The Honda Insight is a No-Compromise Hybrid Coupe
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- Опубликовано: 16 июл 2024
- In the late 1990s, a successful battery electric vehicle looked years away. Despite General Motors' best efforts with the EV1, the future looked to be with hybrids, and so Toyota launched the Prius. But the Prius was just a family car and failed to move the game on as much as anticipated. And so, it was left to Honda - who engineered a hybrid that majored in efficiency through mechanicals, aerodynamics, and weight-saving to create the Insight - a concept car that escaped the design studio.
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It simultaneously looks futuristic and old.
It looks like what they thought cars would look like in the future 30 years ago.
@@BRED510 To be fair most of the reasons it looks old... are efficiency reasons, the wheel well covers are there for aero... nobody does it though becuase it makes people think 1950s... Also this particular one doesn't have the nicer wheels. Nice wheels make or break many cars appearances.
The future ain't what it used to be
The Insight still makes far more sense than the current fad for SUV's and crossovers, especially the ev versions....
Well done. I have one, love it, drive it and keep it up. A 2001 daily driver, 194K miles, negligible oil use - no need to add between changes - and ~60MPG US without any real economy driving. A wonderful car. Thanks for the vid.
I worked at a Honda dealer when these first arrived, and I remember what a revolution they were. They were so fit to purpose, so small, and so different to what else was available on the market (it beat the Mk1 Prius to market in the US by several months), I couldn’t help but love it.
In fact, when Honda later launched the CR-Z, I was profoundly disappointed because it was the worst of both CRX and Insight worlds… a fun car that was too weighed down by batteries and too slow to get out of its own way, and a hybrid car that was too focused on engine response to yield proper hybrid fuel economy.
The first Insight was an absolute groundbreaker. And you have a fantastic eye for these things.
This car was for me the dream car but was never sell on continental Europe. The design is very modern and yes reminds to the SM who was another dream car, but from another era.165 tires was standard on 70-80’s European compact cars, my 1974 Renault 17TS (108hp) had 165/70-13 tires…and this was a sport car in that times…
I get 82 mpg when on flat terrain at consistent 61 MPH. I did convert the battery to Lithium Titanate, which has run reliably for 3 years so far. 2000 Insight with manual transmission
Nice! How can I convert mine to Lithium Titanate? Where can I buy it?
@@johnpatterson3598 someone in the UK bought up the stock that I know of. I bought a Chevy Volt and will be selling my insight whole or in part. The batteries cost me 1050 Us plus shipping. Modification boards abut 250. But is pickup only in California.
Saw one of these at a recent classic car show. It brought back memories. I remember what a radical car it was at the time. As a result, no one bought one of course! Well, to be truthful, only a very few were sold, at least here in Blighty. I was reminded what a great looking little car it was. Rather like Audi’s A2 and perhaps the original A class, it’s a shame their engineering wasn’t appreciated at the time. It’s partly the reason so many SUVs plague our roads today. We don’t buy radical, so manufacturers no longer make radical. That’s truly a shame.
You are so right, as a result we live in a very bland era.
Without any bull droppings this was the very, very best researched, informative, light-hearted at times, and highly professional presentations so far; It ill be hard to beat. Truly brilliant! Proud ot be northern as well, which is even better!
Rob
Hi Ed
Excellent, as always. Even in the early noughties, there were very few around here in the UK. That said, all credit to Honda and their engineering team as its development was a milestone to the hybrid and BEVs we have today and those of tomorrow.
Mike
As someone who owns an insight, I love this video. However some corrections.
1 it does have a starter, but its for backup. This allows you to turn off the hybrid system and still start the engine.
2. 25.8-1 air fuel only happens very low throttle. It usually does 15-18.
3. It does not get 83 mpg stock. (You can get it there with mods) it gets 60-70 if you drive carefully. The people who get 80+ mpg on their insight have a very modified insight.
As to point three he is referencing UK MPG which is .8327 US MPG. Also consider that most fuel in the US is 10% Ethanol whereas it was likely 0 in the UK when the Insight came out and was rated and only 5% ethanol now. I'm on my second MT insight now and average 55 ish around town and high 60's on the highway (US MPG).
The Cadillac of Hybrids..
Travolta approves
I would have enjoyed you taking it for a run, hear the engine and such.
I think the last time I seen a Honda Insight was in a car museum in Dundee. Excellent presentation as always Ed.
An excellent, well researched and exceptionally well presented video - you are getting better and better at these!
I miss mine so much. got a CRZ to replace it and it is better in many ways but damn the Insight was good.
Another very professional video presented confidently and knowledgeably. Thank you.
Nice review Ed. Love these cars, especially the hypermiling possibilities. Honda at their best.
My, you've grown up! Splendid work! I'd love to own a Mk1 Insight... beautiful little cars!
A truly fascinating little car. Odd, but very cool too. Good one Ed, yet again.
Very insightful!
Great review man you won my subscription to your channel
Had one on test for a week, loved it : )
Brilliant video mate! What an interesting car.
I never knew these were such a technical marvel!, Jonny Smith of the late brake show has bought his old one back from a museum. Not sure on the design though! 🤔
Mine is at 386k and I will drive it till it dies. It's the best of a civic with a body that doesn't rust. 70mpg on the highway is nice too.
Love your channel and your videos awesome
I have been very much looking forward to a review of the original Honda Insight
I adore the insight. Its a high mpg computer that actually interesting and fun to drive momentum car.
Excellent video .....as usual.
Great review of a quirky, striking and rare car Ed.
I remember these launching and looking very sci-fi futuristic.
I also remember John Travolta in a movie describing the Insight as the Cadillac of hybrids. 😅
So cool, I want one!
I got 72 MPG on a trip through Alabama and Florida, love my Insight, hope it makes it past 300,000 miles as mine is at 215,000 right now.
They certainly can! Mine, here in the UK, is a hair away from 350,000 miles now :)
Thank you so much
Excellent vid, I'm currently researching the viabilty of CRZ ownership at the moment.
Great and inspirational
I have the third generation of this car and it now looks more like a proper sedan while still getting good fuel mileage as a hybrid.
Great, now I'm tempted to buy one...
I always wanted one of these
I have 2 generation. Great car!
Good video. And good car. I sure like mine.
Supercar.... Honda Insight very beautiful car!!!😍😍
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🔝
The Honda Insight was amazing
Another excellent video, very clever piece of design, was this drivetrain also used in a Civic Hybrid? 83mpg was very good at the time and it fact even now. It was, in my opinion, never going to set the sales figures on fire; it was more a "coming soon" pointer.
Innovative clever thoughtful engineering which pointed the way. I saw these on the roads and always wondered about them, now you have told me, so thanks. One thought though - what is the situation re replacement batteries?
There is a Lithium drop-in replacement kit under development. I have one of the 6 UK prototype installs, and it's excellent!
@@guylachlan1736 That is good to hear Sir! I think Honda showed the way forward with this car and it's ingenious engineering. I hope as many as possible are preserved and kept running, it it an important car.
Wish I had one.
I'd love to have one to drive to work.
Great video and presentation!
This might come off as rude and I'm sorry if it does. Maybe you've noticed and aren't allowing in in future videos, but that auto focus on your camera constantly trying to figure out where to be is almost giving me motion sickness. Please switch to manual focus or lock focus on what I assume may be a phone camera. Thanks!
I got one it's awesome 67mpg
Silver ac 5 speed 👌 😎
i *really* want to get an insight. people seem to enjoy tuning them, but i want to experience it stock. the only trouble is in finding someone who has the know-how to work on one.
I looked seriously at the later Insight when it came out, liked the Civic Hybrid. It was explained they literally split the Jaz engine n gearbox and put the little motor in between. A lot simpler than the Prius and same mpg figures, to the Prius at the time, but £1000’s cheaper 😳 x
I have the 3rd gen 2019 but I want the older one too
It's definetly one of the modern-sih cars that I genuinely like. well... still not a match for the mighty Polski Fiat 126p.
I remember when Wiltshire police had one as a patrol car in the trowbridge area
It's insane how much my CR-Z is like this insight. They should have called it the Insight-X instead.
Thank you for this interesting video, well done! You're a pleasant host I like to listen to. Please add metric system information to the over 95% people on the planet who use it! I have no idea, what 83 mpg means.
So I checked: roundabout 3 liter per 100 kilometer!
I don’t know about the DS or SM, I’d say it looks more like a CX which had been left in the wash for too long.
Not for me but then again I don't think Hybrids nor EV's as they have evolved are yet the answer we are told they are - I can however appreciate the engineering here - almost ground zero in hybrids with a tiny engine designed by the masters of small engines at Honda - I'd just ride a Honda Cub until EV's are sorted - I hear that Cubs have been shown to be reliable, frugal and quite good sellers.
You can't beat Honda.
First time I road in one, it was like riding in a Tonka Toy. A Mini Cooper is much more fun.
They actually were viable but the current business practice did not want a disruptor in the mix.
One of the most fuel efficient cars of all time, and I'm putting a V6 in mine LOL.
Another excellent video - interesting subject, well researched and a slick presentation as always. Keep them coming!
Aww you never drove it! That would have been the most interesting part to see the performance, hear about road noise, driving feel and characteristics and to see that futuristic instrument cluster in action.
Is it still for sale please
i have the 2010 model drove from miami to seattle in 3 days 400 u.s. dollars round trip on gas 450 miles per full tank. they just stopped making this car so sad it is amazing on fuel. sure its not a lexus but lord i refuel once a month with 20 dollars.
Why didn’t you drive it? 🥺🤷🏼♂️ would love to hear what you think about it
He's quite young so I'd think it would be stupidly expensive to insure him on these cars he reviews
Under 25 and insurance is ridiculous plus he's a poor student I believe.
@@terryatkinson3182 I believe he's a good student, not a poor one. He might, however, be impecunious or budget challenged: not the same thing.
Here in the US, this car was pretty universally hated. Thats sad because the engineering is so interesting
It got poor reviews but the main thing is gas was cheap when it came out so nobody gave a crap about getting max mpg. It wasn't until Katrina hit that we really started seeing higher gas prices.
I have to admit I always looked at Honda Insights and kind of laughed. I never realized just how specialized they were. I had always been of the mindset that it was not very good because it could not go on electric power by itself.
However, looking at the physics -- charging batteries with a petrol engine makes little sense as 10 to 20 percent of the energy is lost by charging and discharging (sorry Toyota you are making a fool of yourself when you advertize "self-charging hybrid"). The economy comes from regenerative braking, the aerodynamics. weight and keeping the engine in its optimized for economy load ranges.
Toyota deserves for praise than that. Parked, the prius can run with the A/C on low for 8 hours, with the engine running only 30 minutes of that time. And the prius can actually get the same city MPG figures as the insight, despite being much bigger, heavier, and safer
@@04dram04 I am not crititizing the car at all. They are very good cars. I have a Toyota in the family. The point I am making is that the advertising is misleading, its not a substitute for a plug in hybrid in terms of its potential green credentials. Personally I would rather have the hybrid as plugging in is annoying... However plug in hybrids can be greener.
Fascinating little car, thanks for giving it some love Ed 🚗
Another example of a car that has recessed door handles done right. Tesla should take note.
I test drove the Honda Insight in 2000 in Van Nuys California. I loved the way it looked. It was truly the future to me after driving gas powered for 20 odd years. What I didn’t like was the bumpy ride. It felt hyper light weight and you felt every bump and crevice on the road. Afterwards I went down the street to Toyota and test drove the first generation Prius. You couldn’t buy them and had to lease and their was a 6 month waiting list. I test drove the sample car they had on the lot and it drove amazingly better than the insight, even though it looked like a sour egg. 😂 I leased, then bought it 3 years later. We put over 200,000 miles on it. I sold it to a neighbors kid in 2018. It seriously was a game changer for me. Though I have to say visually the Honda Insight was the bomb.
Someone locally owned these for a while recently.
It was a failure here in the US.
Unfortunately people that appreciate good engineering and innovation are few in USA. Stick a small block Chevy in it...
Weird looking, but that is some seriously efficient car.
Did you get a go in it? I presume not. Shame.
Cheers.
My, my, never even seen one in person. Produced in '99, loads of Ali and weight saving with silly MPG. Ok styling is marmite and practicality is limited, mind you there are plenty of 2 seater sports cars, so... However by 2017 every major manufacturer had hybrid almost and something tells me they didn't learn a lot of lessons from the Insight.
You forget Nissan Leaf the TFord of electric cars
Forget? The Nissan Leaf launched *years* later 🤣🤣
It’s not even in the same generation 💀
@@TwinCam true first Nissan Leaf was 2010 but was even bigger game changer than the cars you mention😎
I still want one. I can’t find one though (luckily for my wallet)
I wonder what would happen if you put Tesla battery pack in it with a more up to date electric motor.🤔🤔👍
But they are all scap now???? "WHAT???"
Eh?
I have always liked the Honda Insight. It's kinda different, and odd. Like me!
The Audi Quatro, why? 4x4 was used on the Jensen FF (the same system) and the Range Rover way before Audi used it on their rally car. I think someone built a 4X4 Mini to rally/hillclimb before Audi too. A great video on the Insight though. I wonder how much more weight could be lost with new Lithium batteries.
Quattro made 4x4 rally cars famous.
Honda are one of the weirdest car companies around. They have the genius to create amazing cars like the Insight and Honda E, yet choose to build the Civic and HR-V which are two of the most boring cars on sale.
"To retain ultimate efficiency, Honda decided that the rear-seat passengers....could walk instead." Love it!
Love the curious Citroën references as well.
I had a CRX back in day and whilst they did have "back seats", trust me they weren't meant for passengers.
Yeah and they’re no more viable now and never will be.
That car is all compromise. It is a mild hybrid, itself a compromise, and needs that gearbox (and the losses it incurs) for that weak kneed three-banger. The aerodynamics it has are the same methods used in the prototype "Impact" and the EV-1 as is the type of battery used, NiMh in the last half of the very few EV-1's ever made. Honda knows it could have made it a full EV with fine range for a car not really suited for a long road trip as all EVs mad up to that time had been.
That they were willing to sell them at all is also most likely a compromise. They probably had permission from the patent holder for NiMh batteries which at the time, had been sold by GM to an American oil company. Note that Toyota felt it necessary to use lithium ion batteries in the plug-in Prius, but still uses NiMh in any of their non plug equipped hybrids. Honda was probably under the same constraints. NiMh has some advantages that lithium ion does not, even if it has about half the energy density. Battery management is harder to do with the lithium type.
No, Honda had to add those spats, narrow the wheel base at the rear axle and limit the passenger capacity severely just as the EV-1 did. And they forced owners to duck down low to get inside. Right about tailpipe height when the windows are down, and of course no AC for it. That's what I call more than compromise. It is dangerously light weighted, and I should know, I owned a Renault R-5 that was as light. The paint inside and out of its thin body panels did more to hold the shape than the steel.