When most the great unwashed bring up the open ofhybrid railcar , theToyota Priusis most likely the first and most prevalent example that comes to listen . It ’s systematically on twelvemonth - terminal good of lists for public presentation , fuel efficiency and overall gratification , and its mid - range price has made it fairly reasonable for most number one wood .

However , despite the Prius ’s control , the popular car was n’t the first innovative intercrossed vehicle to hit America ’s road and make an impact . That honour belong to another Nipponese auto manufacturer – Honda Motor Company . In 1999 , Honda began produce the 2000 Honda Insight , the first gasoline - electric crossbreed to be sold in aggregated yield to U.S. drivers .

Using a smallelectric motorto attend the gas pedal engine , the Insight quickly moved to the top of the Environmental Protection Agency ’s list for good fuel economic system . The Insight also introduced Honda ’s Integrated Motor Assist ( IMA ) , the technology the company would end up using in all of its hybrid powertrains ever since . The system included several prospect that would become the core of hybrid engineering , include regenerative braking , nickel - metal hydride battery packs and microprocessor enjoyment .

Honda stopped develop the Insight in 2006 , but the hybrid ’s hiatus was shortly - live . The auto manufacturer have freshen up the Insight for the 2010 model year , introducing a new second - contemporaries figure to drivers . The crossbreed will still practice the Integrated Motor Assist system it first wreak to the state , but it will also include novel features such as the Ecological Drive Assist System . The organisation is also eff as Eco Assist – a visual feedback system of rules think of to help drivers meliorate theirfuel economyand overall drive habits . In an attempt to entice drivers and rival the Prius , Honda ’s Insight will be the least expensive intercrossed auto on the securities industry , priced at $ 19,800 for the floor edition .

So how does the 2010 Honda Insight body of work ? How fuel - effective is it ? What has Honda change inside and under the hoodlum for the Insight ’s second generation ?

2010 Honda Insight Design

The Honda Insight ’s appearance has changed gradually over the years , but compare with its origin the 2010 Insight looks like a completely unlike car . The original Insight conception began as too soon as 1997 , when Honda introduced the Honda J - VX . A modest , lightweight , sporty purpose , the J - VX was a two - door , four - seater with tapered wheel well and a monotonic back . This morph into the more - recognizable Honda VV , the pre - production image of the 2000 Insight . The accent was less on sport elevator car and more onfuel efficiencyandaerodynamics , evident in the characteristic extension of the loan-blend ’s aluminium body over the rear cycle well . Aside from a few refinements in headlight shape and other strong-arm appearances , the excogitation of the first - propagation Insight was essentially in place .

So how does the raw 2010 Honda Insight compare in intention to the original ? At first glance , a lot of affair have changed . Most notably , the rear wheel wells on the 2010 Insight are n’t covered up . The grillwork and headlight design of the new Insight is also significantly unlike , gasconade a more rounded , sectioned look than the subtler curves of former model .

One thing many reader have signal out while trial - driving the 2010 Honda Insight is that is bears a leery resemblance to its rival , the Toyota Prius . Both vehicle have a bit by bit squelch profile , one that start out subtly at the bound of the loanblend ’s bonnet , peaks above the front fundament headrests , and proceed downward in a standardised fashion before cutting off quickly at the back . Both cars have four doors ( in the case of the Insight , an upgrade from the previous generation ’s two - threshold intention ) and both are hatchbacks , too .

There are , however , a few distinctions . The 2010 Insight is think a compact car , not a mid - sized car like the Toyota Prius , and is therefore considerably smaller . The interiors are generally unlike , too , specially in regard to number one wood command and feedback . The Insight include a particular Multi - Information - Display ( MID ) that gives driver typical statistics like miles per hr and temperature , but also goes the extra statute mile to furnish specific information like fuel saving .

The 2010 Insight also comes with adisplay technologycalled Eco Assist , design to give drivers authoritative feedback related to fuel saving . With advanced digital visuals , Eco Assist both inform drivers and coach them along the means . minor item such as spud light-green leaves permit you have intercourse you ’re achieve decent fuel economy . Pushing the Econ push near the Insight ’s splasher can change several vehicle configurations , allowing drivers to further increase fuel efficiency .

2010 Honda Insight Specs

The Honda Insight has been out of the self-propelling biz for about three age . What ’s happened during its absence ? As Honda brings back its original hybrid car , how does it stack up against other hybrid auto ?

First , the numbers : The 2010 Honda Insight should be able to achieve 40 miles per Imperial gallon ( 17 kilometers per l ) in the city and 43 miles per gal ( 18.3 kilometers per liter ) on the highway – a combined norm of 41 international mile per gallon ( 17.4 kilometre per liter ) , according to the Environmental Protection Agency ’s estimate . In terms of performance , the Insight features a 1.3 - liter , 8 - valve , 4 - piston chamber railway locomotive , which deliver 98horsepowerand 123 pounding - feet ( 166.8 Isaac Newton - metre ) of torque .

Honda has equip the 2010 Insight with acontinuously varying transmission(CVT ) , a system that exchanges the gears found in typical reflexive transmissions for a seemingly elementary alloy belted ammunition that runs between a pair of pulleys . One pulley stays in place , while the other can move with the assistant of a hydraulic piston chamber . When the pulley moves , the belt move higher or miserable on the pulley depending on how fast you ’re drive , and this change the gear ratio . It ’s a band like switch gears while riding a stack bike , except in a CVT system , there are n’t any steps and there ’s an multitudinous number of ratios . This makes a fomite using a CVT system slightly more efficient , increasing its fuel economy by about one or two Swedish mile per Imperial gallon ( .43 or .85 klick per litre ) . That might not voice like much , but fuel economy is highly dependent on good drive habit – any extra bit of efficiency engineers can squeeze out of a individual organization facilitate , and that ’s on the button why many automakers like Honda are add CVTs to their cars .

The Insight ’s engine is , of course , coupled with an electric motor for extra exponent . Honda ’s system is love as the Integrated Motor Assist ( IMA ) . The IMA is climb up correctly between theengineand transmission , and the motor also providesregenerative braking , electric start - up and commence - stop engineering to improve fuel efficiency during dead stops .

Up against like loan-blend like the Toyota Prius , the 2010 Honda Insight is n’t quite as efficient – the Prius gets around 50 miles per congius ( 21.3 kilometers per liter ) , and that ’s nearly 10 miles per gallon ( 4.3 kilometre per liter ) more than the Insight . Whether or not the Insight ’s lower Mary Leontyne Price will attract more buyers , however , is yet to be seen .

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