Dan, thanks for the comparison test! I think it would be interesting to see how the 2010 Insight compares to the soon-to-be-released 2010 Prius.....although it's impressive that the five-year-old current Prius compares well with this new Insight!

A loaded hybrid costing less than $23,000? That sounds a little too good to be true: I mean, does a loaded non-hybrid Civic (without the complex and expensive hybrid powertrain) not cost around the same? I wonder how Honda is going to make a profit on this car!

I question Honda's wisdom in choosing a tiny 1.3L engine for the US market. I mean, if they want the hybrid to be a like normal US-market, why don't they put in a better engine, maybe the same 1.8L used in the regular Civic? Or that in the new Fit? I doubt fuel economy would suffer that much with this engine.... Besides, Toyota would have a (relatively) powerful 1.5L in the next Prius, so I reallywonder why Honda stuck with a 1.3L! Well, well.....

I'm also very skeptical about the low price. The Civic Hybrid starts at $24K and tops out near $28K with nav and leather. The Insight appears to be the same size, but gets even better mpg, does it not?

The yet-to-be-published full story answers most of these questions. Check back later today for the link. In short, the Insight's IMA system is smaller than that found in the Civic Hybrid (20kW --> 15 kW) and it is a lighter car. Smaller and lighter car + smaller IMA and associated battery pack = lower price.

Edit: (15kW --> 10 kW)

This is too funny,when was the last time Toyota/Lexus won any comparo test here on edmunds? thats what i thought! i have nothing against Honda but come on.

So the prius is more fuel efficient,has more interior room ,less road noise and softer ride but come in second? please enlighten me as to why people buy hybrids again.oh i forgot ,the insight "steering and handling is more nimble" WOW!!

I understand that the Prius is a good vehicle but I think Prius owners need to see that it is not a perfect vehicle. I don't own one but I did have one for a two week stint for my work. The above review on the Prius is spot on with my experience. I was impressed by the economy but it drove like a big golf cart. It just lacked any kind of driving experience. If the Insight delivers near the economy with better driving dynamics, then it is a better alternative especially with a $4-5K price drop. Additionally, Honda is trying to create a vehicle that is affordable for the TRUE masses, not individuals that are "Look at me, I can afford a Prius." To the editors, THANK YOU for clarifying the Prius design belongs to Honda not Toyota.

I'm with SpeedT on this one. My girlfriend owns a Prius and I hate driving the car. It has nothing that even resembles good road manners. If you just want to putt around town and never enjoy an actual driving experience it is a great car. What is a hybrid? It is a type of CAR. Why do people buy cars? Transportation. How do people choose a car? Styling, price, reliability, drivabiliy, etc. Toyota had to scale back production and plans to build the Prius in the U.S. when oil prices dropped like a rock. I don't think Honda hit one out of the park, but they gave consumers another option that is less expensive and closer in price to a traditional car. A hybrid car that average people can buy and not just people that are members of public radio. The 2010 Prius will have more power, better acceleration, a new interior, and improved gas mileage over the Insight. That is the test I'm eager to see.

Kwaku and everyone else, please make sure you read Dan's Honda Insight Full Test article over on Inside Line, too!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=139246

While the results of the tests seem reasonable your timing couldn't have been worse.

I'll double down on the suggestion that this was a wasted effort of comparing a 6 y.o. out-going vehicle, designed nearly 10 yrs ago, with a brand new yet-to-be sold vehicle.

Was Edmunds so devoid of chatter that it had to think up something, anything, to get the posters back into the fold? Since the 2010 Prius was revealed TODAY and will go on sale a month or so later than the Insight you couldn't have waited even a little bit to make the comparo au-courant.

Outside of this dopiness the results seem realistic.

Speedy T...

The aero design belongs to the wind tunnel.

kdhspyder

Yes, but my point is Honda used the design in production first, NOT Toyota.

kdhspyder -- of course everyone knows a new Prius is coming, but we had an opportunity to compare the current Prius with a BRAND NEW Honda Insight. If you can find another comparison test of these two vehicles today (complete with full test numbers) I'd like to see the link.

If nothing else the story was good enough to get you to read it -- Edmunds FTW!!!

karl...

As I noted I'd say that the article was accurate certainly but that it was only mildly relevent except as being an historical metric.
What was the state of the art mid-decade?
What is the latest development late-decade?
What will be the next development?

I think the more interesting aspect is the marketing side where Honda has a huge, huge potential to sell every one of these and then some more simply because it has priced it squarely in the sweet spot of the largest part of the buying public.

I don't think that the Insight II will compete so much directly with the Prius simply because there will be so much demand for it as an $18500 vehicle that can reasonably get 45-50 mpg on a daily basis that competing will be unnecessary. Managing the over-subscriptions will be a bigger problem. It's competition for the Corolla, Civic, Matrix, Mazda3, Focus and Sentra.

Agreed. The biggest challenge with hybrids (not to mention all electric vehicles) is the battery supply, though with a 400,000 worldwide sales goal for the new Prius Toyota seems to have found a solution. I'm not sure how many other manufacturers can ramp up those kind of numbers for vehicles that rely on batteries, but here's hoping they can.

"I'll double down on the suggestion that this was a wasted effort of comparing a 6 y.o. out-going vehicle, designed nearly 10 yrs ago, with a brand new yet-to-be sold vehicle."

I think it is an interesting article with merit, even though we all know there is a new Prius soon. There will be some product overlap until the new Prius hits showrooms.

For me, I'd take the Insight. Its more interesting looking, apparently drives better and only loses the mpg war by a hair. I'm not huge on the starship dash, but I don't care for the Prius arrangement either.

with prius piling on dealer lots, it's a good deal if you have to carry 4 people around, don't care much above driving dynamics and knows gas won't be at this level for much longer. Something my wife would like if we want to replace our 7 yr old corolla, but too bad it got a few more years left.

This review raises more questions than it answers. How could Honda fail so badly? How could Edmunds sell their review credibility to Honda?

Honda clearly copied the Prius, but somehow came up short -- less fuel efficient, eyesore cabin, "buzzy" NVH, a little too small and far too late to market.

How could Edmunds publish such a weak, cursory and patently uninformed comparison review?

I smell bias in this review -- the Prius gets a sideways criticism of "jarring" while the "buzzing" and NVH problems of the Honda are passed over. Stiff suspension and NVH are not the characteristics we look for in a commuter family car. The driving position of the Prius is good for 500 miles stints (SF - LA) and any family with tell you that rear seat space is vital when you've got toddlers in safety seats and youngsters in boosters.

Calling "handling" between these two overly heavy cars is laughable. I have over ten years of track driving, tens of thousands of miles on the track in Porsche 911's with professional instruction from drivers with world class wins. I know that the Prius exhibits under-steer, but it also communicates its handling through that electric steering and relaxed MacPherson struts -- if you take time to listen and learn. It can also be driven sharply and aggressively, especially once it's on decent tires. Handling is one of those intangibles that should be left out of the equation until being methodically, scientifically measured and tested. This "review" was no test. I suggest you don't call on "handling" until you've recorded slalom, skid pan and race circuit lap times with pro drivers to deliver consistent and entirely unbiased reports, okeydoke?

If sharper handling is desirable to a given driver, the first step is to ask the dealer for a free wheel alignment (they all seem to offer one free alignment and having owned everything from Porsche GT3's to the Prius, I know no car comes from the factory with the alignment dialed in.) For fast driving, improving the Prius is as easy as putting on a set of sticky performance tires which, on my car, have not incurred more than an immeasurable 1 mpg loss of efficiency (and last longer on winding, hilly roads than the low rolling resistance junk Toyota puts on at the factory.)

I bought an '05 Prius at MSRP after renting one for a round trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles. It has the joy of commute lane stickers, it returns 45 mpg despite our hilly commute and it has been entirely reliable for 50K miles. The local dealer is good and the car still looks new with the satisfaction it's never been off the road for more than a same day maintenance visit. It's just big enough for a young family with two kids and two dogs.

And then there's money. Honda has done a great service to Prius buyers in creating an undeniable justification for the Toyota dealer to discount to match the Insight. With pre-paid maintenance and extended warranty, we paid around $30K in '05 and after 50K miles, the car is probably worth about $20K. Do the math on gas and that's pretty affordable motoring for a new car buyer.

Ummm, Honda may have brought a hybrid to the states before Toyota, but the first Prius was selling in Japan years before the Insight was even born.

I've owned a 2008 Prius since October 2007. Previously I've owned 7 Mercedes; Porsches, Pontiacs, Altima, and many other American automobiles. I'm 73 years old. My immediate car previous to the Prius was a 2003 Highlander. I can honestly say that I am constantly impressed with the Prius. First and foremost, there is a marked difference on a Prius with leather as opposed to fabric seats. The seats are much firmer and more comfortable in the leather Prius. It's easier to slip in and out of the car as well.
I've driven the car up to 90 miles an hour and found it stable and safe. No you can't leave rubber at a stop light but that's not what a hyrbrid is for. I continue to get 46 MPG and my gas bill has gone from $175.00 monthly to $60.00.
The hatch back permits great utility when I buy something at Home Depot or even bring home groceries. Why GM and Honda think they can compete with the success of the Prius is beyond me. My only complaint is that I wish they made a sunroof available but since the roof is concave, that's not possible GM's hope of restoring their company's health by selling a $40,000 Volt hybrid is a joke.....Just my opinions for the sake of readers.

IT's amazing how current Prius has stood uncontested for 5+ years (in the car industry no less), and upcoming competitions (the new Insight and the new Prius) look just like it.

C'mon Honda, took you 7 years (current Gen Prius has been around in Japan for 7) to come up with a Prius look-alike with inferior mileage? And c'mon Toyota, taking you equally long to come up with a slightly faster, slightly better mileaged, but smaller new Prius?

Really wish someone would come up with a new hybrid good enough to really obsolete the current Prius.

YOU ARE ALL CRAZY... First of all you criticize honda for coming up with a product you call "inferior" and second of all for making the car "too small."

For all of my fellow well-over-6-foot friends you can agree with me that toyotas just don't fit right. From the corolla to the matrix to the scion XB to the Lexus ES to the PRIUS. Besides the trucks, toyota makes cars for small japanese people, not tall americans. For us height adjustment and tilt & telescoping steering wheels are a must. The PRIUS has neither and is really quite awkward. A normal civic on the other hand does and while a much smaller car has a much better fit for tall guys.

@ ck90211 The point of a hybrid is to save money correct? In the long run, a cheaper electric drivetrain that only gets 5 mpg on average worse than the prius will not make you lose that much money. Especially when you would be paying thousands less for an insight. Second of all if you're so concerned about the environment you'd be wanting a smaller prius. You are ridiculous. You don't care about the environment and you certainly aren't worried about cost. If you were the insight makes more sense all together. When you do the calculations of gallons per mile (note not miles per gallon) the higher your miles per gallon you use exponentially less gas. The difference between 40MPG and 45MPG when measured by GPM is ridiculously low. When driving a 40MPG car vs a 45MPG car 100 miles; in the 40MPG car you'll burn 2.5 gallons while in the 45MPG car you'll burn 2.22 gallons. And at 10,000 miles that's 250 gallons vs 222 gallons or in terms of cost (assuming regular unleaded is at $3/gal) that is $750 vs. $666 dollars. And over 100,000 miles that's $7,500 vs $6,660... hmm let me think... the insight will cost what was that... oh yeah right 2-3 thousand dollars less than a PRIUS. Tell me that doesn't add up to being more economical. Less than one thousand dollars more in fuel savings for spending 2-3 thousand more for the car... You're still 1-2 thousand dollars in the whole at arguably the point at which people replace their car.

Also where have you been? The Civic hybrid... it's been around since at least 2001... Honda is also the greenest automaker because they don't truck their cars everywhere, they transport most of their cars most of the way by train which can get 100MPG. Not only are their cars efficient but they transport them in a way in which is green. And why hasn't Toyota put their hydrogen vehicle on the market yet? And where is Toyota's CNG vehicle... hmmm toyota the "greenest" auto-manufacturer because they have the PRIUS. You PRIUS owners make me laugh!

@ adamgreen

You PRIUS owners are so ARROGANT and get offended when someone says your PRIUS isn't economical. You're just scared for the PRIUS to lose it's crown to "lowly honda." Just because honda owners don't need to broadcast to the world that they're driving economically doesn't mean that they aren't. Just read what i wrote to ck90211 and you'll see some "affordable motoring." And since when do toyota dealers in SoCA sell PRIUSes for under MSRP? And if you paid 30K for a PRIUS you're definitely not worried about how economical you're being. You could have bought a fully loaded civic for less and still saved money on gas because at 30K a civic would be 8K cheaper.

And in what way is making a efficient car a small car a bad thing? Isn't that the way we are supposed to be going if we really want to waste less gas... Sure we can come up with fuel efficient technology but just think about how much better it would work in a smaller car... I am willing to bet that when the insight comes out it will be a better seller because although "smaller" it will be able to fit taller drivers. You know how I know toyota isn't interested in being green but only in selling a "green vehicle?" It is because they felt the need to make the PRIUS more powerful and bigger. The PRIUS is big enough and doesn't need to have a bigger engine. And even if it gets better gas mileage, since when is putting a bigger engine in a car the "greener" thing to do?

I am really sick of PRIUS drivers who drive it because it's like a brand name. The people who drive PRIUSes are the same people who wear "North Faces," "UGGs," and shop at high end boutiques . The PRIUS is nothing more than a brand name and a fad.

and finally @ Sailorman4

Why you think honda CAN'T COMPETE with the success of the PRIUS is beyond me!

Decisions. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 18, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/06/080619142118.htm

for anyone interested in Gallons Per Mile

Adamgreen---what are you smoking? You seriously think your 4-yr old Prius with 50K is worth $20K today? More like $15 to 16K, especially with the new Insight on the market as an alternative to your used car. If you truly did pay $30K for your car, you deserve credit for being an early adopter, but you've lost a lot more value than you believe for paying that much money that many years ago.

The Prius is an awesome but imperfect car and deserves tremendous credit for changing the mindsight of American drivers. Thank goodness for that. But Honda, Toyota, and other companies will take this technology a long way further in the next 3-5 yrs. The 2010 Insight is a small step in helping make that happen.

Just as the Prius is not perfect, neither is the new Insight. It is a compromise of many sorts, but it's biggest triumph is that it will make hybrid technology affordable for the masses.

Is this some kind of joke? Is the editor smoking bad grass? Why would he compare a 2009 Prius to a 2010 Insight??? For god's sake, lets at least compare the same model, fool.

Many reviews of this vehicle have already revealed that Honda has used a lot of low quality/inexpensive parts inside the vehicle to get the price way down. As a result the new Insight looks and feels cheap inside, and more importantly is noisy.

The Insight is an entry-level vehicle, the Prius a mid-size. The Prius is not only much larger, but offers much better performance. The 1.8-liter Atkinson 4-cylinder that produces 98 HP (for a total of 134 HP with the electric motor, compared to a total of 110 HP for the previous generation Prius). The zero-to-sixty acceleration time is 9.8 seconds comparable to that of an average mid-size sedan with a 2.4-liter engine.

The Prius kills the Insight in estimated EPA fuel economy numbers, returning 50 MPG combined to the Honda’s 41 combined.

Funny how the new Honda Insight body mimics a G2 Prius, while the new Prius has evolved. I also like how the previous Insight got over 60 MPG and the new one gets 41, anything wrong there?

For a few extra thousand dollars, I think I'll go with the Prius!

Is this some kind of joke? Is the editor smoking bad grass? Why would he compare a 2009 Prius to a 2010 Insight??? For god's sake, lets at least compare the same model year, fool.

Many reviews of this vehicle have already revealed that Honda has used a lot of low quality/inexpensive parts inside the vehicle to get the price way down. As a result the new Insight looks and feels cheap inside, and more importantly is noisy.

The Insight is an entry-level vehicle, the Prius a mid-size. The Prius is not only much larger, but offers much better performance. The 1.8-liter Atkinson 4-cylinder that produces 98 HP (for a total of 134 HP with the electric motor, compared to a total of 110 HP for the previous generation Prius). The zero-to-sixty acceleration time is 9.8 seconds comparable to that of an average mid-size sedan with a 2.4-liter engine.

The Prius kills the Insight in estimated EPA fuel economy numbers, returning 50 MPG combined to the Honda’s 41 combined.

Funny how the new Honda Insight body mimics a G2 Prius, while the new Prius has evolved. I also like how the previous Insight got over 60 MPG and the new one gets 41, anything wrong there?

For a few extra thousand dollars, I think I'll go with the Prius!

@ hojo70 you're the idiot here.

The reason why the pervious insight got 60MPG was because it was a two-door 2-seat hatchback that was extremely light and constructed completely out of aluminum. Not many sold because this car was released during a time when Ford Explorers were all the rage. Hmm... when you add 2 more doors and a ton of extra weight you get a car that will not get the same fuel economy. Also the EPA rates the prius at 46 combined not 50. Get your facts right if you are going to criticize a perfectly capable car. And according to my math, a prius that costs $23000 vs an insight that costs $20000; to see any savings over the insight you will have to drive the prius (@ 10,000 miles per year and $3 a gallon for regular unleaded) for 37.72 years before you break even. Now tell me again which one is the better deal. If you need me to show you my math here it is:

Prius:

46mpg

1/46 gmp

multiply by 10,000

you get 217.391 gallons of gas per year

multiply that by $3 and you get 652.173 dollars per year on gas

then calculate the insight:

41 mpg

1/42 gmp

multiply by 10,000

you get 243.902 gallons of gas per year

multiply that by $3 and you get 731.707

then subrtact 652.173 from 731.707 and you get 79.533 dollars in savings per year.

Then divide the number of dollars difference between the insight and the prius (in this case $3,000) by number of dollars you save in the prius (79.533) and you will come out with the number of years it will take you to break even... 37.72.... do you plan to drive the prius for 37.72 years???

The first gen insight also had an inline 3 vs the 2010's inline 4. Also to get the cost down honda did not chince on the interior, rather they mated a smaller electric motor placed a smaller battery pack than it's brother the Civic Hybrid. That's how they got the cost down. Honda has never chinced on materials. They also used the tried and true (and also cheaper) Ni-MH batteries.

You should be one to talk about a company chincing on the interior. Tell me why your perfect Prius is lacking height adjustment and a telescoping steering column? A lack of those features is a nightmare for taller drivers. Also the fact that Toyota has been using the same digital clocks to tell the time in all of their cars since the early 90's... And the fact that Toyota's interiors are the most toxic of any car manufacturer and tell me again why i wouldn't buy a honda. Oh and when it comes time to sell your hybrid... Honda's have overall better resale value than any other car manufacturer in the U.S.

Oh and after all of that you think Edmunds is being biased...

tell me this, will the next generation Prius be any cheaper? Will it have significantly better fuel economy? Will it have a better resale value? And will it have height adjustment and a telescoping steering wheel?

There was a report that Ford may try to bring their own unique hybrid only car to market in a couple years. Given that the Ford Fusion came out first in a comparison between 4 mid-size hybrids (Malibu, Altima, Camry) by Car and Driver, I am hopeful that Ford can once again trump other car makers. It could be based on the European Focus. That's an excellent platform to work with.

The vehicle type that will literally sell millions per year is a hybrid minivan. It sells to the perfect market - dual income households which want a better world for their kids (and a van to haul them in); plus, they're willing to pay top dollar for it. So the $1,000,000 question is, WHERE IN THE HECK IS IT?!!!

allcarsrool,

The fact that the previous Insight was a 2 door and the new one is a sedan is irrelavent. The point of re-designing an eco-efficient vehicle is to show improvements. It makes no sense to take a vehicle that gets over 60 miles per gallon and redesign it so that it gets only 41. The bar was set by Toyota Prius. When you design a vehicle to compete against the industry leader you need to meet or exceed that bar. Otherwise, its failure.

Also for the MPG, clearly you are wrong again. The current Prius (G2) has a combined rating of 46. We're talking about the new G3 Prius which actually does have an estimated combined rating of 50.

And I love this ridiculous statement:
"And according to my math, a prius that costs $23000 vs an insight that costs $20000; to see any savings over the insight you will have to drive the prius (@ 10,000 miles per year and $3 a gallon for regular unleaded) for 37.72 years before you break even. "

So the only measure of purchasing a hybrid vehicle is by how long it takes you to pay it off in gas savings? Are you on crack also? There are many improvement aspects (some which I already listed in my previous post) that justify spending more for the Prius. In short, its a better built car with many more features.

"to get the cost down honda did not chince on the interior"

Read the trade reviews, the 2010 interior is cheap and they did not properly sound insultate the vehicle which makes it a loud drive. It's the chief complaint from all who test drive it. I like Hondas (I own an Odyssey), but the new Insight is not even in the same league as the new Prius.

if the 2-door to 4-door switch is irrelevant than why even criticize the fact that they did so? You wouldn't be saying the same thing if they called it the "HSV." Because then it would be a completely new vehicle.

Second off. How many reviews of the Insight are there???... please give me the links to these multiple sites you seem to think criticize the interior of the insight. Because so far... Autoblog and Edmunds are the only sites i check regularly that have tested it. And both like it.

Thridly, how is my statement ridiculous? It is math and if you didn't pass 4th grade math then yes, it would seem ridiculous but seeing as I believe you have then no, it is not ridiculous. I could have been even more harsh and had an $18,500 insight vs. a $23,000 prius... but that didn't seem fair. So I placed what would be a good deal on a prius what would be a reasonable deal on an insight.

And whoever drives hybrids is trying to save money, or wait, I forgot all those prius drivers are just driving one as a fashion statement. I don't know what kind of hybrid owner you are but the point of owning an economy car is being able to spend as little as possible on the the car (up front and in the long run). And most people who need an economy car WILL care if they will have to drive 37.72 years to make it worth it to choose the Prius. When your income is $40,000 a year I think it is a whole different story than the situation you're probably in. So no, to answer your question, how long it takes you off to pay the difference in gas savings is not the only measure, but it is significant when every penny matters.

You sound like an elitist and someone who cares very much about fashion brand names... Do you own a north face jacket? How about a pair of uggs? sperry's? Right now the only credible argument you have (until I see those articles you're talking about) is that the Prius has a bigger name and i don't even know if that is an argument.

I am holding back laughter right now after your comment of "a better built car with many more features." First of all Prius and Value hardly go in the same sentence. Did you realize that a comparably equipped prius cost around 27K? That's with the same relative content as the top-of-the-line insight. Which should be around 20K give or take $1,000.

Even if the interior is "cheaper" I don't think it would ever be on the level of say a chevy cobalt, nor would it turn off buyers who can fit in the insight vs. those who can't fit in the Prius. And if the insight is as little a threat to the prius as you think it is, why is Toyota planning on selling the current gen prius (because it's cheaper) in addition to the new one for a couple months at least? BECAUSE THEY'RE WORRIED THAT'S WHY!

allcars fool,

If every penny mattered, you wouldn't be considering buying a new hybrid - which is exactly what we're talking about here, the 2010 Insight and Prius. If every penny mattered you'd buy a old Geo Metro for $800 and enjoy 50 MPG.

As you will note, I never claimed Prius was a great value. Which reinforces my statement above that hybrids are not for people who want to save money. By the way, you are clueless as to the cost of the 2010 Insight so quit making asinine guesses. No one knows because it hasn't been officially announced. I guarantee by the time you add options the price wont be that far from a Prius.

Well, clearly I won this debate. Your reply came off as pretty desperate by departing from the topic to try to "size me up" and make your attack on me instead of the issue (classic move when you've lost). Some advice: you should spend more time researching facts rather than making guesses and wild assumptions. Guess you ran out of ideas.

@ homohobo

No i wouldn't buy a metro because safety counts too... and as far as i'm concerned a Geo Metro would probably be breaking down a whole bunch and wouldn't be worth the money because the life of the car would be what like 2 years?

And don't be going at me like i have no sources... WHERE ARE YOU LINKS TO THESE ARTICLES THAT HAVE REVIEWED THE INSIGHT??? I've given gallons per mile, i've done the math for you, and honda, in one of its press releases said it should be around 20K. I'm really sick of you being the hypocrite in this situation. You say paying for a prius is worth it... then i show you it isn't... then you tell me what a real value is, and i tell you what everyone knows which is that at this point any GEO product is CRAP.

Like i called in my previous arguments, you are an arrogant individual. Why else would you claim you've won with never even addressing some of my questions which are quite valid. Again I ask you because I am stressing this... WHERE ARE YOU LINKS TO THESE ARTICLES THAT HAVE REVIEWED THE INSIGHT???

and again

WHERE ARE YOU LINKS TO THESE ARTICLES THAT HAVE REVIEWED THE INSIGHT???

your whole argument is based around the fact that the prius is better and the only article we've been looking at shows the opposite. If you really want to convince me otherwise show me these articles you speak of... otherwise you are the one "making guesses and wild assumptions" based on your arrogant opinions.

so you can't ignore this

WHERE CAN I FIND THESE ARTICLES?

Finally don't make me the one who attacked you.. you are the one who insulted my perfectly good math... In fact I did almost the same math Edmunds did, only they weren't so kind to the Prius.

Jerk

I for one think that it is hilarious that people are so fiercely contesting the relative merits of such boring cars. You might as well be calling each other names and shouting over which refrigerator is best. They both sound like they are more than capable for what they are supposed to be, (efficient driving appliances) so if someone prefers one model over the other, I don't see why that should be a problem for anyone. They are even styled similarly. You could remove the badging from the Insight and I wouldn't be able to tell it for a Prius.

I have to admit, though, I did get a chuckle out of "allcarsfool" and "homohobo". Very mature.

As for whether or not the comparison is valid, sure, why not? They can always do another one when the MY '10 Prius is available.

Honda's new hybrid disappoints

New hybrid-only Insight does too poorly on Consumer Reports tests to earn a recommendation.

"The Insight is the most disappointing Honda Consumer Reports has tested in a long time," said David Champion, director of the magazine's auto test center.

The magazine roundly pans Honda's (HMC) new hybrid car in its upcoming August issue, criticizing its ride quality, handling, interior noise, acceleration, and rear-seat access.

Champion called the car "noisy and stiff-riding," in a statement released by the magazine.

For more:
http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/2009/01/comparison-test-2010-honda-insight-vs-2009-toyota-prius.html#_login

Looks like I was right.