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Ars Reviews Honda Insight
GeekLife.com writes "Ars Technica has posted another of their indepth reviews, this time of the Honda Insight (that gas-electric hybrid). Not just a normal Honda Insight, though, this one's been tricked up with LCD screens replacing the side mirrors, and a *portable windmill* that can recharge the battery. Not the prettiest of devices, but with gas prices continuing up, it's definitely starting to look a bit more attractive."
Spare tire? I want a spare car!
Put a couple of hooks into the rafters in the garage, and you can hang three or four Hondas.
No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova
Safety wise, you are both right and wrong. Yes, it has a better chance in a collision (the weight will see to that) however, there is a big trade off. Specifically, you will roll ever very easily, then all that additional weight isn't your friend anymore. My father flipped his Bravada on a flat road simply by jerking the wheel in an attempt to swerve around an accident that took place in front of him. My little honda civic would have taken that manuver in stride, but bravada ended up on it's side.
It's called "freedom"
That I agree with you on. If people want to drive them, they will. Sometimes their reasoning in a little off, but like you said, it's freedom.
Finkployd
No, what you need is the new Ford Exorbitant.
Detroit, MI - Ford Motor Company announced today the new Ford Exorbitant. The Ford Exorbitant seats 50 comfortably, and even comes with a spare Ford Explorer. The Exorbitant, built on a standard bus frame is the largest SUV ever manufactured. Aside from the spare Explorer, other standard features include a full kitchen, 3 bedrooms, and 1.5 bathrooms.
"Many people have given up their own home and use the Exorbitant as their only living space. It's much more convenient than finding a place to park the Exorbitant," said CEO Jacques Nasser. He continued, "No longer will you be stranded if you run out of gas, or get a flat tire. Sure you could use your cell phone to call for help, but who wants to wait for help? Just unload your Explorer and take care of the problem when you want to."
"I just love it," said soccer mom, Wendy Glickman, "I feel a lot safer knowing I have the spare Explorer. What if I forget my cell phone? What if the GPS in the Exorbitant fritzes out? Half a million dollars is a small price to pay for peace of mind."
Many environmental groups have voiced concerns over the Exorbitant's nuclear powered engine. "Gee, you make a car that doesn't run on gas and they still complain," responded Chairman William Clay Ford, Jr. "This vehicle gets 70,000 miles per enriched Uranium rod, which makes it the most environmental friendly SUV available."
The Lincoln Gigantro based on the Exorbitant will be available next year.
Prevent email address forgery. Publish SPF records for y
I'm just *waiting* for the wrongful death case in an Excursion vs. Civic collision... you're absolutely right, which is why SUV's oughta be banned. (Anything with that much mass not being used for carrying of equipment/goods should be denied from consumer purchase).
What we have here is a good old case of the prisoners dilema. For those of you who have not heard of it I will give you a quick low down.
Two men are caught by the police. The police have enought evidence to send both of the men to jail for 3 years. Instead the police tell both that if they rat on the other then they will get off scott free and the other person gets 10 years. If both confess and rat on each other then each gets 7 years. In most cases it becomes best to be selfish because you know that the other person will be selfish, IE both loses.
This is fairly similar. If two cars are in a collision then both drivers are hurt. If I get a bigger car than I can "win the battle", and kill the other person. Unfortunately then it is best for everyone else to be selfish and buy the big car and then no one wins.
It is a myth that bigger equals safer. To some degree that is true, but most SUVs do not have adequite roll cages to support the weight of the SUV, if they have a roll cage at all. Also, SUVs are extremely top heavy, which increases the chance of rolling. If the SUV rolls and the roll cage cannot take the weight, or there is no roll cage, then you have a flat SUV. If you get hit by a car that is not a "featherweight deathbox", and the collison is not head on then there is a really good chance that you will tip and roll. If you tip and roll the chances of the roof on your SUV becoming crushed, trapping or killing you and your kids inside, increases exponetially. If you try to swerve away from that "drunk idiot" and you do it too quick, there is a good chance you will end up on your head, again being trapped or killed by the weight of the SUV.
Oh, and even those small cars can do it. My ex-girlfriend was in her truck when it got sideswipped by a small toyota, her truck, which isn't nearly as top heavy or easy to tip as a SUV, flipped.
If you REALLY want to be safe, and you REALLY want your children to be safe, do more research on the topic. The best bets are Volvos, Saabs, Saterns, and vehicles similar to the big towncars.
By the way, the average car today burn at roughly 30-50% effecient, which is really poor. All of the SUVs out there are in the 30%s. Thats 30% of the USEABLE energy. Some of the most effecient vehicles burn at 70-80%, but those are your standard "featherweight deathbox" cars. To finish your last sentince, Today's cars burn extremely hot, because that is where 50-70% of the useable energy is going.
<flame>
Frankly, with the additude that you seem to have, I think you will be doing society a favor when you clean youself out of the gene-pool when your beloved SUV flips and crushes you.
</flame>
Disclamer - Opinion of Person
I'm an Insight owner, in Northern Virginia. I purchased the car in April.
:)
It is the best car I have ever owned, out of 5 cars total.
My current miles per gallon is 50, I drive primarly in Surburbia, with a little on the highway, and even less in D.C. The car has a 10.8 gallon tank, so I fill-up about every 2 weeks. Other owners have gotten over 72 MPG, depending on traffic, driving conditions, speed, etc.
The car has great pickup, I can peel-out with no problem. I can even get it to peel-out in second sometimes. My max speed is about 95, though others report the car's max speed is 133.
I am about 6 feet tall, the car is comfortable, I think it would be comfortable for taller people also.
I paid about $23k for mine, 9.5% interest financed through the dealer (I will be changing to a credit union soon).
My Insight is #453, I'm hoping to sell it as a collectable in 5 years, after my warrenty is up
More info:
Honda Insight eGroups
insightman
Insight Central
Honda
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it's a sig, wtf?
20,000. Now, some people make a lot of money and don't think that's expensive for the car, but 90% of people do think that's rather steep for a 2 seater non-sports car.
While I wouldn't mind having one, most people see that 20,000 outlay right up front (or in LOWLOWLOW monthy payments!), and shreik. They don't think they could possibly be spending that much on gas.
Of course, these people are generally not good at math.
But when you can buy a Neon, which isn't bad fuel efficiency wise or another car for under 10 grand (without the options), or a Kia (parts? Who needs parts for cars? We just throw them away now) for $8995, it's kinda pointless.
At least, that's what some would say.
Then again, the SUV's are all the rage now. So, there's no accounting for taste. (Silly me, tho, I want a Hummer so I can drive straight to work, avoid traffic, avoid roads!)
Okay, bye.
Dan
It amazes me how people constantly overlook the VW/Audi TDI engine.
All the other reviews of the insight that I have read, state that it doens't actually acheieve the stated gas mielage figures that are quited. Those only occur under ideal contitions (ie. crusing on the highway without accellerating, never going up a hill, etc...)
The VW/Audi TDI (Turbocharged Direct Injection) engine achieves a REAL 50+MPG mixed driving. On my last take in my Jetta TDI, I achieved 53MPG. This car has more torque than the insight. Max Torwue 155ft/lbs reached at 1900 RPMs. (Thanks to the wastegate turbo system!) (compared to 93ft/lbs for the insight at 2000rpms)
And look at horsepower on the insight. "73 HP @ 5700" That's pittiful. To get max power you have to rev the engine pretty high to get max acceleration. While I'll admit that the TDI only achieves 90HP, it does so at a much lower RPM figure. Allowing for an optimal shift point below 3000 RPMs
Now...on to body construction. The insight is aluminum. I took a good look at one when the 2000 car show came through. and the construction just feels cheep! I honestly wouldn't feel safe in it. My Jetta TDI on the other hand feel sa lot safer and has more safety features.
Price. The insight MSRP quoted in this reviwe $20,080 i believe. A simillary equiped jetta TDI (which seats 2 more and has much more trunk space, goes for less than $19,000. And very nicely quipted at about $20,850
one last thing. maybe you know, maybe you didn't. The TDI runs on diesel. It is a virtually smokeless diesel engine. (meaning you get a little smoke on startup on a VERY cold day). There is no nasty smeel (Despite popular opinion). Diesel is cheaper! This engine is quiter than any other 4cylinder engine that I've ever driven. and has quite a lot of get-up and go.
All I can say is, test drive a Gold/Jetta/Beetle TDI, test drive an insight...then let me know which one you like better.
Visit tdiclub.com to hear form other TDI owners
There's been a lot of mention of diesel engine technology and how it compares to hybrid gas/electrics. But, scanning the threads quickly, nobody really has explained the PRIMARY reason why diesel has not been better embraced here in the U.S.
The primary reason is that in order for the new generation of diesels to run properly, the direct injection types that are common in Europe and such, diesel fuel needs to have a low sulphur content. In Europe, it's mandated. However in the U.S., for years, refiners have been allowed to produce poor quality diesel fuel. Engine manufacturers in turn won't dare attempt to sell high quality diesels here because of the damage that high sulphur diesel will do to them.
Just recently legislation has been passed in the U.S. that will mandate a gradual phase over to better quality diesel. This will both reduce emissions and allow for better quality diesel engines to be sold in this country. In Europe nearly every model line is sold with a diesel engine - some of them capable of quite astonishing performance might I add (500 lbs or so of torque from a 300 HP diesel engine is not uncommon in luxury models).
Diesel cars have not progressed here because refiners have refused to foot the extra cost of cleaner burning fuel for them. Slowly this will change, hopefully.
ozone pilot
There are some things that ARS failed to mention, namely the total weight you can carry in the car - 380 pounds. So, that means I can ride in the car, but none of my friends can at the same time. Yes, I need to loose some weight...
Also, for a really excellent write up of what the pros and cons of this car are, visit Insight Man and be sure to check out his logs. He offers tons of great information on this car - a lot more than the two trips ARS took. Insight Man has attained over 90 MPG the last time I looked.
Anyway, if it was not for the low weight carrying limit, I would get one of these in a second. Guess I am going to have to go find a Prius. At least I can have someone else ride along in it.
yes, that is exactly what happens,.. in the movies and cartoons.
why don't you go try it out and report back to me what happens
force has everything to do with it, 3x the force, and you're going to have a much bigger disaster, and why don't you face it,... the SUVs aren't tanks, they are going to be smashed to bits just like everything else.
besides which, this is based on the misconception that people are squished inside of cars and that's how they die.
not so,.. people die from being flung about, rolling over, and *sometimes* being crushed by the car. (this is more common in side-impacts, in which case, guess what? your SUV really doesn't have much more space
again, Excursion vs. Festiva, yes the 3 ton car is going to send the Festiva flying into next week.
but why is it a good thing that the Festiva driver dies and the Excursion driver lives? just because you are the Excursion driver? no, you are both equally worthless, and neither one of you has a right to live beyond the other's.
that is my point, SUVs put other driver's (needlessly) in danger.
they won't let you drive an 18-wheeler just 'coz you want to, and while i am totally against the gov't coming in and regulating more, i wish people would think logically..
but of course, being a realist (and sometimes a nihilist) i know this won't happen.
...dave
Think different? I'd be happy if most people would just think...