| 2010 Honda Insight vs 2000 Honda Insight | November 29, 2009 | AUTORIVALS.NET |
| Share |
|
|
|
| Believe it or not, Honda actually started the hybrid trend in America. It was the first to offer a hybrid in the United States with the original Insight back in 2000. They've lost a lot of ground since then to Toyota and their hybrids, particularly the Prius. Rather than letting Toyota get all the glory (and sales), Honda has chosen to depart from the original design and follow behind the leader, the Prius. | ||
| 2010 Honda Insight | vs | 2000 Honda Insight |
 |
 |
|
| The original Insight caused a lot of criticism when it was first introduced particularly due to the cover on the rear wheels. It's not that bad actually but people despised it. The rest of the design actually looks better than the new one. The front was a little boring but unblemished. The body recalls the old Honda hatchbacks like the CRX and Civic which looks better than the minivan profile of the new Insight. | ||
 |
 |
|
| The original Insight was tiny in comparison to the new one. It only seated two compared to the new one which seats five. The new one grows nearly a foot and half in length and four inches in height to compensate for extra passengers. It's lost its uniqueness that the original had but should appeal more to the mainstream now. The original Insight's design focused on aerodynamics more than anything else and features a coefficient of drag of only 0.25. Even by today's standards, that is amazing. | ||
 |
 |
|
| The new Insights tail lights are similar to the originals with a triangle design. It also still features the tinted rear window on the hatchback. Everything else is bigger but not necessarily better. There's nothing different about the new Insight except the enormous C-pillar. When the original came out, it at least caused some emotions to stir. Some good, some bad. | ||
 |
 |
|
| It seems Honda is trying to jump ahead to the 22nd century with the new Insight's interior. Maybe it's a marketing thing trying to show off how advanced hybrids are but I don't think people are ready for the futuristic interior (nor will they ever be). At least it's still functional with the new two-tier gauge design which puts the digital speedometer all the way at the top. The original seemed a little more driver oriented though with controls closer and everything positioned more for the driver, not the passenger. | ||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RECAP | RECAP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
PROS +Seats more, carries more CONS -Doesn't even come close to the fuel economy of the original -We're not ready for this interior |
PROS +Gets better mileage than the new Insight +Incredibly aerodynamic CONS -Design suffers for the sake of aerodynamics |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Video Source: YouTube via Motor Trend | Video Source: YouTube via Motor Week |
| NOTES |
| This is the best Honda could come up with after a four year hiatus? One step forward, 18 mpg back? Granted the new Insight is bigger, seats more, etc. but even the Prius offers 50 mpg. |
|
|