Photo 2010 Honda Insight courtesy American Honda Co.
The race is on. Can the new Honda Insight overtake the best-selling Toyota Prius? Obviously, Honda hopes so.
Let's compare.
The four-door sedan Prius is the best-selling hybrid on the planet, the car that taught that us a green car can be a smart car choice.
Prius price starts at $22,000.
The Honda Insight is more than $2,000 less -- base price is $19,800.
The difference in pricing is one reason the new Insight is winning the race in Japan, where it is out-selling the Prius -- as the Detroit News reports.
The 2010 Prius arriving later this spring, is the third-generation model, with beefed up power thanks to first-time use of nickel metal-hydride batteries. No word yet on whether it can get better mileage than its overall fuel efficiency rating of 46 mpg.
The Honda Insight goes on sale in the US later this month -- a decade after the original bullet-shaped Insight was introduced -- the photo on the right is the 2000 Insight. So don't think Honda is new to the hybrid world.
And, Honda is ahead of Toyota on another alternative fuel technoloyg -- hydrogen. Honda already has on the market a hydrogen-powered car, the Honda FCX Clarity. Nothing hydrogen from Toyota. Yet.
The new Insight is powered by a 1.3-liter gasoline engine matched to a 10-kilowatt electric motor. It is EPA rated at 40mpg city, 43 mpg highway -- just a bit less than the Prius.
Is three or four miles per gallon worth a $2,000 price difference? You tell me.
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Comments
Toyota has announced the EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2010 Prius at 51 city/48 highway, compared to 40/43 for the Insight. 41 mpg in mixed driving is pretty far below 50. Isn't the point of the hybrid to get maximum mileage?
For that matter, is the Insight's 9-mpg advantage over a Toyota Corolla worth $4,500?
The Insight easily manages to beat the EPA rating and is very slightly below of what the Prius can do. According to Edmunds.com, "Even if fuel prices were to leap to $5 per gallon, a Prius owner would have to drive his car for nearly 413,000 miles just to break even. [compared to the Insight]" Plus it drives better than the Prius (although is slower on the slalom). I cant post a link cause the site wont allow me, but you can go to Edmunds.com > Road Tests > Comparison Tests > Honda Insight vs Toyota Prius for the video and article.
I'd give this round to Honda.
I would think that the advantage goes to the Prius, if for no other reason than it is a four-door vehicle, still maintaining a better mpg rating. In addition, the 2010 Prius has proven itself to be relatively maintenance-free over several years and model enhancements.
I bought a Honda Civic Hybrid last August (before the economic meltdown) and had to pay a $2,000 "market adjustment fee" to the dealer 'cause hybrids were in such demand then. Bad timing, eh? I guess hybrids are looking for buyers nowadays. Anyway, I get about 41 MPG in mixed driving...a little disappointing since I consistently got about 32 MPG with the regular Civic that I traded in. But the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid is a heck of a nice car, smooth and sophisticated with an excellent safety rating. No regrets.
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