honda Insight fuel economy.
A Motor Trend magazine reporter at the Detroit auto show asked a Honda engineer why the car's EPA rating isn't stellar and got a fairly decent explanation: the Insight was designed to be more of a "fun" car to drive, and a less-costly car to boot. So some of the things that promote fuel efficiency on the Civic hybrid (and Prius) were dropped from the Insight.
It Starts With IMA
We'll get to the specifics the Honda engineer provided the magazine in just a moment, but want to add the most important thing, which isn't in the magazine article but which Honda engineers and produce specialists have told Green Car Advisor from the beginning:
The Insight's hybrid drive system is smaller and less powerful than the Civic's.
It doesn't deliver the same level of electric boost to the gas engine. It is the state-of-the-art Honda IMAS (integrated motor assist) system, but downscaled for price and to better fit a smaller vehicle.
"The Insight wasn't meant to be a mileage leader," said American Honda spokesman Chris Martin.
He added, though, that the Insight's eco-assist driver information system can provide fuel-efficiency seeking drivers plenty of data to help modify their driving styles to maximize fuel economy.
Better Than Rated
Honda's assistant chief engineer, Hideharu Takemoto, told Motor Trend that in Honda's own extensive real-world driving tests, the new Insight always returned to the Honda R&D center with better fuel economy numbers than the Civic hybrid.
The reason? He said it is because of the Insight's lighter weight (less poundage for the engine to haul, less effort and less fuel consumption to haul it).
Unfortunately, said Takemoto, the federal EPA fuel economy test, which was corrected last year to more accurately reflect real-world driving conditions, doesn't adjust for weight differences (the test is run in a lab, with software instead of real vehicles.)
More Changes
Other things Honda did with the 2010 Insight that affect its fuel-economy, Takemoto said, included shedding the low-rolling-resistance tires that almost every other hybrid uses. They help with fuel economy but at the expense of ride quality and handling.
The Insight also has regular seven-spoke alloys rather than the dish-shaped and more aerodynamic alloys on the Civic hybrid - because Honda notices that a lot of Civic hybrid buyers didn't like the look and replaced them with regular alloys ASAP after leaving the dealer's lot.
Now you know.
- Posted by
- John O'Dell January 13, 2009, 3:04 PM
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- Auto Shows, Fuel Economy, Honda, Hybrid
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- 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid, Civic Hybrid, Detroit Auto Show, Honda Insight Fuel Economy, Prius
I like that explanation. Personally, I am not interested in low-rolling resistance tires if they compromise handling, which I guess they must. Is this a hybrid for enthusiasts? Or, at least the economy-minded wives of enthusiasts?
How about an eco-friendly car without the nauseous nerd-factor?
I don't know -- 40 MPG using the EPA's new testing sounds pretty 'stellar' to me.
"downscaled for price"
Ignore the rest of the double speak. This is the line that matters.
My '86 Honda CRX HF averaged 45 mpg and I put 190,000 miles it without anything more than routine maintenance before I sold it.
Gotzip,
Was your CRX faster than this new Honda? Sounds like it was a great car, but safety and luxury have bloated our cars. Time to shrink them back.
I've never gotten the point of low-resistance tires! What crap! I bet they save less than 1 mpg!
I really want to like this Insight, but what's up with the 1.3 L engine? Why not the Fit's 1.5 L or the Civic's 1.8 L?
Jederino,
My CRX topped out at 100 mph, give or take. That's plenty fast. The car was quick enough as well. I never clocked it, but I never felt lacking for power getting on freeways here in L.A. or passing vehicles on highways. You've got a good point: It didn't have a single airbag (few cars had them before '93). But it had air-con, a CD player and all the rest of the usual amenities I desired then and now. Heated seats, power mirrors et al I can do without.
-Gotzip
Why not the 1.5 or 1.8L engine? The answer to almost any "why" question, for almost any product (not just cars) is the same: cost.
I was completely shocked to read that the current EPA fuel economy test doesn't even use real cars. Holy crap! I know the new numbers are more accurate, so I think that's amazing. I think the problem must be with hybrids. I drove a Prius a few times and never got below 50mpg, and usually about 60mpg in the city. This is good news for potential Insight buyers, because they should easily break the 50mpg barrier. I suspect 60mpg won't be impossible. Way to go Honda!!!