The Honda Insight was originally introduced in North America in 1999 as part of Honda’s integrated motor assist system, which continued production until 2006. The second generation of the Insight went on sale in the US in March of 2009. Phoenix Arizona drivers may have seen this vehicle around the Phoenix freeway system and mistaken it for a Toyota Prius. At first glance this green hybrid electric Honda hatchback may appear as bearing to close of a resemblance to its higher priced and more popular Toyota counterpart. On closer inspection, this turns out to be misleading as the 2011 Honda Insight is a vehicle all it’s own.
What the insight offers is higher performance with a smaller price tag. A Prius drives like a sacrifice, or to be more literal, when you get behind the wheel, you know that you did not buy the car for it’s high sports performance and handling. The Insight, on the other hand, has been engineered with the driving experience in mind, handling like an old Honda sport style coupe, only with a hyper futuristic design and layout. And better gas mileage, with Honda estimates around 40+mpg. While this may pale in comparrision to the 50+mpg that the Toyota Prius delivers, these estimates can sometimes be conservative, and we will have to wait for more user reviews and feedback before the jury is truly in.
That brings us to the price. The Insight is, on average, $5,000 less than the Prius. For example, a 2011 Toyota Prius with all of the generally desired options will run a Phoenix Arizona customer around $29,000. The same year Honda Insight, with the same options, will run a Phoenix Arizona customer around $24,000. A stripped down bare bones version comes in at about $18,500. This makes the Insight a good deal for a young student or professional, or for someone who is looking for a reliable, low gas mileage second car.
Phoenix Arizona residents can view and test drive the 2011 Honda Insight at any of the Phoenix Valley based Honda dealers.
1 comment