Insight into hybrid mainstream

Phoenix, AZ - Honda’s Insight was an instant icon when it became the first mass market hybrid vehicle to hit North American shores a decade ago. While you don’t see a lot of the original generation on the streets today, the unusual little two-seaters stand out as much for their forward-thinking concept as for the vehicle’s unique appearance.

For 2010, the Insight has grown into a more useful machine, adding two more doors and a lot of room inside while continuing to push the boundaries of its fuel-frugal powertrain combination of gasoline engine and electric motor.

Now, when you check out the photos of the latest Insight, you can be forgiven for thinking that it looks a lot like its main competitor, Toyota’s Prius hybrid. The Insight’s design continues to be driven by Honda’s environmental concerns as much as their enjoyment of advancing tech development, and joins their fuel-cell powered Clarity (which it also closely resembles) at the vanguard of green, alternative transportation options.

The heart of the new hybrid is its combination of engine/motor to extract the best capability from each. Joining a 1.3 litre gasoline four-cylinder engine with a lightweight electric motor to create a total output of 98 horsepower and123 lb.-ft. of torque (and one of the advantages of the electric motor is that the peak torque comes on at a mere 1,000 rpm) gives the Insight highway-capable performance while keeping fuel consumption low.

It gets a lot more complex than what we have space for here (and if you are interested in learning more about hybrid systems and the differences between them, a great place to start is www.howstuffworks.com, where the first generation Insight has its own chapter), but in a nutshell, the overall powertrain is dubbed “integrated motor assist” (IMA, for short). The IMA oversees the gas-electric combo, and works with Honda’s IPU system (“intelligent power management”) which includes the battery, monitoring which power source the Insight uses, and when.

The car is capable of cruising in electric-only mode at low speeds, and will provide battery assist at stable higher speeds, all of which can add up to spectacular mileage. One of the test vehicles I used at the long-lead in Arizona managed a scant 3.8 litres per hundred kilometres in city/highway combo driving, with a little babying and cautious throttle application.

Aside from the high tech and low consumption, the Insight has become a real car for real people with this new generation. Formerly a two-seater without a lot storage space, the 2010 version has grown into a four-door five seater, and maintained its hatchback convenience.

Honda has placed the IPU under the rear floor of the car, giving it more volume and better space in the hatch (a grand total of 15.9 cu.-ft.), which should make it more appealing to a wider demographic as a daily driver.

Its interior is fairly econo-car standard, with a lot of plastic surfaces (Honda’s intent is to keep the price of the car down), but is roomy with as much space overhead as a Prius. The instrument display is actually considerably better than Prius, as far as I’m concerned, simply because Honda has placed the info in front of the steering wheel where it should be, rather than in the annoying center-mounted screen Toyota went for.

An interesting (and fun, frankly) inclusion with the new Insight is an “Eco-score” feature. Intended to promote a driver to get the most mileage from the car, the Eco-score displays a reward of digital leaf icons, by which you get another leaf periodically if operating he car at maximum efficiency- sort of game-like. It also adds a speedometer with a color-changing background (from blue backlight to green, depending on how much fuel you’re using)

Features like the Eco score keep the driving experience entertaining in the Insight, while highlighting Honda’s main point of lowering emissions and overall footprint, but not at the cost of ability.

Steering and handling of the car remain Honda-calibre, and while the vehicle is in no way a racer, its deceptively low horsepower rating doesn’t make it inadequate for highway driving or merging/passing at speed.

The Insight, officially introduced at the Detroit auto show, is positioned as an entry-level car for people who previously may have found hybrids a bit too expensive in the past. While the sticker price hasn’t been finalized yet, Honda has promised to position the new-gen Insight at a point significantly lower than the Toyota Prius, and also cheaper than their own competing line, the Civic Hybrid.

If Honda can bring the car into the market at the price suggested at the long-lead preview (think low twenties, versus the $26-27K of a Prius or Civic), we should be seeing a lot more eco-friendly compacts on the roads in 2009, which was Honda’s intent all along.